False Frost Warning

It was odd on Monday to receive a frost-warning popup on my phone because the projected low night temperature was only 6C. In the morning, I asked Alexa what the overnight low had been, and she replied with a curious 22C. I think she got stuck in the wrong month. 

I was later able to scrub back on the weather app on my phone and saw that the low temperature was 5C. We remain frost-free for the time being, but the highland parts of the region have already experienced frost and even a hard frost. 

This is one year when part of me wishes for a hard, early frost because, as I have previously written, I have the flicker of a  hope that a hard frost might unplug my almost-deaf left ear.

I have my doubts that a cure will wrought by a frost, but we walked over to the health centre yesterday to consult with our doctor to see if there was anything else I could do in the interim, other than the antihistamine and nasal spray that I have been taking daily.

As we waited, I made a guess that this young fellow’s complaint might have to do with his foot. Do you concur?

Then, I was called. As the nurse and I began out walk to the examining room, she asked, "So, what are you seeing Dr X about today?"

I replied, "I am here to see Dy Y."

We stopped our progress, and she went back to check and discovered that it was a different John's turn. John isn't as common a name as it used to be, but there were two of us on the premises. I know there were once three of us in one of my classes when I was a boy, but the name is not so common anymore. Even my grandson is a Jonathan rather than a plain John although he is named for me. Poor boy.

I returned to me seat but was called again soon after, and when the doctor checked my ear, she saw fluid that the student doctor missed last time. I don't think that miss matters much because the treatment doesn't really change. However, I will be on a stronger anti-histamine for a bit and I will add a decongestant to the protocol for 3 days to try to boost a reaction. 

My seniors' drugs are largely covered except except for a small dispensing fee, but I was charged full price of $90 for 60 tablets on this occasion. There are a few medications that aren't covered by the system, but this surprises me. I will check with the pharmacy with crossed fingers later this morning to see if this was an error.

Meanwhile, the doctor continues to think that the blockage is being caused by an allergy. When I told her that I had once been tested and that it was determined that I pretty well have no allergies, she replied that there are many that the test might have missed. Certainly my stuffy and runny nose and frequent sneezing indicate that there is something plaguing me. She also felt that I should continue to use the nasal spray even when the current blockage clears up because that has been my second bout of the year. In other words, she wants me to use the spray for the rest of my life to try to prevent future occurrences.

On the way home we stopped at Dark & Deadly for coffee and a breakfast sandwich — in our case it became a lunch sandwich. The favoured coffee of the day was blueberry. It was good, as was peanut butter and jam the other day. A few of you were thinking that you couldn't abide a pbj coffee, and I admit that I was dubious. However, I tell you that I cannot discern the flavours, other than to appreciate that they go down pretty well. I mean my peanut butter and jam coffee certainly didn't taste like pbj to me. Same with blueberry, a fruit that I otherwise eat almost daily.

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I think I understand the frost warning now. It's a general warning for  broad region but does not apply to every bit of the region. We are in the Lanark section of the green, but our town was not included in the specific paces mentioned in the accompanying material.

Do You Deserve a Tip of the Hat?

I use all but one. If you know and use most and/or you can guess which one I don't use, I tip my cap to you. (My answer will appear somewhat below the next photo.)

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The only word that I don't use cattywumpus, but maybe I should try  

How did you do?

Hand and Band

Yesterday, I donned my red-black jacket for our walk. Heaver than a windbreaker but lighter than a winter coat, it seemed the thing to grab for mid-fifties weather. I also wore one glove a la Michaël Jackson — on my heft hand that holds the cane, because it would be continuously exposed. The other hand, I could shove into my pocket at will.

It did get warmer before we were done, largely from sun warmth more than temperature warmth. 

As we continued past the bridge we began to hear music.

We got closer and saw and heard the bagpipes. This is just a few second clip.

I took a few snaps from a distance. The photos were awful with distractions, so I extracted two of the musicians from their compatriots and composited them into a cheesy image. It's terrible, but I unashamedly reveal all here. Well, maybe not all, but I reveal much — both the good and not so good.

A street was blocked for for a march by the three bands, but we found a space on the grounds behind the Legion building where people were gathered and there was seating available. The three bands took their time marching, each finishing its song and march before the next one started. We couldn't see very much, not enough to bother with photos, but we could see some and hear well. It was an unexpected pleasure on a Sunday morning.

