Hattie at sunset
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Nap Time
Autumn Leaves
The difference between those who are enlightened and those who are not “is that you don’t know the difference until you realize yourself to be no better than others, then you are better than others. But if you think like this, you are not. Here is the paradox that rules the world.”
— R.H.Blyth (The Tao of Zen by Ray Grigg)
I’ll be on the deck if you need me
The Universe has told me to go sit down and shut the fuck up. So I think I will. For a while at least. Social media is a toxic brew and a break will do me good. When I find something I’d like to share I’ll do that here. Despite my best efforts, I became a little obsessed by the recent political shenanigans and yesterday’s events might just be the icy enema I needed.
Home remodel
A year ago Barb completed a remodel of our main living area. The first since we built the house 25+ years ago. She knew exactly what she wanted and spared no effort (or expense) to get it. One of the outfits she used (cabinets? appliances?) asked to take some photos and sent a guy last week. I’m thinking he had just the right lens and certainly knew what he was doing because our place doesn’t look this nice. I think of this as the HGTV effect.
New flower bed
Ancient Gardeners (Barb) constructed the flower bed below by stacking big, flat stones. Time and the elements took their toll so strong backs and Bobcats were summoned and treasure was expended and there is now a brand new flower bed (above). When it explodes in color I’ll post another photo.
Nest Cam Outdoor
My first impressions of this camera are very positive. Very easy to install and set up. Plug it in, connect to your wifi network and you’re done. The camera mount is magnetic so you can swivel the cylindrical camera to change the viewing angle. Good image, day and night and camera has a mic and speaker so we can communicate with any visitors.
There’s a Nest Aware option ($10/mo) that captures and stores video but that’s not something we need. But nice to have if we lived in a neighborhood with high crime or nosy neighbors. The camera is motion sensitive and can alert you when you have a visitor. I’m still getting familiar with the software but can monitor with iPhone app or from a browser on my laptop.
For you glass-half-empty types: Yes, a bad guy could rip this off the wall or cut the power cord or spray-paint the lens or just go in the back door. But for $200, this is a simple, effective security camera.
UPDATE: Brief clip of night video from Nest Cam
Nobody owns an oak tree
Who’s got the most money now, Bill Gates? Donald Trump? If you got lots you can purchase a nice piece of land with lots of big, beautiful trees… but you can’t buy a 70 foot oak tree. Only one way to get one (in the sense that I’m talking about). You plant a seed and wait a long, long time and then, maybe, you get to look at a beautiful tree. But you don’t own it.
Pixelmator Repair Tool
This sunset was prettier than this photo shows and was marred by the phone/power lines. Pixelmator recently updated a few features, including a Repair tool that does a really nice job of eliminating the lines. A pro, taking her time, could get an even better result.
Hattie
I’ve posted dozens of nearly identical photos of Hattie but I never tire of seeing this pup in her favorite places.