Fingers Up

When I saw this photo of Billie Jean King and Snoop Dog at the Olympics, I finally had to investigate and clarify of the meanings of two fingers raised. I do understand that it is considered to be a positive sign, meaning something like Rock On, but it was once something different in my my personal memory.

We'll get back to the Rock On salute later, but I first, I began with search about the typical one-finger salute. We all know what it means, more or less anyway.

The obscene gesture made by holding only the middle finger of a hand erect while the rest of the fingers are in a fist. (Wiktionary)

Then, I searched to reaffirm the meaning of the English two-finger salute. I already knew this but wanted to be clear.

The "two-fingered salute" ... is commonly performed by flicking the V upwards from wrist or elbow. The V sign, when the palm is facing toward the person giving the sign, has long been an insulting gesture in the United Kingdom, and later in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. (Google)

Here is a little more information about the origins. Although there seems to be some doubt about the origin of the tale, I choose to accept it because I like it.

A commonly repeated legend claims that the two-fingered salute or V sign derives from a gesture made by longbowmen fighting in the English army at the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War, but no written historical primary sources support this contention. This origin legend states that English archers believed that those who were captured by the French had their index and middle fingers cut off so that they could no longer operate their longbows, and that the V sign was used by uncaptured and victorious archers in a display of defiance against the French.  (Wikipedia)

This up yours two-finger sign is not to be confused with the  V for Victory sign. In the Victory version the palm faces away from the person using it. The other, nasty version has the perpetrator's palm facing inward. 

With his palm facing outwards, Winston Churchill flashed the V for Victory sign.

Finally, I got onto my primary mission of trying to resolve the positive Rock On interpretation with how it conflicted with my boyhood understanding. 

It was back in my childhood, Montreal days that I had understood this two-fingered gesture to be very offensive. However, I don't think I have seen anyone using it after moving to Ontario at the age of fifteen. Here, it has always been the typical one-finger salute. Sue, a Toronto and Ontario girl, has never known of my two-finger variation, which I just described to her. She only knows the Rock On vibe.

Was I misremembering? Perhaps it was that, or perhaps, it was just a gesture of the boys of my school and neighbourhood? What would an online search reveal? I found that it is a gesture with a meaning other than Rock On.

The sign of the horns is a hand gesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb. (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia followed with a little more information.

In many Mediterranean and Latin countries, such as Colombia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Mexico, when directed towards someone, pointed upward, and/or swiveled back and forth, the sign offensively implies cuckoldry in regard to the targeted individual . . .

I am not sure why that manifestation also occurred in English Montreal in the fifties and early sixties, but it certainly did. Did the francophones also use the symbol? I expect so, but I don't know.

After my little bout of research, I now know, or at least think I know, the meanings of these gestures in their various contexts. Why it has taken me this long to really delve into the topic, I know not, but I am content to have resolved it at last. It still perplexes me why that one variation was so prominent in the Montreal of my boyhood, but at least I am pretty well assured that I wasn't mistaken.

Fixing a Photo

I received a request from Sue's DiL (by marriage) to see what I could do with this photo of her son. He pitches for an elite team and will be representing Canada at the 2024 Sr. Future Games at Lake Point Sports in Georgia. I am not sure if he still has to make the team, but he has accepted the invitation.

Specifically, I was asked if I could remove the umpire from this photo.

It was a tricky business for this old man with shaky hands, but after some hiccups, I got it done. As you are about to see, I removed a lot of background distractions while I was at it. I also cropped to an 8x10 ratio which happened to eliminate the dirt at the bottom. I think that was a good thing.

Then, I did one more thing. I used a little bit of AI to add a little space on the right side in order to get the ball farther from the edge of the photo because I though the ball was an important element. Finally, I re-cropped back to an 8x10.

I sent off both versions. I am not sure which she will like, if either, but I did my best.

Sue's Art Trees

A few days ago. Sue had a photo prompt having to do with trees and art. She wondered what to do until we thought to  use her series of stained glass trees. When I write stained glass one might think that she were actually working with glass, but it was really the effect that she was trying to achieve through watercolor painting on art paper.

They are from ~25 years ago, but we still have prints hanging down the staircase, and I was also able to find the original scans deep within the hard drive, and here they are.

I think they are quite interesting and well done, but aside from printing larger copies for hanging on the wall, we also made notecards. I think this is the last remaining stash. Theoretically, we could print more, but we might have to search for paper stock of that size. Also note the cute envelopes.

To wrap up the post, this is the composite that Sue posted to her group.

Morning Light

Sue wanted to get up early for a morning photo. I always get up pretty early, but she doesn't. Heckfire, I am often up by 5 o'clock, so I would surely be awake and rarin' to go by 6 which is how milady set her alarm.