Cold Sunrise

She who runs at an out-of-kilter temperature was surprised when she came into my den yesterday morning. Because. I had the heater on by my computer chair!

Not only that, but I was wearing my winter sweater.

The nights have been cold. Alexa informed me that it was only 2C/36F outside at 7:15.

As you know, our game is to not turn on the heat until the end of October. We have made it to the end of October only once as far as I can recall, but we give it a good shot. We'll see how we do this year. The countdown isn't on yet, but some nights are getting very cool. At present (written yesterday morning), I am heating the bathroom in preparation for my biannual shower. ;)

There was a bit of colour over the opposite rooftops at 6:30. I shot on an angle from the non-screen side of my little window. Come winter, I shall remove the screen, so that I can shoot from either side, likely to photograph the neighbours shovelling snow.

On Friday, the heron was at the pond. I shot at full 8x magnification and then cropped, so of course, the image is anything but sharp. But it's a heron! And the light is good enough. Eh?

Addendum (still referring to yesterday, Saturday)

When I went into the bedroom at 8 to gather my after-shower clothing, Sue had the windows open and was sitting in a very light, Mrs Roper, caftan. Oddly enough, when we go out, she often seems more concerned about the cold than I.

Things in the Morning

Friday morning was a bit unusual. We had a new driveway paved three years ago, as many in neighbourhood had done. A few days ago, we saw that some owners had found a local company to top it or seal it or whatever you call it. When we saw the posted sign, Sue called, and they came the next day.

By 7 o'clock!

They were done by 8, and it was time to pay: by e-transfer please.

Okay then. Phone out. It took me awhile to locate the app.

Then, I had to remember the 16 digit code, which was new because they just dropped a new bank card on me. Believe it or not, I remembered. You see, I don't want the number to remain permanent on my devices, so I have to commit such numbers to memory.

Next, came my 17 digit password. This is a lot on the spot, one-finger typing on a tiny phone for an almost-octogenarian.

Of course, I had to add a new contact. Eventually, I handed my phone to the fellow to make sure of the email address. Good thing: I had it wrong.

Finally, the payment was made, and he got the deposit notification on the spot.

By then, Sue was more than ready for a second cup. I suggested that we could go out for it, but she wasn't ready yet, so I volunteered go and bring coffee back. Off I went.

In a morning of little hurdles, I was about to encounter two more.

I got to the nearest of the two Tims, but it was closed for renovations. I drove to the other one, but with the first Tims being closed, I couldn't even get into the parking lot with cars being lined up onto the street to go through the drive through.

I could have gone to McDonalds, but Dark & Deadly is closer, so I parked and went in.

Their flavoured coffee of the day was the new, Peanut Butter & Jam. It know that it sounds atrocious, but they gave me a mini cup to try. I thought it tasted fine, so that's what I brought home for Sue and me.

Of course, we now can't use the driveway until Sunday when it shall be sufficiently dry, but I did find a close spot on the street without spilling a drop.

At walk time, we opted to leave the car in order to keep our precious spot. Over to the park we ambled and also slightly along the trail with me dragging my wretched foot.

We have one spot where we can see the river from a gap in the foliage that lines the riverbank. Although most colour is just beginning (as in the background), this tree was already blazing. I seem to observe that trees by the water, sometimes almost in the water, perhaps change colour earlier.

Needs Must and the Devil

Needs Must. We all say it or think it, don't we? I just thought it a few minutes ago upon considering that I might have to do something that not only would be forced to do something that I would hope to avoid and that, in doing it, I would likely need to make the second best choice because that is what would work best overall.

Don't ask.

However, it was only recently that I came across the original full phrase in a novel: "Needs must when the devil drives." Google AI explains it thusly: "You have no choice but to do something difficult or unpleasant because your current situation forces you to do it."

I see the full saying as just a little bit more nuanced than the "Needs must" that we all commonly say.

Further information that, apparently, was posted on Tumblr. I do not know how to get to the original post to cite it correctly, but it seems that gloriascott93 reposted from cupidford.

The phrase is old. In earlier texts it is almost always given in its fuller form - needs must when the devil drives. that is, if the devil is driving you, you have no choice. This dates back to Middle English texts, for example Assembly of Gods, circa 1500: “He must nedys go that the deuell dryues.”

Shakespeare used the phrase several times; for example, in All’s Well That Ends Well, 1601:

Countess: Tell me thy reason why thou wilt marry.
Clown: My poor body, madam, requires it: I am driven on by the flesh; and he must needs go that the devil drives.

