gnostic tollbooth

The pic here looks more like Fall to me, but it was taken on Saturday. I liked the rich colors that remain in the leaves and the reflected light in the water.

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Driving up to Wisconsin Saturday, we passed a few toll booths. I don't know whether people give them a rough time about the prices, but my observations of human nature suggests that there are grumbles-a-plenty from lots of travelers. I sympathize with people who are frustrated at the ever-increasing fees from a charge that was initially supposed to be temporary, but the person inside that spacious, luxurious and stimulating booth is not the person who decided to overcharge us. I see no reason to take our frustrations out on them.

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When I greeted the attendant at the first booth, I reported that the vehicle in front of me had a bumper sticker from a rival sports team and asked whether the vehicle was penalized with a doubled fee. The attendant smiled and said, "Yep, got it." I like how he played along, and my passengers laughed.

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Nothing clever or snappy sprang to mind at the next booth, but I greeted the attendant with a big smile and enthusiastic, "Hi, Robert!" Normally, the attendant echoes back some of that cheer with a simple "Have a nice day," accompanied by a freshly cracked smile. He said something different. He said, "What's the word?" No one told me that I had to be ready with "the word." I thought all I had to do was hand him a couple of bucks. Now there's a PASSWORD, too?!! What an odd greeting. What's next, a secret handshake? That's too much pressure. I couldn't think a quick to answer that. On the way back to Illinois, I was so afraid of not knowing the secret password, that I just stuck to a perfunctory, "Hello."

hangin' in there

This leaf is not a quitter! All the other leaves out front are long gone, but this one remains. Day after day, I'm impressed at its tenacity. I wasn't sure if it would make a good photo subject, but the coloring from an evening's sunlight adds a hint of drama.

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I have remained, as well, but I had to use a whole week's worth of sick pay. I hate being sick. I don't like leaving my coworkers with my burden (but a part of me also hopes that they can't get along without me). My original thought for today's post was to chronicle the events with paragraph headings like, "Monday..., Tuesday..., etc." That would have been tedious and boring. Long story short, my blood pressure was in a scary place, and I had a host of complications. I'm better now.

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The meds leave me drained before the day even starts and I stay tired until bed time, but that's better than the tension headaches, nervous jitters, and sleepless nights that I had to endure a few days ago.

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I owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Craver, who did a tremendous job of taking care of me morning, noon and night. Thanks be to God that we are using health insurance and not life insurance! I appreciate the prayers of my friends, and every word of encouragement along the way.

restless and runcible

The Pentax was feeling neglected, so camera in hand, I went to a local park, and meandered around the pond. There were so many geese there, that I thought I would get a good picture of them. Sorry; I was not happy with how those turned out. (Geese are kinda gross when you have to walk where they have walked... especially when there are hundreds like there were at this park.)

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Let's see, where was I? Oh, yeah... so I have the camera in my hands, scouring the area with a discerning eye, thinking, "I've gotta shoot something." Hmmm... It's a good thing I did not say that out loud.

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I took a picture of these very trees recently, but I like the colors better this time around. That, plus I used a tripod this time. (sigh) I think I got what I came for!

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Incidentally, if you pass through my beloved town and feel the urge to skate on or near this pond, be sure to carry rocks in your pockets. Apparently, you can avoid getting in trouble by flinging stones at the authorities. I have no idea how it works, but there it is, in black & white. Punctuation matters, people.

time to relax

Big plans tonight. We have decided to... just sit back and relax... maybe watch a movie and read a bit. It should be nice.

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Friends, last night I ran sound for a band, and one comment got under my skin and bugged me the whole night. One of the guys picked up a cabasa and started shaking it like a maraca. I was re-doing the keyboard setup, and heard this man say that all sound is music; it just depends on your interpretation. I guess I could take that kind of pseudo-philosophical drivel better if he was an accomplished musician, but that was not the case. I could not stay silent; I challenged his position and attempted to show him the folly of his argument.

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There is a sense in which a person can listen to leaves rustling in the wind, and consider it music. But when a musician is part of a band, it is important to work together with the rest of the members. Learn the harmony. Hit your notes. Make sure the sounds you make convey the meaning of the words... that's music.

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Doing your own thing is fine for a child playing in his or her house, but not for a mic'd musician on stage. I'll tell you this, if it was up to me to assemble the band, I certainly would not choose someone who thinks like this quirky cabasa guy.

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As you can probably tell, I'm still wound up about this. I could sure use a break.

bright and crisp

Oh man, it's so nice to be lazy and get up from the night's slumber whenever I feel like it! This turned out to be a FIVE-day weekend for me!!! I'll be driving a lot on Monday, but that's okay. I don't know yet what kind of weather I'll be driving in, but it has been brisk and sunny so far.

