Into the Window

This little guy flew into the dining room window this morning. He was uncertain for a while but flew away just fine. Kind of like some kids I know.

The View from the Pillow

I've been doing two hours of Myo Sim kendo on Monday nights lately. The only thing is that I do it in Alexandria, Virginia, which is some 2.5 hours away, meaning five hours driving for two hours of swording. Nevertheless, as I crawled into bed this morning at 1:00, trying not to wake the husband, I put my camera on the nightstand. This was the view from the pillow too early this morning.

On the Other Hands

Two of the three rubber hands came from a store called Roses. The third rubber one came from the Halloween section of a forgotten store that might have been Roses; it used to have a sleeve, but that's long gone. The yellow one that is also a candle came back from Amsterdam with the husband many years ago. The wooden one that is my only right hand came from a friend in New Mexico who works as a set decorator.

Federal Zombie Management Administration?

FEMA's having been much in the news the past few days, I thought I should share the ink I got in The Washington Post in reaction to their profile of FEMA's director.

Outside the Window

I don't know how good its hunting was, but my watching was good in the wee hours of late last night or early this morning.

Piece in Our Time

For some unimaginable reason, I felt the need to do a jigsaw puzzle yesterday. Fortunately, I chose a small (500 pieces) one.

Can You Give Me a Hand?

I have five life-size fake hands, two of which are shown here. Four are left hands; one is a right hand. Three are rubber, one is wax, and one, the right one, is wood. The wooden one even blogs from time to time, though not lately.

A Concealed What Permit?

I have been told that possessing these in Texas is illegal unless one has a permit to do so. I wonder if reciprocity exists for my Virginia concealed handgun permit.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll!

Not a very exciting picture, but the 45-second earthquake that knocked the dinosaur from the bookcase on which he was resting was something of a rush. I've lived in Virginia for over 40 years and felt several earthquakes here. This was by far the strongest and longest. Aftershocks, anyone?

A Pot for Everything

The remnants of my recent morning re-potting houseplants. Yes, I have been told that houseplants are best re-potted in spring, before their growth season. As with many aspects of life, my intentions were good.

Puffball!

I was hoping I might find a fairy living underneath one of the puffballs that emerged on the lawn overnight. Unfortunately, if a fairy had been living there, she relocated before I came knocking.

Domesticity

This bread is for the family. While it was rising and baking, I made a corn salad (lots and lots of chopping) to take to a cookout tonight. When the salad was done and the bread, out of the oven, I put together a peach-blueberry pie, also for the cookout. It's gonna be a tasty cookout.

Works in Progress

It only takes a day to build a bookcase but more than a week to fill it. Then, once all the bookcases are up and filled, comes the organizational step. I'm so not looking forward to that even with the help of librarything.com.

Caesar Is Home

Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I cried. Really.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet?

We have at least two hummingbirds that regularly fight over our feeder. In fact, one sometimes sits in a tree waiting for the other one to get to the feeder before he swoops down and drives him away. Supposedly, adding another feeder won't help even if it's put some distance away from the first feeder.

As He Lay Dying ...

... my dad asked me how I usually style my hair, which had grown long since the last time he'd seen me. I told him I often wore it in a ponytail, as I had in his favorite childhood photo of me. He didn't comment; he just smiled.

Just Hanging Out

Four magnetic monkeys and one inflatable one hang over our dining room table. I bought the magnetic ones (I wanted the banana-shaped tin in which they resided), while younger son found the inflatable one on the side of the road. That's why it's never been inflated while in our possession.

Just Desserts

I took a key lime pie to a party this evening and left another one at home. While meringue garnishes or even covering add a nice touch, there's always more than enough meringue left over for cookies.

Possibly Not for You

This is the doormat at the door we use most often. I only mean it on some days and for some people. For other people, I mean it every day.

Watch Your Step

Yeah, I'm a bit of a slob. There's a reason my mummified Cornish game hen is named Never-Tidy, Queen of Denial. I sometimes invite people over to force myself to straighten the house up a bit. Some of the boxes and floor clutter seen here are destined for the thrift store while others are incoming from younger son's return home for a month before moving out for his post-college job. It may be time for another dinner party.

On the Studio Wall

I like "real" art, art that I can connect with a person. The flowers to the right and the red head on blue to the left were done by a friend's brother. The monkey came from an auction conducted on Facebook. The photo on top of it was taken by someone I follow on Twitter. The wine cork bulletin board atop which the flowers rest? My own creation, I'm afraid, and more practical than artistic.

A Change of Scenery

I got a replacement for the six-year-old laptop I've been using for work, along with a docking station. Thanks to older son's not using his monitor right now, I have a sweet new setup in the office. The Mac on the left runs Twitter news feeds and my personal email account so I can keep the work computer dedicated to, what else, work.

Scavenger Hunting

We leave food for Mystery Cat on the front porch. What he leaves behind is scavenged by several creatures including some very large crows and this somewhat indignant fellow.

Into the Fridge

So what if the power went out while dinner was in the oven? It wasn't out at the Chinese restaurant a mere 4.5 miles down the road. Between the dinner that finished cooking after the power was restored and all the leftovers, someone won't need to cook for a while.

The Other Cat Who Owns Me

Catbert is a conversationalist without equal. She has her opinions and is not afraid to let you know them. Most of her opinions involve food or her lack thereof.

Booking It

Two new bookcases in the library-to-be will not be enough to clear the upstairs of the garage of all the boxed books it contains. It's a start, though.

Free Lunch

We treated older son to a celebratory lunch today, at his favorite burger place, Chap's. He judges all burgers by how they compare to those at Chap's, and hasn't yet found any better. The ice cream at Chap's rocks as well.

The Resident Rodent

He's mounted on cardboard, and arrived when younger son was in preschool and going through a mouse phase. Some years ago, I pulled him out from behind the organ he now sits upon and put him there while I swept. He didn't want to go back into hiding, and I've never made him.

The Pies Have It!

Flavor, that is, of the apple cinnamon variety. My adventure in pie continues.

Getting Carded

A month and a day after my birthday seemed a good time to remove the birthday cards from the mantel. Some were handmade; others were not. All, though, seemed very carefully chosen for the mix of the me the giver knows and the giver him- or herself, which makes each and every one of them very special to me.

Are We There Yet?

Not even close! Part of me is surprised that I have made it this far in posting a photo each day. Part of me is not. The part of me that is not is the part shown above.