The phrase became pared down to needs must during the 20th century and, even in that short form, it is rather archaic-sounding and is fading from popular use. This despite a high-profile appearance on TV in Blackadder II, 1985: “Needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle.”

 

A Classic Beauty

I am not a car guy, perhaps because I have never been able to afford a hot ride. Who knows? I purchase practical cars that are close to what my budget will tolerate although they are always too expensive. Then, I try to get the most out of them, the present car being a 2010 model that we purchased used in 2014.

Budgetary issues aside, I don't think I ever would have been a car guy, but if I were, I'd be drawn to two classic models: the '57 Chev and the '65 Mustang.

Yesterday, we spotted a 57 Chevy in the grocery store parking lot. While I do not prefer the colour, I shot the car regardless: one photo from the front and one from the back. When I got home, I was inspired to extract them from the busy distractions around them and put the two extracted photos into one frame. I asked AI for a deserted urban parking lot, and it decided to give me a parking garage, but at least it was deserted as requested.

You may have noticed that I have been invoking AI more than usual this month, and I have run out of credits until almost the end of the month. This is very sad news. I could purchase more, but I would have to purchase more than I require, and they would be erased at the end of the months, which is extra sad news.

Candle and Benches

I posted this candle last week but decided yesterday that it needed both a flame and a message. I played with it a bit in the morning before walkie and shopping.

On our walk, I photographed a red bench ↓ with the subsequent bend in the adjacent path. Sue was looking for bends that day, so I looked too.

At home, I discovered that a tighter crop works better for me. I don't know why I didn't see it on site, but I did have the bend in the path in mind, and I can have a pretty one-track mind. Also, I am more patient in the editing phase than I am with the camera.

As you can see by the colour and the maple leaf, it is a very Canadian bench.

I found another bench in the same park. In processing, the subtle beginning tinges of autumn were more visible than in person. Somehow the editing overdid the colour, but it suits me and the season too, I think.

Five Tidbits

Blogger is being weird. Back in the mists of time, I guess I asked for comments to be forwarded to my email. They never were, not more than maybe 3x for the occasional random comment in all of the years. Now, while nothing else seems to be working properly, I finding forwarded comments in my mailbox. Go figure. Note: I wrote that yesterday, and I think the emails ave stopped again already so soon this morning.

For those having trouble getting into Feedly (as an alternative to Blogger's blogroll), I forget the specific signup procedure because it has been so long since I had to do that, but I know that the process isn't onerous. I think what you have to do from there, is to find the url of the site that you wish to follow, and paste it into the search box (magnifying glass). From there I believe that you can follow the site in perpetuity if you so choose. I know it seems like a bit of a procedure, but once it is established, it should work for you for a long time.

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We went back to the door in the fence because Sue required cobblestones for a prompt. There are no cobblestones that we could think of in this town, but then, I remembered the little path to the door in the fence. Sue got her photo, and I took another shot because I wanted to get even lower than last time. I don't know why; it is just how I wanted to photograph this object.

With my phone at ground level and me not, I couldn’t see what see the screen, so before I got that ↑ photo I got this ↓ unexpected, funny shot.

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I really don’t mean to @ you with every bicycle ride, but we got to the end of our little section of the trail this time, so I captured Sue with the signage when we stopped to turn.

In case you can’t read it the small section up top says Trans Canada Trail. 

Only 6k but two consecutive days leave the old legs a bit rubbery. I’ll take some solace in the fact that it is not the easiest riding because it is a rough path, not asphalt. Of course, that wouldn’t have bothered me once upon a time. 

One more thing: wild asters were glowing by the watery section when we stopped for a little break. 

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Sue shot a selfie, or I guess you could call it more of a self-portrait because she set the camera up and wasn't holding it in typical selfie fashion.

I liked it as was, but I softened the background and lightened the facial shadows, just a touch.

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Do you remember the baby that the flamingo lily was birthing. It is now about one-third thee size of the only other flower om the plant. This plant moves so slowly. It has taken more than a month for the flower to progress from being almost unnoticeable to one-third its eventual size. This is truly remarkable to me.

Turquoise at Cavanaugh Construction

For Sue's turquoise challenge last week, we headed a little way out of town to photograph the trucks at Cavanaugh Construction. It was a challenge indeed.

As you can see, Sue tried her best, but on a bright, contrasty day, I don't think she liked and used any of her many photos for her project.