Wouldn't you know that this was the one morning when I would sleep later than usual‽ I awoke with a start at 6 o'clock after 7+ hours of sleep, my longest night and latest wakeup in probably 3 months. Go figure: just when I wanted to wake up early, I slept in. What a life!

I had been sleeping in my den, but when I got up and checked the bedroom Sue's bed was already made. She had set her alarm to rise at 6 but had awoken at 5:45. Fearing that she had already left, I checked her location on my phone and saw that she was still nearby. In fact, she had just come back inside from taking pictures in the garden and had heard me flip down the chair to get up, for it does sometimes make quite a bang.

I got dressed hurriedly, and we drove around the corner to the park.

Sue was taking pictures right away.

I took this one from very near the same spot as above, catching the soft morning light on the leaves.

We wandered by the pond, which was bordered by cattails and purple loosetrife.

Later, I cropped the picture, and I like it more this way, so here is that version as well.

I decided to experiment with the loosestrife and applied a little bit of ICM (intentional camera movement) as I pressed the shutter.

In another experiment, I zoomed the lens while taking the shot. .

I like both effects: not bad for only having been awake for only a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Sue took this picture of me while I was taking the above photos or ones like them.

We were back home by 6:35.

* Do you know how much trouble I had to go to in order to insert the interrobang ‽ up there in the post? I used html code up there but eventually also found it under Emojis. The things that I do just 'fer youse guys'!

Caturday 65: Lacey Winchester Brings Me Down

Lacey was escorting me downstairs for her 4 o'clock afternoon feeding (although the photo is from a morning feeding).

I called to Sue, "Lacey is bringing me down."

And then I started singing what I remembered of the song, Winchester Cathedral (poor quality video).

The original version of the New Vaudeville Band was an assemblage of studio musicians, specifically gathered by Geoff Stephens to record the song "Winchester Cathedral" [1966], which he both wrote and produced. The record sold over three million copies worldwide, earning the RIAA certification of gold disc status. (Google)

So now, Lacey has a new name, or I should say, an additional name, for Lacey forever will be Lacey.

Her additional name is Winchester. She is now Lady Lacey Winchester.

It suits, for she keeps on bringing me down . . . so to speak.

Now, who among you know the song? I had the refrain down pat and part of the second stanza. From 1966: not bad, eh? Mind you, I was a little weak on the Oh-bo-de-oh-do part.

Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town

You could have done something
But you didn't try
You didn't do nothing
You let her walk by

Now everyone knows just how much
I needed that gal
She wouldn't have gone far away
If only you'd started ringing your bell

Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town

Oh-bo-de-oh-do, oh-bo-de-oh-do

Oh-bo-de-oh-do, do-do-duh

A Good Little Outing

A week ago Thursday, we took our little daytrip to Athens. Yesterday, also Thursday, we thought to take another little trip. Afterall, it would, apparently, be the only non-blistering-hot day for the next two weeks.

But (and isn't there always a but in life), it was so cool and cloudy and so not-nice, that we were dissuaded. 

We did, however, take a very short drive to a cottagy area not far outside of town, Sue remembered seeing a very dilapidating cottage and thought that it would make a nice subject for a photoshoot.

I had a b&w result in mind when I took the photo.

After I also later fiddled with the original colour version, I decided, for awhile at least, that I liked it even more than the b&w.

Then, I decided that I really did like the b&w better, and then . . .

Well, you get the idea. I can't choose, or at least my choice keeps changing.

It wasn't a big outing, but it was a good outing.

Cloaked

I have no recollection of doing it, but I am old, and, perhaps, my memory isn't what it what was. Whatever the case, I have, somehow and apparently, donned my invisibility cloak. I have written about my invisibility problem more than once, but throughout my life, I have managed to get lost from plain view.

This time it has to do with catheters and the obtaining of such devices.

After I was shown how to apply an intermittent, self-care catheter, I was discharged from the roster immediately and forthwith. 

On the discharge occasion, I did tell the nurse that were were having trouble sourcing them. She assured us that she was about to see a long-standing, catheter-using client on that very day. She would note his supplier and get back to us.

Meanwhile, she had left us with the two-week supply of freebies, and then we were also able to purchase some at a local IDA pharmacy.

It was going well . . . until it wasn't.

Suddenly, I was finding it harder to insert the catheter. Then, once inserted, it was becoming more aggravating going in and out. It was also sometimes leaking around the outside rather than all fluid running through the tube. Fortunately, I was still able to direct the discharge into the commode, but the situation wasn't quite right.

Is this TMI for you poor souls? If you've made it this far, rest assured that the rest isn't quite so personal.

When I explained my difficulties to Sue, she discovered that we had run out of the original devices that we had been given and were now using the ones that we had purchased from the pharmacy. Clearly, they were not working as well as the others for me.

We began looking around for another supplier, but I soon became aware that I had, somehow, once again, cloaked myself in invisibility.

