Of Sleep and Commenters

Since I often whinge about my lack of sleep, I am pleased to post that every now and then, I have a very good night. Last night was as good as it gets. Sleep App concurred with my general impression by giving me 7h 45m. I'm not sure if I have done better than that all year. Even more impressive was that all but one hour, so 6:45, were deemed to be good sleep, which is not always the case, even when the total is only 5 hours.

I am not alone in this sleep situation although it is not a problem for everyone.

Should Fish More: I have the same sleep issues, normal for me is around 5-6 hours, often less, rarely up to 7. I listen to the radio. I'm a bit older than you, 78, and admire you getting up and doing things. I try to stay in bed until 5:30, then up and my one cup of coffee and the news. I read your posts most days, they are part of my routine. Thanks AC.  

I don't think Fish still blogs, but I appreciate that he still comments on occasion. It's so nice to know that he reads frequently.

Speaking of non-bloggers who drop by, I have a few, but DrumMajor is the most frequent visitor, or at least the most frequent commenter of the non-bloggers. I don't know why these good folk drop by, but it is nice that they do. I would like to know more about such people, but one respects privacy. Having said that, my email address is there for all to see . . . and use.

DrumMajor: Though those early morning shots are beautiful, in the spirit of Halloween, place a few little bats flying out. To be biologically correct, they'd need to be returning to the tower after being out all night. Linda in Kansas

Kate also recently stopped by, and there are others although I can't recall names at the moment.

Back to the sleep issue, others get by on lesser amounts and still seem to thrive.

Cloudia:  . . . I get up between 4:00 and 5:00 also and go to bed between 10:00 and 11:00. I have never needed more than 6 hours sleep on a normal night. Perhaps you are just one of those people who doesn't really need the full seven or eight. Something to ponder. Have a lovely day

One issue of mine is unpredictability. My good sleep last night was very nice, but I had less than 5 hours on the previous night. It is also the case that I, historically, needed 8 hours or close to it. Mind you, my history has been alterred for about two decades. Oddly enough, and I have written this before, Sue and I used to sleep close to the same number of hours. In later life she has required much more, and whatever I require, I get much less. I am often up an hour or two after she goes to bed and an hour or two before she gets up.

Surprise Morning Shoot

Silly AC awoke at 4  this morning, and try as he might, further sleep elided him.

After coffee and Sudoku, I dragged myself out with the camera. I think this is my first and only early morning photoshoot in two years: something I once did more often.

I wasn't sure where I was heading but ended up staring at townhall. I have done this a lot over the years, but a click is a click, and every click is at least a little different than the click before. Besides, I have never taken this exact photo through the trees.

As you can see, both above and below, it was pretty dark, but there was some colour in the sky – no clouds but some colour.

As the night lightened just a bit, what colour there was soon disappeared, and I went home. As ordinary and common as these photos may be, it did feel good to get out early and do something that I haven't done for a long time.

But I have little desire to keep awakening at 4 o'silly.

Saturday Morning Photo Play

You'll remember these two recent photos. Before uploading them to Flickr, I decided to add the text, Textures, just to add a little something. I kept the text light to not be too obtrusive, but I never know how it will show up on the lower resolutions that I use on Blogger.

You also saw this photo recently.

I liked it, and you said you liked it, but I thought it could be better by removing objects that seemed to detract from the main subject. I think it improves the photo, but what do you think?

Then it was time to head to the Yard Waste site to dump off leaf litter, grass clippings, and  garden  debris from cutting back those sad, fading plants.

I was just about to get in the car when I discovered a spider web attached to it on one side and to nearby plants on the other side. When we tried to photograph it, the spider vamoosed to under the car, and that was that. Together, Ms Arachnid the First and I went to dump the clippings. I don't know if she survived the trip. 

Upon my return, I was watering the plants out front when I espied another web in the garden. I did manage to photograph this spider although I was unable to get most of the web. My kinky back and I weren't doing well in the crouching position, so I accepted the images that resulted, sans web. I could have gotten a stool and my tripod, but, alas, I am but a lazy sort of bloke. You can see some water droplets here and there on the web.

I cropped and magnified the second photo to try to capture the spines on Ms Arachnid the Second. This version should be pretty zoomable if you wish to click.

So, how is your Saturday going? Doubtless, you are all out doing meaningful and splendid things .