My photos were also blah, but I did edit one to my satisfaction by removing many distractions, replacing the sky, and editing at will.

On the way out, I stopped to photograph the old bulldozer at the entrance. This also required much editing. I removed many background distractions but was still dissatisfied, so I asked AI to make it a rainy day with lightning.

In the end, I have two images which please me well enough, but it was tough to get to that point, and I deleted many other photos in the process.

Trying the Trail Again

Note: There is a PSA about blogrolls at the end of the post.

We are not exactly burning up the trails, but we did go for another cycle yesterday (Sunday).

We didn’t ride with that ↑ bike, but I thought this is as good a place as any to drop in a photo of this bicycle that we see as an ornamentation downtown.

On our own more prosaic devices, we opted to head for the trail, you know the one where the insects feasted on Sue last time. Our luck held as the cold nights have either ended their season or at least they hadn't warmed up yet on this morning.

As I have mentioned before, we both seem to maintain our balance fairly well, but when Sue wanted to stop to get shots of oncoming cyclists, I was glad to stop wile they passed because I do feel a little unsure and wobbly when they whiz by on that fairly narrow trail.

We made other stops: one where we ride by a swampy area and another by the farm field where we turned around. We could have gone a little farther, but my ancient legs were hinting that I should exercise prudence.

Since our return trip would take us by Dark & Deadly, we decided to park our bikes and go in for  a coffee. We didn't have our bike lock, but we sat right by the window to keep an eye on things, and you might see the handlebars very faintly behind Sue. The Score (as in toffee) coffee was quite wonderful. I sometimes try the flavours there, and I have found that I like Score. I like the real chocolate bar too, but that is a whole uhter thang.

There is usually a new monster in there, or at least one that is freshly dressed, so I took a few photos, but I think I might save them. October and Halloween are coming after all.

However, this ↓ is our summary. Such summaries were not a thing 20 years ago when we cycled much more often and much farther too. We rode only 6.35km, but I think that is the most yet. We stopped a lot for pictures, so I don't know how accurate the average speed is. I had a moderate heart rate of 102 while pedalling.

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PSA

Before Blogger had proper blogrolls I found a reader program called Feedly at feedly.com. It has been working for me while Blogger has, apparently (from what I read on various blogs), been fumbling its blogrolls. Of course Feedly will want you to upgrade to get more features, but the unpaid version works well for me and has for many, many years. I can access it through my browser on the computer or via an app on the phone or tablet. You have to get the url of the blog you want to follow and then paste it into the Feedly search function, and then you should be good to go. I am sure that Blogger will correct the blogroll problem in due course, but you might like Feedly better regardless.

Here's a sample screenshot.

Photogenic Nick

When I at coffee with the boys, I sometimes take candids of Nick. I find that he is an interesting subject, maybe it is the hair.

From my birthday lunch

This week, I took my mini tripod-like device to show the boys at coffee, and I clicked a few photos from my watch.

I took that photo using an Apple portrait mode and did very little post-editing, but I was stuck with the reflections on his glasses. Although, Lightroom has an algorithm to deal with reflections, it really only applies to big windows as far as I can tell. Removing reflections manually is beyond my skillset, and even if I could, I wasn't about to invest a huge amount of time in a candid photo.

In the event, I asked AI to remove the reflections, but it just changed the glasses and did other alterations with his eyes. It did a good enough job, but the point is that it didn't just replace the glasses themselves but rebuilt that part of Nick's face. I don't think one would ever know, however; it is still unmistakably Nick.

With or without, he is kinda a cool-looking dude. 

Doors but no Music

Some time ago, I showed you the out-of-town Reciprocal Door. It stood alone as just a door as an art installation.

This week, we found another standalone door in a garden in town, along with a bicycle. There is something appealing about things out of their usual places.

It was actually this ↓ door that we were looking for when we found that ↑ one.

Someone had posted on Facebook that it was near the museum. We drove around the area but couldn't find it, but we did find that other door in the garden. When we got home, Sue contacted the poster of the door in the fence and was given the location. So, we returned to find and photograph it. I took the above photo from low down and the next photo from an angle.

We listened hard but the Doors weren't playing their music on that day.

Another Blogger Hiccup

The times, they are a changin. As the evenings shorten, Sue has invoked the electronic candles, There was more than one on last evening, but I only like (sorta like) the photo of the one on the edge of the kitchen, near the front floor. It emits an pleasant odour.

