swede1952 - Tumblr blog

[swede1952]

Good morning. 🕊️🕊️🕊️

27 April 2024

When I was in the Army, I never had a pet. The thing was it was hard to care for a pet because we could be stationed at one place for a couple of years and then boom, get transferred to somewhere on the other side of the planet. What do you do with that living breathing being then? Well, the truth is, in some cases you could take a cat or dog with you, though it's difficult. In other cases, it is just not possible, so the dog or cat that has been part of your family for a couple of years gets left behind. When my wife and I ended up where we are, both retired from Army, my wife wanted a couple of puppies, we agreed that we would take care of the properly. One was Ben.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” - Anatole France

[swede1952]

Blue Majesty

This blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) appears to be thoroughly in charge of the realm. Oh what is the word I'm looking for to describe this look … noble, that is it. My dog, Charlie who is a border collie, gets that look whenever he lays quietly with his head raised. Charlie would spoil the moment though my acting silly.

"This common, large songbird is familiar to many people, with its perky crest; blue, white, and black plumage; and noisy calls. Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. Their fondness for acorns is credited with helping spread oak trees after the last glacial period." - allaboutbirds.org

[swede1952]

Mr. Turnstone

This ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) was strolling on the shore at Holly Beach, Louisiana, which is on the Gulf of Mexico. I have to say, when looking at its right eye, it doesn't look like it is in a good mood. I don't know whether this is a male or female, I don't think these birds are very sexually dimorphic. But Mr. Turnstone it is until I know differently.

You know, the photographs that I post here are not quite a vivid as the same photographs that I post at my pixel's gallery, because here, I reduce the size of the photos and usually make a slight reduction in the quality of the photos to make them easier to load.

Take a look: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

[swede1952]

Good morning. ⏰🫘☕

26 April 2024

When I was a small child, in Oakland, California I think, my mother worked for a while as an usher in a movie theater, uniform, flashlight, the works. She took my brother and I to work with her once and let us watch a Three Stooges Movie. Funny, I don't remember how we got to the theater or how we left but I remember sitting and watching the movie, with popcorn. Thinking back, we were pretty small, and it is amazing that we sat for the whole movie and weren't up wandering around. I couldn't have been more than five and my brother was two years younger. But it was the Three Stooges after all, the pinnacle of cultured entertainment.

“Oh, a wise guy, eh?” - Moe Howard

“Nyuk nyuk nyuk!” - Curly Howard

“I’m a victim of soicumstance!” - Larry Fine

[swede1952]

Scarlet Descent

Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are regular visitors to my backyard. They are here year around. Generally, when they arrive in my backyard, they come in small groups and often I see mated pairs hanging out together. This one is diving for the ground underneath a birdfeeder, or maybe diving for the birdfeeder itself.

As I've mentioned, I have a gallery of my favorite photos at: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

Go there and take a look. Prints are for sale along with other doodads and I suppose it is kind of a business for me. But it's the kind of business where I don't care whether I sale anything or not. If you want something, by all means you are welcome to make a purchase. But I just want you to visit and maybe mark your favorites or leave a comment. Cheers 😄

[swede1952]

Good morning, friends. 💮💮💮

25 April 2024

My dog, Ben's appointment went well, though he had two teeth extracted. Ben's 15 years old, you know. Doctor's instructions were "nothing to eat" yesterday. I hated doing that because Ben loves to eat. So, I had to feed Charlie and not feed Ben. If you have dogs, you know that they sense the unfairness, when one gets something and the other doesn't. I endured Ben's "ASPCA commercial" stares for the evening. He did get some significant lap time though while I stroked his back. Charlie, who is more than twice Ben's size, even left him alone on my lap. Usually, Charlie pushes his way into the attention zone to hog the spotlight.

“Dogs leave the stupid concept of personal space to humans and do what they like.” - Nitya Prakash

[swede1952]

Waterside Watcher

I love finding great blue herons (Ardea herodias) hunting in the Louisiana lakes. Herons and egrets are not a rare sight, but I still feel privileged every time I see one. In this photo, I like the way the camera captured the heron's reflection in the water.

I don't post all of the photos that I post here to my Pixels gallery, but I post the photos I like best. Some don't make the cut. I most likely will post this one to the gallery even though I I think that have a similar photo, framed differently, posted there already. I usually wait a couple of days to see how I feel about it then.

You can check out my gallery at: swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

[swede1952]

Good morning. 🌕☕🐕‍🦺

I had to get up and get out of the house early this morning. My dog, Ben, had an appointment to get a dental cleaning. While I was there, I was asked if I wanted them to do all kinds of extra stuff. I said no, we're here for a dental and that's all we need to do. It kind of made me feel like a car salesman was asking if I wanted undercoating for a car. It was so much different than the last time he got a dental cleaning, when I just dropped him off at the front desk. They asked if something went wrong, did I want them to perform CPR and resuscitate him. I said yes, of course, Ben doesn't have a DNR - that one gave me a moment of pause. But he's getting his teeth cleaned.