AC's Buying Spree and Sue's Pantyhose Lessons

I was seized by a virus this week – the shopping virus! It came on suddenly and unexpectantly. 

I don't know what came over me, but I ordered these items, and behold! they were delivered unto me: a toque (hat), shoes and socks.

The socks are ski socks. I do not ski. The shoes are runner, but I runneth not. The hat is of the type that I do not habitually don upon my pate.

So, what gives?

First I clicked on a FB link for Smartwool. I wondered if they had long socks. Eventually, I drilled down to a pair of ski socks, and lo I didst purchase them

You see, due to some neuropathy (I don't know, but that is what I am calling it), I have cold spots on my shins. So it is that I like to keep them covered in winter, even in the house under long pants. I have some long socks, but the best ones are getting very old, and I have had a deuce of a time finding good new ones. 

So it was that I opted to spend a small fortune on these socks.

From a different site, Merrill, I purchase running shoes. I get email from Merrill and constantly check their shoes, looking for something colourful. As you know, I don't run. As you also know, even walking can be problematic. But running shoes are comfortable for my miserable feet, and over the past five years or so, I have grown to like a splashy look on my tootsies.

So there you have it: ski socks for a non-skier and runners for a non-runner. I didn't really need new shoes at the moment, but I will need a new pair for next year, and the sale price and the look were right for me, so I purchased them now.

The hat was a throw-in. To get free shipping on the shoes, I needed to spend a few extra bucks, so I ended up with the toque. Even though I don't wear them often because I favour my jaunty caps, they're good to wear when I am clearing snow or some such, I have had a heckuva problem finding toques that don't want to eject themselves from my head (see link at the bottom), and I think that this toque will do the trick.

Isn't it all just so awesome‽

Just another word about the socks before I leave you in peace. It's just that Sue has been giving me lessons in how to put them on. I gotta tell ya, that I have managed to don my socks up until now in my long life, so why do I need lessons?

Let me splain. They are a very tight fit, and ole AC has trouble getting them on straight. So Dear Sue has been giving me lessons from her pantyhose days.

What she tells me to do is to roll the tops right down to the foot part and to get my foot in and aligned before I begin to roll the socks up to past my calves.

I am still working on my technique, and I think I am getting it. Who knew that I would someday use a lady's pantyhose technique to get myself dressed?

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A post from last winter about my toque attempting to dislodge itself from my head.

My first two pairs of colourful shoes. There has been one more red pair since then.

Macros from the Trail

I took my macro lens along the Riverwalk Trail. I was hoping for a bit of autumn colour, but we didn't find much unless you count, these two poor leaves that were on the railing of one of the footbridges.

Shadows elsewhere on another railing.

There were bushes of blue berries, but I don't think they were blueberries if you know what I mean. They don't grow like that around here. Let me know if I am wrong.

Gardens abut the trail in a few spots. I liked these yellow seed pods overhanging the fence.

Light catching a few leaves out of the shadowy background. I think this final photo is my fave of the walk, but the competition wasn't that stiff yesterday. :-)

This is Sue's photo of me taking the first photo in the post of the two leaves on the railing.

Silhouette Mission Accomplished

Following the advice of friend Nick, Sue and I went down to the park at golden hour, hoping for silhouettes in the backlight.

However, for the most part, we just managed golden light, and there's nothing wrong with that.

At this resolution, I am not sure if you can see the cloud of insects behind the ladies.

How sweet!

This lady and her dog both clocked me taking their picture. Bad AC.

Eventually, I did catch a young fisherman in the right spot for silhouettes, which was mostly really me getting to the right spot. I just just had to line up with the sun better.

Mission accomplished.

Lighting Up My Night

Toilet Night Light - Motion Sensor Activated Bathroom LED Bowl
Toilet Light, Fun 32 Colors Changing Bathroom Nightlight,
Toilet Bowl Illuminate Night Light

A toilet light can be a great addition to many a home in which an elderly male resides. This assumes that said elderly male gets up frequently during the night, has a weak stream, and is hearing impaired. If all three of those conditions apply, it can be difficult to know whether one's stream has truly ended. I'm sure dear reader can appreciate what might happen next.

We do have a night light in the bathroom, but it illuminates only weakly. That led me to also use a little, one-battery flashlight for my nocturnal bathroom use. When that flashlight expired, Sue remembered a gift from my Christmas stocking – a night light that fastens to the toilet.