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We visited a few friends, and did some very needed work around the house. The raccoons, birds and squirrels will have to find another way now, to get inside my garage. Wild animals are only cute to me when they're outside. Once they're inside, the warm, fuzzy feelings disappear. (Honestly, I get to wishing I had something other than a camera to shoot them with.)

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Okay kids... I'm off to do a little more around the house, and maybe some shopping.

hanging on

I hope I don't have to pick up too many more leaves around here. Oh, there are a few stubborn remants in my neighbor's Maple, but I expect they'll drop before very long. Instead of raking the leaves off the lawn, I like going over them with my mulching mower. It bags them at once, so I think it's much neater and less exhausting than using the rake. It is the best way to gather the leaves from my tree, because the Craver house inherited a Honey Locust with lots of wee-little leaves.

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I over-seeded a couple months ago, so the lawn was nice and thick. It was springy underfoot--just the way I like it. It was relatively warm and sunny with blue skies. What a great day to be outside!!

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I had help from a ladybug. I wasn't sure what it was doing, but I never turn down an offer of assistance with yard work. It was a funny little thing with dimpled armor. It looks like the right wing got smooshed in. (You may have to click on the image to see it clearly.)

all the trimmings

Autumn colors are popping up here and there. They have been for a while, now. I hope you are catching good views of whatever is happening in your own area. Here, we have a red streak down the middle of a row of green. It looks like a question mark, doesn't it?

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Speaking of highlights and such, here's a good laugh: I usually cut my own hair. It's easy for us guys to get away with unprofessional scalp mowings. I just use clippers at home, and my wife helps me finish the back after I've already done my part. I noticed tapered attachments in the bin. They were embossed "right ear" and "left ear." Naturally, I assumed that they would be perfectly suited for clipping around those areas, so I used the attachments, and... Whoa!! That was waaaay too short! I didn't mean to lop off so much. Oh well; it'll grow back.

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Oh, and talking about trimming and growing back, I need to do something soon with the front yard. If I wait too long, the overgrown bushes, cobwebs and scattered leaves will end up looking like Halloween decorations. Hopefully, I can get out there with the hedge trimmer and edger this weekend.

school days

Some children returned to school this week. My own family homeschools, but I see lots of other peoples' kids outside these days.

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As a commuter, it's mildly annoying to have the school busses stop the traffic, but while I wait, my mind takes a journey back to my youth. I remember what it was like returning to elementary school. I remember colorful leaves, pencil cases. I can still hear the way a skillful teacher used chalk to punctuate a lesson. Mmmm... the smell of soup in a thermos, Elmer's paste, crayons, coffee and perfume (the teacher's). I remember favorite sites along the way to school, the toy store, the Army surplus, the barking dogs at the car dealership. And oh, spelling bees... I was good at spelling! Some people don't like sweaters, but I love them because it is a link to this season. The nights are cooler; that's perfect for sleeping!

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(inhaling deeply) I love this time of year!

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Friends, the leaf pic looks color saturated because I placed it on a purple cloth, but that's the real deal. Our colors are just starting to turn here.

backyard project.3

Let's take the camera on the back deck today and see what we find...

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First, we have a neglected corner of the garage gutter. Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's a shame; I know. We sent one of our sons up there to clean it up, but he had to wait until after I snapped my photo.

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The gutter on the house is not as bad. I even think I like the image of this rugged, green pioneer... boldly photosynthesizing up there with no peer support.

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[backyard project is a photo hunt series within my own yard]

Sky Watch Friday!

tree-riffic

Spending a few hours with a brother-in-law whose company I always enjoy, having just received a nifty home-audio hand-me-down, I stood next to my car. It felt like everything was right in the world at that particular moment. The air was fresh and clean, the leaves were a crunchy topping for his thick, cushiony grass. Then I looked up, and couldn't decide which I liked more... the sky or the tree. So I drew my camera and collected them both.

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Click on badge to see more from Sky Watch Friday.

ch-ch-changes

The times, they are a-changing!

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How sad for people who do not get to experience the change of seasons like this. The drive to and from work every day is just exploding with wild-eyed wonder like this little pond (I stretched the photo wide for effect). I like warm sunny weather alright, but there are also rewards to living a little farther from the equator. The seasons don't fear the reaper. These colors were so glorious I had to pull over and snap a shot or two.

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Seasons of change can be exciting. I am considering a change to this blog, and if you have an opinion, I'd like to hear your thoughts. After months of ignoring all this stuff about earning money through blogging, I am starting to think that it may not be a bad idea. How do you feel about that? Do you or would you use your blog to generate additional income?