Well darn! I cannot post pictures today, but I will keep going for a little bit regardless.

The next picture that I cannot post is of my computer screen. We stayed up until 1a.m. to watch tennis. It was a great match, but we packed it in at 1 although the game went on until 3:33 in the morning. The American, Ben Shelton defeated Carlos Alcaraz after almost 4.5 hours. We, and especially Sue, do not stay up that late, she being abed shortly after 9 on most nights, but they are our two favourite players. Of the two, we favour  the Spaniard, Alcaraz, a bit more, but we like the American, Shelton, a lot too.

I think staging matches that start at 11 and go on until 3:30 are silly, but year after year the US Open cannot seem to find a solution. It occurred so late because the three previous matches of the day were all very long, so the starting time got pushed way back.

The third pic that I cannot post is of Nick and me smiling and laughing at coffee the other morning. I was showing them my tiny phone tripod-like holder and taking selfies from my watch. I cannot recall what was so funny, but we were caught with genuine laughs.

I did not set out to describe photos that I couldn't post, but after the first one, I went with the flow. I wonder how long this new Blogger hiccup will last. It reminds me of my very early blogging days back in 03 and 04 when posting photos could be problematic. I had workarounds back then, but they were temporary, and some of my early blog posts have blank spaces which once contained photos.

Nope! Tried again, but photos won't load. After going through the process and seeming to load, they simply aren't there.

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Later in the Day: Photos are Back
in reverse order

Labour Day Turquoise and Ice Cream

Sue's photo prompts this week have all to do with turquoise. They are all mixed with something else, like surprise or urban or whatever. 

We were driving along main street heading north to check out a new storefront to check its colour, when Sue spotted turquoise chairs outside of the ice cream shop. I already had been thinking that we needed to stop somewhere or other for a cone before summer vanished, as the season has been seen to be packing its suitcase, having booked its flight to Ecuador.

In this shoulder season it was not too hot to sit outside in the sun, but the shady alley would have beckoned on a hot, summer day. It looks so pleasant and inviting.

So, we sat out front on main street enjoying our fifteen dollar ice creams cones. Yes, they came to that with waffle cones and tax. I think a single cone was almost $6 before the add-ons. 

Sue found a unique photo with the two of us, but I had to hold both cones for her to get the shot.

That wasn't just the first cone of this year, but we also missed last year completely, so it was the first and only in two years. The same is true for visiting a chip truck, so I want to do that before I start behaving myself better when it comes to indulging in those calorific comestibles.

Stay tuned.

Cycle Sunday

It had been a week since our last cycle, and the boys were asking, so we planned to go out on Sunday morning. Alas! due to fluctuating circumstances, they couldn't make it. This allowed Sue and me to range a little farther than we had, but not really too far, and I think we could take the boys there. In fact, I think they would like that ride.

We cycled south to the other pond. Although a little farther and past a busier street, it is a larger pond that doesn't seem to get scummy. We were able to ride the trail that encircles the pond.

As you can glimpse, above, there was an good sky, so once we had completed the circuit, I went back to the beginning to try to get a photo. I found out that the sky was tough to photograph, but, quite delightfully, I encountered another photographer. He had his long lens and was trying to capture butterflies and birds. Indeed, he spotted a monarch butterfly and then an egret while we chatted briefly. I didn't see either, but I took a photo of him with pond and sky in the background.

Then, I decided that a different crop with some of the background being replaced might make a good photo. I will let you judge.

On a quiet nearby street, we cycled past a big truck parked on the side of the road. I haven't taken a truck photo for a certain Flickr meme for some time, so I clicked.

I almost forgot to mention the two plants that I stopped to look at along the pond trail. The iPhone was unable to help me identify this whiteish plant . . .  or maybe it did when it said thistle because there are some dried thistle heads within. Yeah, that must be it. I almost didn't notice the globes because I was focussed on the white foliage.

This one is, apparently, a woodland sunflower.

Along with the ride and pond themselves, the photographer, plants and truck also made it a good morning cycle.

That ↑ was to be it, but then I decided to find my pond photos from 2022 when I visited on a few mornings to capture the early light.

One morning, I swung the camera to the right of the pond and captured the lights and sunrise over the highway. Yes, this is a smallish pond with much around it on three sides. It is also nice that the moon showed up.

I don't get photos like that now because I don't make it a point to get out in good light with my little iPhone.