How silly! I had thought it a joke and had put it out of my mind, but needs must.

Sue attached it, and lo and behold, it works!

It turns on when it senses vibrations. I only have to get near the bathroom for my vibrations to have it turn on. It's light-sensitive too; if I turn the bathroom light on, the toilet light will shut off. I believe it only stays on for three minutes at any rate, so it knows to shut itself off as well.

Some of the colours can be a wee bit disconcerting at first. "Oh no! It's red. Ami I passing blood?" Of course, I am soon able to reassure myself.

Obviously, I am losing my sense of personal embarrassment to post of urination and streams and hearing loss and toilets. When I meet for coffee with Bob and Nick, we remark of how we talk about personal matters in a way that we had never conjured that we would. Good grief, I even showed them a catheter in public at our last kaffeeklatsch.

One other thing, which has little to do with the foregoing, but I stopped the boys in their tracks last meetup because I used the F-word. Apparently, I don't cuss much, so I took them by surprise, and they felt compelled to remark on my usage. I guess that is another inhibition that I have dropped in old age, or at least let slip, just a little.

Cool and Windy Photo Walk

It went down to 6.5C/44F on Saturday night, so it wasn't exactly hot when we went out for Sunday morning photos. And it was windy too.

Sue had her photo thing to do, so I put my telephoto lens on and decided to take little photos, for it wasn’t the day for grand scenes. I decided that I would concentrate on bits of architecture, at least initially. I also thought that I would likely then convert into b&w because it was a pretty drab day. That is what I did except for the people photos that came later.

This was the first capture: just textures, but of what?

Here is the context, or some of it: a boarded up window on an old building. You have seen the whole building before in other posts, but I didn't take those kinds of photos this time out.

That window was on the side of the building, but here is a back door, almost lost in the foliage. Once again, I was drawn by the textures.

An old mill is almost adjacent, and it is slowly being converted into condos: very slowly, I might add. There was a tractor nearby, but I chose to just include the arm as an interesting and odd element.

Later, I did vary my subjects by photographing water over the rocks in a very mini waterfall as I looked down from the trail bridge.

At one point I took a very long distance photo of Sue. The faint colours on the lower part of the photo  are from shooting through the foliage that was much closer to the camera. It was deliberate.

Does Sue look like she was shivering in the cold?

I took one more photo of Sue taking a photo of a patch of leaves that was already turning colour.

I should have broken this into two posts, but it's too late to turn back now, so I present photos by Sue of me.

I look like I am on a grumpy grampy prowl in this next and final photo. It's the way that I sometimes look, but it is not how I mostly am. It reminds me of photos or videos of cats walking toward the camera; they look pretty darn serious with a "Don't mess with me vibe."

And that was our Sunday shoot, or mine at least. For the most part, Sue was targetting different subjects. 

Picture Preferences

We have different sensibilities about posting photos of people. Some bloggers won't even post family photos. Some folk wondered about me posting sneaky candid photos in a recent post. Chacun à son goût, as they say.

It's legal. In every reasonable jurisdiction as far as I know, you are entitled to photograph and post whatever and whomever you see in public. However, you are not permitted to sell someone's likeness. In that case, you need a model release.

Is it ethical, though?  In my case, I chose not to post images like the one below on Facebook. However, not many people read my blog and almost no one local, so I figure it is close to being private. Besides, in this case at least, the person is almost unidentifiable as she faces away form the camera in what is not too far off being a silhouette.

I made the same choice with Flickr. I feel that my photos are also almost private there. In this case, however, it did gain notice by a certain algorithm and garnered more than 4.5k views. The fisherman and son only got a far more typical 160 or so views. I can almost guarantee that nobody local saw either photo.

Health Report

I've posted about health issues at various times, so I thought I would give some updates. Perhaps I shouldn't do this seemingly whinging sort of post, but it is a part of my life. Besides, I am not whinging but merely reporting, mostly on issues that have been previously raised here.

Sleep

I usually wear my watch at night, and it usually concurs with my impressions. What it does retain is a record. Just over a week ago, I was doing well for me. Except for one atrocious night, I was often hovering around 6+ hours. The best possible night of 7.5 hours occurred on Sept. 03. Mind you, the app considered 2 of those hours to be poor quality.  

