The Steadfastness of Mom-Dog

Last weekend we were up in the foothills of the Sierras, visiting some of the little Gold Country towns connected by highway 49, named for the miners who arrived there a century and a half ago, hoping to strike it rich.
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Wham-bam toodle-oo, bamboo, and pictures, too — part four

So it works now. I have this nifty ”visual” toolbar in my WordPress “Write” screen, along with my “code” toolbar, and it makes it way easier to place photos in the post. No more hassling with pictures running off the screen, etc. Once I import the picture I’ve cropped elsewhere  I have a little box I grab [...]

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Out of the Bamboonies — part three

New little pointy-headed shoots of bamboo are peeking up in new places both in and outside of our raised bed. Being a weekend gardener/warrior (spawn of Schwarzenegger and Martha Stewart?), I rip out what I can on a Sunday, then am gone for the work week, and come back the next weekend to raise pick [...]

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Ka-WHUMP! Bark-bark-bark-bark!

Sometime shortly after 7 last night, we had finished dinner and were transitioning toward evening activities when we heard a loud “Ka-WHUMP!” from the street. We felt it, too, especially the dogs, who immediately adrenalized into watchdog action: “bark-bark-bark-bark!” and the alarm was sounded. Almost simultaneously, the sirens began.
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An unplanned sabbatical

John Lennon once sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” So some of life has happened lately, a mixture of events that has preoccupied me.
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Charity, Beginning at Home

I want to give some money away.
I do not want to give my money to people who will use it to send me more solicitations for money.
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Happy Winter Solstice

I’m going to go have a beer this evening with my friend Brian to celebrate the solstice. We generally get together for a pint this time of year, to note the days beginning to get longer. It’s dark early now, but getting brighter, which sounds pretty good to me.
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Lost and Found in Portland

My grandfather was very afraid of getting lost while driving. He would not drive down to Minneapolis, later in his life, for fear of getting lost. It was because of him that I taught myself not to stress about these things. I am on vacation. Mrs. Ombud is in her beadmaking class (pictures to come). [...]

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Back in a Northern Town

Sunday afternoon, December twoth: It’s good to be in a northern city again. Driving down streets with leaf litter, there’s a ragged, unkempt edge to Portland I don’t find so often in California, with its edged lawns, poodle-cut bushes, and palm trees. Portland has a stolid feel to it, even in its architecture, with [...]

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It’s nice to make new friends

While visiting Paul and Kathy in Minnesota, good friends I’ve known a long time, I also got to know some new members of the family. Pictured is Leia (with dog tags), who Paul believed was at a height disadvantage in her efforts to get to know me better.

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