1. The nurse never called back with a supplier link. After the two week supply was gone, I was left on my own to. somehow, get on with the rest of my invisible life. 
   
   
2. I did call the nursing agency for assistance and left a message. I wasn't looking for much, maybe a phone call and a link. My invisibility cloak held firm; they did not call back. I guess a discharge is a discharge is a discharge and picking up a phoine would violate protocol in some way.
   
   
3. We found two suppliers online. They both indicated on their websites that they would send us a few free trial catheters. This seemed good to us because we did want to make sure that we would get ones that worked for me before we were to purchase them in bulk. Keep in mind that we did not beg for free trial catheters; the offer was displayed on their websites for all to see.
   
   
4. I filled out a questionnaire for one of the sites. When I was done, a notice came up that they would call me. That was three days ago. The only ringing has been in my tinnitus-plagued ears.
   
   
5. Sue telephoned the other supplier. She talked to a nice lady for a considerable time. They promised to  Fed Ex several types of catheters for me to try. It's three days later. Fed Ex must have lost the Ex part.
   
   
6. We drove into Smiths Falls to visit what we knew from previous experience was a good and helpful medical supplier. The mall had changed but their signs were up. We walked around the building looking for the door. We did not find the door. After some enquiries at an adjacent shop, we were told that they were out of business.
   
   
7. But they also told us that there was a new supplier in downtown Smiths Falls. We drove to the store but discovered that they did not have any catheters in stock.  Their Perth outlet did have some — expensive but available. Now get this. The road from there to Perth was closed. We drove home.

Shauna has been able to source some via her work at the seniors residence. She has ordered a box of 50. We are not sure when they will be delivered. Sha and the kids will be away on vacay next week, but we will drive to Perth to pick them up if they don't get shipped by the end of this week.

Meanwhile, I have many of the nasty catheters left, and Sha has also been able to lay her hands on a few others. They are a smaller diameter than what I am supposed to use, but they are an option.

I am not sure why I so easily and often become the invisible man. I am over 6' tall, or at least I was, although I have probably shrunk a little. I also am was not altogether displeasing in appearance. On the other hand, I have never been a boisterous type of dude, so maybe that is the explanation.

Unwise

It was a bit synchronistic to come across this poster on social media, for I had just been contemplating mugs and glasses.

When I was very young, my grandfather as a gardener and groundskeeper worked on an estate. He was into his 70s, but we would visit him there once a year on a Sunday afternoon.

I remember being offered a drink of water and was asked, "Do you want it in a mug or glass?"

At the age of 5, I didn't know what a mug was. Instead of asking, I chose glass.

I have probably have done something similar a few more times over the years: not asked a question when I should have.

It's the way my brain works . . . or doesn't, as the case may be.

Apparently, I can be very unwise.

The Sun and Moon Conundrum

Danica's photo of the rising moon and setting sun caused some perplexity. Before I get to that, however, I did decide to adjust her photo. It's not that one should normally be so bold as to edit others' photos, but she is my granddaughter, and I did want to see what Adobe's AI would do with it.

This is the original photo as she sent it via Messenger. The horizon isn't quite straight and the boat detracts from the photo.

In my the edited version, below, I have slightly adjusted the horizon line. That is a common edit, but I have also asked AI to remove the boat, and it did it very well. I think it is a much better image.

Now, onto the puzzle of the rising moon and setting sun appearing together. If the sun sets in the west and the moon rises in the east, how could they appear in the same photo. People wanted to know, and some deduced that both orbs must have been setting. But they weren't. I have correlated the time of the photo (~8:30) with the lunar and solar times last weekend, and they match. 

There are two more pieces of evidence. We also have Danica's photo of the risen moon 45 minutes later. The sun had set, and the moon had risen higher.

The next and final bit of evidence comes from Danica's friend's dad who was supervising the weekend at the cottage. Danica reported that he was very excited, saying that this alignment only occurred once a year.

Case closed: it had been a rising moon and setting sun that Danica saw and photographed.

Now, how do we explain this? Well, I can't really, for the mathematics of this astronomical phenomenon are beyond this poor man's capability, or at least beyond what he is willing to research.

That said, I do have some thoughts.

We all know that both the sun and moon rise in the east and set in the west, so it does seem a bit mind-blowing to see the the rising moon and setting sun at the horizon in the same photo. However, the reality is that they rise toward the east and toward the west. Neither is directly east or west, and neither always rises in the very same sky position.

For example, the sun rises in a very different place and at a very different time in July than it does in January. Meanwhile, the moon also constantly changes both its time and position as it orbits an earth that is spinning below. The full moon, in this case, rises and falls in a different place and at a different time in July than it did in June and than it will do in August.