After that wonderful night, I did what I do and went into a low-sleep mode. I don't know why it happens, but over the past 4 nights, I have 2 nights of just 3:15 although I suspect I may have gotten an hour more than what the app perceived. Whatever the case, they were hardly great nights. Two nights ago, I did get 6 hours but was under 5 again last night.

I don't know why this happens, and yes, I do get tired. While I sometimes have an afternoon nap, I have clocked myself over the years, and I only get about 10 minutes before awakening.. So I can't see that these naps are the cause of those bad nights. Besides, I often don't manage to nap at all, even though I usually do try.

Foot

The right foot is chronic with missing cartilage. I require foot fusion surgery, but with COVID thrown into the works, I waited for so long that I felt that the rest of my body was too compromised to be able to live without being able to use that foot for whatever length of time.

If they had only called 6 months earlier or if I had not been booked for urological surgery when they first called, I would have had the surgery, and I would be recovered by now. And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Such is life.

Shoulder

Late last year and early this year, I was frequently mentioning my rotator cuff shoulder issue. I did have therapy, but it only helped a little. Then I had the shot, and it helped a little more. It is still there but in a manner that is easier to deal with. After only being able to be comfortable sleeping in my chair for many months, I can now sleep in bed for at least part of the night if I choose. 

Groin

I don't even think that I have mentioned my groin problem. It occurred about this time last fall. After being very sedentary following two surgeries, I attempted to do some weeding out back. I was sitting on a stool but had my right leg in an awkward position. That affected my groin. I am now in physio for that, but it isn't helping so far. When I walk I feel as though I have to drag my right leg along, and it is uncomfortable to say the least, especially when I am also dragging my foot. I guess it is good that the leg and foot damage are on the same side.

Catheter

I am self-catheterizing once a day. It's not all that onerous, and one gets used to it. The idea is to keep things open for longer without external intervention. I have an appointment for a dilation near the end of October. It is not a fun procedure, so if I can at least defer that, I will be pleased. At some far off point in time, the specialist will call, and we will then see if something else can be done. 

It sounds like a lot, eh, like I am completely falling apart? Mostly, they are minor things, but in total they have a fair impact. I am not living a miserable life. If I live with sensible restraint, I do not experience a lot of discomfort as I limp through my days.

Comments off. It's just a report, not a plea for sympathy. 😊

Lobster Sandwiches

I posted about memorable pizzas not long ago, and one or two other bloggers have since posted of their memorable foods.

That led me to thinking of the lobster sandwiches that we had in Cape Breton. I don't think we were super impressed by the sandwich, but it was a memorable experience in itself and part of a memorable trip.

This was before blogs although I did later blog about it in a site that is long gone. What a pity that I can't find the source files anywhere, Nor can I find the photos. Doubtless, all went poof in some sort of past computer meltdown. I do recall some sort of catastrophe in '02 or '03.

I did recapitulate here some of the trip in a post here in 2009 but original documents have vanished or are, at the very least, deeply hidden. If you click the 2009 post, you will also see that most of the photos are extant.

This is what I wrote in 2009. As you will read, I was impressed by the event, the site and the people whom we met.

One thing I had wanted to do, after reading about it in a travel book, was to purchase a lobster sandwich on the Cabot Trail and to eat it by the ocean. We were able to make such a purchase in Big Intervale (or perhaps Cape North). In the same store, we met a lady from Cheticamp who had lived on the next street over from Cuppa’s parents in Toronto. The Disney folks are right; it is a small world after all. She recommended that we take our sandwiches to Black Brook Cove and have a picnic lunch there. Always follow the advise of locals. It was a remarkable spot, and we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch in what must surely be a little, Way Cool! foretaste of heaven.

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Wait wait wait!!! Something clicked, and I found what was once an online webpage buried on my computer. At one point, I had my own independent blog. I had made it from scratch all on my own and didn't use either Blogger or Wordpress templates. Here's a snapshot of how the page would have originally appeared. And that is I, eating at the picnic table at Black Cove. 

Another linked memory: back then, D2 was touring Scotland, and I fancied we were looking toward her across the little pond known as the Atlantic Ocean.

A Minute Minute

I knew what a homonym was (and is): two different words that are spelled differently and mean something different but that sound the same. Prey/Pray is an example.

But I couldn't think what we call two words that are spelled the same but sound different and mean something different.