“Are you a doctor?” Li said. “I’m better than that. I’m a vet. Vets do everything: brain surgery, heart surgery, lab analysis, dislocations –”

Matthew Reilly, The Great Zoo of China

[swede1952]

A Downy Moment

When I took this photo, I was watching this downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) walking down a thick oak tree branch, when it suddenly stopped and turned as if to enjoy the sunrise.

You know, the photographs that I post here are not quite a vivid as the same photographs that I post at my pixel's gallery, because here, I reduce the size of the photos and usually make a slight reduction in the quality of the photos to make them easier to load.

Take a look: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

[swede1952]

Good morning. ⏰🥱☕

23 April 2024

I woke up early this morning and it wasn't because of Charlie. I just woke up an hour earlier than usual. Now I'm tired and sipping luke warm coffee. I Suppose that I could get up and top off my cup. Something else that I do, that I think other people do now-a-days, is I reheat my coffee in the microwave when it cools down. Hmmm … I remember life without the kitchen microwave. I wonder how we survived without it. I was talking with somebody yesterday who said she popped corn from kernels on the stove. Oh, how mid 20th century. 😉 Yes, I'm aware that stores sell stovetop popcorn. I remember the ruggedness of having to boil water on the stove for my cup of ramen.

“Revenge is a dish best served in something microwaveable” - Josh Stern, And That's Why I'm Single: What Good Is Having A Lucky Horseshoe Up Your Butt When the Horse Is Still Attached?

[swede1952]

Wings of the Wild

I love to watch these turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) fly overhead. Their huge wings and flight feather really stand out against the blue sky. They look majestic as they float on the thermals.

"If you’ve gone looking for raptors on a clear day, your heart has probably leaped at the sight of a large, soaring bird in the distance– perhaps an eagle or osprey. But if it's soaring with its wings raised in a V and making wobbly circles, it's likely a Turkey Vulture. These birds ride thermals in the sky and use their keen sense of smell to find fresh carcasses. They are a consummate scavenger, cleaning up the countryside one bite of their sharply hooked bill at a time, and never mussing a feather on their bald heads." - allaboutbirds.org

[swede1952]

Branch of Thought

This red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) looks like he is deep in thought, pondering the day's events.

As I've mentioned, I have a gallery of my favorite photos at: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

Go there and take a look. Prints are for sale along with other doodads and I suppose it is kind of a business for me. But it's the kind of business where I don't care whether I sale anything or not. If you want something, by all means you are welcome to make a purchase. But I just want you to visit and maybe mark your favorites or leave a comment. Cheers 😄

[swede1952]

Good morning. 🌒🌓🌔

22 April 2024

When I was a teenager running the streets at night, we seemed to know where all the vending machines were that were accessible late at night. I lived in a small unincorporated town, so the pickings were slim. There was a laundromat on Frontage Road facing California Highway 99. It had one of those machines with the slim door that opened, and bottles of soda pop were stacked a top of each other, each in its carrier. To get a bottle out, we would need to insert a dime, or maybe it was 15 cents. All soda bottles back then were made of glass and usually had a deposit included in the price. We had to pull the bottle out, the machine wouldn't let go without paying first. I was a Dr. Pepper fan back then. Sodas in glass bottles tasted better than in the plastic bottles of today.

“Life’s vending machine is always open; don’t miss your chance to make a choice.” - unknown

[swede1952]

A Moment of Curiosity

We were out on our walk a few days ago and I saw this white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Ben and Charlie didn't notice the deer and were busy investigating a trail off of the one I was standing on. The deer and I stood looking at each other form more than a minute. the deer stood there staring longer than they usually do, until I looked down to make and adjustment to my camera and when I looked up, she was gone.

"I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her." -

Ellen DeGeneres

[swede1952]

Good morning. 🍄🍄🍄

21 April 2024

"Just about a year ago I set out on the road Seekin' my fame and fortune And lookin' for a pot of gold Things got bad and things got worse I guess you know the tune Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again" - John Cameron Fogerty

One of my favorite bands from the 60s and 70s was Creedence Clearwater Revival or CCR as we often called them. I just called them Creedence. Lodi was and still is one of my favorites. CCR produced a lot of my favorites during the time. It just so happens that Lodi is just north of where I lived at time, along highway 99 in California's Central Valley. I hung out at a poolhall with a juke box in Keyes, so I think of CCR as my poolhall songs.

"Rode in on the Greyhound I'll be walkin' out if I go I was just passin' through Must be seven months or more …" - John Cameron Fogerty

[swede1952]

Treetop Flyer

“A majestic American crow glides gracefully through the azure sky, its ebony feathers contrasting against the vibrant green of the pine treetop.” - Copilot

I saw this American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) a few days ago. I'm not sure whether it was simply flying pass the top of a pine tree or flying from the pine tree. The crow has something gripped in the end of its beak.

You know, the photographs that I post here are not quite a vivid as the same photographs that I post at my pixel's gallery, because here, I reduce the size of the photos and usually make a slight reduction in the quality of the photos to make them easier to load.

Take a look: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

[swede1952]

Into the Light

This is a female ruby throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) and the light it appears to fly into is a white downspout on a red brick garage.

"Ruby-throated Hummingbirds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers (though it's not necessary to color the sugar water you put in a hummingbird feeder). Like many birds, hummingbirds have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans can’t see." - allaboutbirds.org