In summary: the photo and the surrounding facts indicate that the juxtaposition did occur, but that is about all that this poor blogger can offer towards an explanation. I leave it up to those of keener intellect to dig for a deeper elucidation if they so choose.

What a wonderful sighting for Danica! It is one that she will quite probably never witness again, for she would have to be in the right place at the very right time in those few fleeting moments.

More from Athens

I would like to return us to Athens, for I have a few more photos to share. You have already seen murals and the fine old post office, but here is the other fine, old building.

I didn't get very close to it, but I could see that it now contains the police station and public washrooms, and I might assume some municipal functions.

Main Street looked typical a villages of this size with angled parking and older buildings with not-so-pretty storefronts at street level.

I decided to add those ↑ two photos since I have them, but I am really dropping this post in order to show the next two photos that appeal to me in some way.

This ↑ is a close-up of the poor, abused door that we see from across the road in the earlier photo. I like it as a photo subject but am glad that it is not my front door. I think it should find a resting place at Rideau Antiques with the hundred or so doors that are already languishing there.

I have already shown the ↓ mural in the previous post last week, but the adjacent property appealed to me. Right on Main Street, it was likely the home of a prominent citizen when it was advantageous to reside close to the town centre. I would think that it would still be considered to be a prime property.

Where shall Johnny and Susie go next? I can tell you that it will not be very far away.

On the Lake

Danica (granddaughter) is at a lakeside cottage this weekend. Look at this picture of the moon rising and the sun setting at the same level in the sky. I don't think I've seen anything  like it.

This blue hour one is pretty good too.

Rideau Antiques Revisited

It has been 7 years since we visited Rideau Antiques, and while I had no great desire to return, we were already out and about, and Sue thought that she could work it into her daily photo theme. She was to take a photo involving her on a thrift shop, or something like that. While Rideau Antiques isn't your typical thrift shop, I think it qualifies. So let us get that photo out of the way and then move on to post more photos of the establishment, for it is a very unique place. (Rideau is pronounced something like REEdough.)

This is the shot.

But this one shows the whole entranceway more fully.

Are you beginning to get the idea? This was one route from the parking area to the front door.

This is the other way round to the door (in the distance).

I took one shot inside from near the door before beating a hasty retreat, for it was hot in there and I had squeezed my way through it those seven years ago.

It's all like that, inside and out. Here is a photo from the front steps. Last time we visited, there was stuff in the barn across the road. We didn't check it out this time.

Sue composed a few composites, one outside and one inside.

But even these photos somehow fail to give the full scope, for it is a little mind-boggling to actually behold.

Believe it or not, it is organized. The proprietor knows where everything is. For example, there is a whole section of old doors, and there are many more than what I am showing here in these two photos.

I like the above door photos, and I also like the next (and also final) two as well. One could go on taking pictures here, but these will have to do for now, for we were on a trip and this was just one stop. Perhaps I should go back and photograph to my heart's content.

Neither Port, Nor Parthenon

We had planned this little getaway regardless, but we were fortunate that the high heat and humidity broke for the day. Our plan was to drive to Portland and then to Athens and perhaps on to Toledo. We did not get to Toledo, and we didn't see the port of Portland or the Parthenon on the Acropolis. In point of fact, we didn't see any of the acropolis. How disappointing!

Haha. You may recall that we drove the hour to Portland for breakfast at the Recess Cafe for Sue's birthday back in March. When I was looking for new (to us) places to visit, I decided on the village of Athens, a little more than an hour south of us. In our almost two decades here we hadn't explored that area. We began at the Recess Cafe in Portland., which, like the two American Portlands, is on the water: however, with no interesting harbour to explore.

As is custom, phone pics were taken across the table. I don't know which one I prefer, so you get two for the price of one.

An hour later we were on the road to Athens. There had been no particular reason to go, other than the name and that we hadn't been there yet.

There were murals on the Main street. Please excuse the finger in the first. I do that far too often on the phone. The murals depicted village life in the early 1900s.

As Sue contemplated her day's photo prompt, she decided that we should next go to Rideau Ferry, so I told Google to take us there and forego the plan to see Toledo. I'll bypass describing our  Rideau Ferry stop for this post and post more tomorrow, but once we were done with that place, I checked with GMaps and found that we were only 15 minutes from Perth where Shauna works and where Danica was also helping out on the Reception Desk for a half day.

What I will say is that, although I had brought all of my photo equipment for the day, I didn't get it out of the trunk once. For the kind of pictures available that day, the phone sufficed. This does not make me exceedingly happy, but it is how life is going right now.

Oh, and what I will also say is that the drive from Athens to Rideau Ferry was quite lovely for the rural roads that we were driving along were lined for mile after mile with Queen Anne's lace. Many stretches  also included blue chicory. What a treat!

Oh . . . and as a bit of an afterthought, here is Sue's breakfast photo of the perpetrator of this blog.