It came about because I was thinking of a minute minute for some reason: in which the first minute is a synonym of tiny and the second minute is a unit of time. Phonetically, it would be my-noot min-it. At least that's how Google first told me to pronounce minute (as in small). As a Canadian, however, I would pronounce the first minute more like my-nyoote. Perhaps not all Canadians say it my way because I am very strongly influenced by my British ancestry, and that is how they say it – more or less anyway.

Back to the topic, minute and minute are what are known as homographs.

Now I know. But long will I know or at least remember?

I can't quite recall what set me on the minute minute question, but that is of minute importance at this particular minute.

Photos from the Park

I wrote about taking photos on our wildly windy walk in the park. As you know, I haven't taken many photos over the summer, but I am happy enough with a couple of these.

Part of the walk takes us past the dock. While small craft coming from the cottages upriver can dock there, it is mostly used for fishing. Here are a father and son fishing from the dock. 

When we got to the end of the path, there was a young lady sitting on a bench. When she got up to stretch, I couldn't resist taking a couple of candid photos.

What I also like about the above photo as well as the next two is the colour across the river. We had been able to see it while we were eating in the car at the other end of the park. I tried to take a photo then but was too far off to make an impact.

The young lady sat back down but continued to do more stretches. I kept sneaking photos. I do like photographing people candidly, but I tend to do it surreptitiously. What they don't know won't hurt them or me. If I were braver I would do more candid 'street' photography.

Just off to her right, I took a photo of a well-framed fishing boat with the colourful foliage also in view.

I put away the camera as we walked back to the car, but I am quite pleased with the photos of the young lady doing her stretches. The bench, lady and colour came together for a few serendipitous moments. The other two photos are okay, but they are not as good in my opinion.

Low Key Birthday

There is not much to post, but I said that I would, and so I shall, for it serves as a bit of a record.

Sue and I took a takeout breakfast and coffee to the park. It was cool and very windy, so we ate in the car before taking a little stroll.

You see me with the camera up above. I did take a few photos that I will probably post tomorrow.

Late afternoon we headed to the kids for food, cake and a gift. The gift was a group collaboration consisting of funding for a piece of photo software that interests me.

The cake came (bottom of the photo in my lap) and Sue took a picture. I should have got a photo of her, but she did appear in yesterday's post.

Sue is a bit exasperated with Jonathan who hammed it up in every photo.

Before posting, I saw Sue's collage in our family fb group.

She also found this one from 2009. 

I guess this is why we post of these ordinary little events. Eventually, they may resurface as sweet memories.

One More Orbit

One more orbit but not yet an obit. 

Today I celebrate #77. There will be no dancing, but I am here to wave my virtual hands to all and sundry.

On Friday, we went out with friends for birthday breakfast.

Flowers at the table.

You can see Bob taking the picture in the far mirror.

I had the Chefs Bowl. This is my normal selection. When I say "normal," I mean several times a year. So I indulge.

It is not often that my birthday falls on Labour Day. Indeed, my actual birth day in 1947 was the day afterwards although I think both mother and son laboured in their own ways. School starts on the day after Labour Day, and as far as I can recall, I've only had to labour in the classroom once on Labour Day.

In wild celebration, I shall do two September 02 Sudoku puzzles on my app – this year's and the 2022 puzzle. 

That might take some explaining, but it's simple. Although I have played a lot of sudokus, I didn't start doing the daily challenge until sometime in 2023. Until then, I had selected a random puzzle, usually a hard or medium difficulty level. Since then, as well as playing the daily puzzle, I have also been working backwards to complete former daily puzzles of 2023 and 2022. When I got back to the September 02 2022 puzzle, i decided to leave it for today even though I am otherwise past it in June 2022.

Yes, I am weird. And No, I will not go back to 2021 once I have completed 2022. At that time, I shall most likely continue to do the current daily puzzle and probably a randomly generated one or two.

We will get together with the younger ones at suppertime. Let me tells ya that it is quite a crowd when all five of us throng together, ;)  There is one more person in our little family, but that child is thousands of miles away. This is what happens when two Only children (my parents) have an Only (me), and I only have two kids, one of whom remains childless. In fact, my surname will die with me although there are others in the world who are named Rayner. I have personally only met two Rayners in my whole 77 years. They were brothers whom I taught.

By odd coincidence, it is also that far-flung child's birthday today. I received quite a birthday gift back in 1978.

early 90s probably

I couldn't help announcing myself and seeking your approbation, and I'll probably have an update tomorrow of all of my wondrous doings of today.

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