Friday and Just Messing Around.

The very first Japanese anemone blossom. A sure sign that autumn is on the way.

I am sure I should be doing something.
Anything.
At the very least, it’s time to figure out how to get to Kona.
But first…

Practice Bee Photography with my old Pixel phone. No compound-eye images with a phone.
Three gentlemen who work at The Asylum.

I could not resist.


With more than a little help from AI.
And no guns.

Whatever happens…

Do I want to go to a farm with these guys?

You bet I do.
Rocklands Farms.
Poolesville MD.
Today was the last day for the summer interns.
And they were going to a farm.

Way over there. Animals.
But wait, there’s wine. I can do this.
Yep. Animals. Lamb chops and burgers on the hoof.
And a fine, friendly dog. This dog apparently flunked Herding 101. She has to earn her keep by being charming.
And 500+ chickens.
Lots of flowers. Butterfly for lagniappe.
Enough animals already. Where’s the wine?
Wine! And air conditioning.

Heading back to civilization, in the polka-dotted bus.

I had a great time.
Maybe more fun than anyone else.
Whatever happens is what I planned.

Wednesday

0715am. Not off to a great start. But the sun finally appeared.

Nothing at all important happening.
That’s a good thing.

ChatGPT suggested that I shouldn’t kill anyone.
Apparently killing someone would generate too much paperwork.

So, I went to see a movie.
One Night Only.
A rom-com with a very slight political undertone.

Butterflies are more challenging than goldfinches. With a phone.

Tuesday

1646 yesterday. Storm coming in!

Tired today.
Just old, I guess.
That’s a poor excuse.
But it’s the only excuse I have.

And yet another unsatisfactory shot of the male American goldfinch.

That’s the trouble with old age.
I have never been this old before. 
So, I have no idea how I am supposed to feel.
Tired. That’s how I feel.

Monday.

1029AM. The Fountain by The Continental. Where we lived in the early 00’s.

And why am I here?
Because, while running the Water Pik this morning

Today’s Adventure. A gold inlay.

A tiny, tiny, tiny gold inlay came out.
Off to see the dentist after breakfast.
No problem, just glue it back in.
Well, no problem unless I swallow it.
Which I did.
Dentist goes to Plan B.
All fixed.
And wasn’t that fountain gray?

Yep, August 2023, it was gray.

The big question at breakfast was: If a NYC rat ended up in Tokyo, would it be able to communicate with the local rat population?

According to my Robot, assuming they’re the same species, the rats could probably communicate just fine through body language, smell, touch, and ultrasonic calls.

New York rats may even have local differences in their calls.

So the Tokyo rat would probably understand him.
He’d just have an accent.

And because smell is enormously important to rats, the bigger problem might not be language at all. It might be: “Who the hell are you, and why do you smell like another colony?”

So now you know.

Sunday

0545am. Another MoonShot.

Not the greatest moonshot ever. 
It does tell me that autumn is on the way.

So. Time to enjoy the outdoors.
Never mind that it’s 94°

The Summer Reading Room.

Eleven years ago, I really wanted a balcony where I could sit and read.
If I had gotten a balcony, I would be paying lots more rent.
Whatever happens is what I planned, and it is all for the good.

I shared my reading room with a catbird. 

Keeping with telephone bird photography.

Mourning Dove.

Mourning doves don’t seem to be any smarter than they have to be. 
However, there are lots of them.
All over.

Note to self: You are too old to jog up hills.
Even small hills. 
I am no smarter than I have to be.

Saturday.

0150am. Sleepless in The Asylum

Got up, made a cuppa tea, and enjoyed the moon for a bit. 

Trying to close my steps circle.
It was hot.
Went to World Market to get some steps and A/C.
Came out with photographs of things I did not know the world needed.

A squirrel gravy boat?
Yes. A Día de los Muertos Doormat.
This defies description. I will ask AI for help.

AI says: Halloween yoga class for the recently deceased.

Quote from the long-deceased Carlton: If you think you are having fun, you are having fun.

It’s FRIDAY!

0551am. So far, so good.

Early this morning, I allowed the MacBook to update to macOS 26.6.1.
It took a long time, maybe three minutes.
Good time for a little gratitude: coffee, air conditioning, dishwashers, Asylum housekeeping, great friends.

American GoldFinch.

My morning fitness wander provided a goldfinch to photograph.
With my phone.
You shoot with what you have.
And I was just grateful to enjoy the goldfinch enjoying the echinacea seeds.

No regrets. Two maybe three summers ago, I sold all of my “real” camera gear. No, I don’t miss it. And even if I still had my gear. It would have been on the “camera shelf” in the Old Bat Cave, and I still would have been shooting the goldfinch with my telephone.

It’s really not a telephone. It’s a pocket computer vastly more powerful than the computers that helped take men to the moon and bring them safely home.

Thursday

0725am. Summer.

Mentally, I am into lazy days of summer.
The weather is in summer mode.
Kids are looking at school starting in a couple of weeks.

The Asylum Fig crop is doing fine.
Grateful that I can still get down to examine the generic Tylenol and Motrin that is always on the lowest shelf.

Extremely grateful that I can return to the full upright position with my generic drug in hand.

Wednesday.

0609am. Well, this doesn’t look too promising!

Visit to the hygienist.

I was…

X-rayed
Power-washed
Scraped
Sanded
Lasered

Thus passes another thrilling day in the life of a boring old woman.

Tuesday.

0540am. Looking a little to the north.

A totally delightful day.
Voted.
Went to the morning showing of The Odyssey.
Had a lovely non-Asylum lunch.
And a nap.
That’s about as good as a day gets.

0717am. Primary Election Day at The Asylum. I was voter number 8.

Monday

0655am and off to a gray start to the week.

Today was devoted to doing stuff that needed doing.
Cards written and mailed.
Laundry put away.
Monthly account statements reviewed.
The little things that keep life orderly.

The Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor) crop is splendid.

No, they aren’t edible. They are too tough.
Not poisonous.
Used in China and Japan as an adjunct cancer treatment.
I’ll stick to admiring them along our “wilderness trail.”

Not everyone admires the food here at the Asylum.

I remember one of my friends added Tabasco, Cholula, and Worcestershire sauce to that Chilled Garden Tomato Gazpacho.
I don’t believe in cold soup.
So, I don’t get a vote.