Photoshopping Autumn

Sometimes Photoshop is handy. You may recall that I posted this photo yesterday.

I liked it, but it wasn't quite there if you know what I mean.

So I decided to straighten the flower and embiggen (I like that word) it a little. A quick trip to Photoshop enabled me to do just that.

While it's not much different, I like it better with this slight adjustment. I might even consider it print-worthy although I probably won't actually do that.

I am not necessarily a fan of big manipulations in Photoshop, but I think little adjustments are fine. In the case of this ↑ photo, I had trouble getting my reluctant body to the correct angle in the first place, but I always visualized the concept.

FB notified me yesterday of this post of an autumn ramble way back in 2012. Since we are already past that time, and we haven't yet had a major ramble, I despair a little of getting any similarly good photos this year.

In my galleries in the past, I have printed and displayed the first and last photos of that post and filled-in the sky space in the second photo to make a complete arch. Once again, a slight Photoshop modification improved the photo. The thing is that a landscape photographer cannot totally control conditions like a portrait photographer does with their studio setups, so some modification, whether great or small, is sometimes appropriate.

Here is that photo of which I speak, both the original and the modified versions. I think you will agree that filling-in the sky portion improves the photo in the second photo below. I did some other editing too — both brightening and saturating to suit my taste. The edited version is the actual memory or impression that I have from that excursion all those years ago. Cameras never capture exactly what you see anyway although they sometimes come close.

The Original

Edited Version

Scratching an Itch

As I have whinged on about it, you know that I have been a little under the weather recently. That plus poor weather and appointments has resulted in no new photography. I began to itch to get out, just a little bit.

When I drove just around the corner on an errand I saw some colour and thought it might be worth returning with my camera. So I did, just a few minutes later.

I was really pushing it as the day was windy, overcast and cool. But I clicked anyway.

I wanted to see how this would turn out — orange on one side on and green on the other. It's okay, I guess.

What about waving grass in the foreground with blurry trees behind? Hmm. I like it less.

How about some photos of long since desiccated blooms with autumn colour behind? Yes. I do like this.

This too, with one bright yellow leaf (or flower or seed pod) lingering on the branch.

The brief, nearby outing served to scratch that little itch. With some nicer weather returning this week, I hope to get out and around again although  the  mundane aspects of life might not be as onboard with this wish as I would like.

Backstage With the Mounties

It has been almost three weeks since the Mounties came to town, which I posted about back then:
The RCMP Musical Ride Came to Town. What I didn't post at the time were my backstage photos. Times have been busy, and there have been other things about which to post, so I forgot about it for a time. But when I rediscovered the photos, I decided that now is the time.

Somewhat surprisingly, the RCMP was very open about allowing the public onto their setup area. But there weren't many of us there as the hordes were, quite understandably, grabbing their spots over yonder for the actual performance. Bob and I had received prior permission to be in the staging area, but anyone else who wandered by, was also free to observe and take pictures.

Mounties climb into the van to get their charges ready.

They lead them down the ramp.

They keep the horses under control.

They walk them about.

They don their dress uniforms and are glad to pose.

The Mounties mount and begin to walk their steeds.

Walking as a group now. I had skedaddled over to the performance field but shot this looking back over the hedges.

Entering the field for the show, which I previously documented.

Caturday 7

Although Lacey likes Sue better than me, she pretty much lives in my little den. We have a cat tree by the window that she can both curl up in and also gaze out the window. There is also the chair, The Chair — my comfy recliner.

She think it is hers or at the very least that she has equal claim. As a matter of fact, she is there right at this moment — just after 7 o'clock on Saturday morning — as I make an effort to compose this post.

This is after awaking me at 6 (which  isn't so bad as I was beginning to stir anyway) and me having had my coffee and she her kibble.

Here are some snaps from an earlier time.

With luck, above, I had remembered to lay out her towel. Just because she has a furry bum doesn't mean that I also want one. So, if I remember, I lay it out for her and remove it for me.

Of course, I frequently don't remember.

When I tossed it over her, hoping that she might move, she didn't.

Lately, with health issues and long, wakeful and uncomfortable nights and therefore with me needing to spend much time in that chair, I have sometimes remembered to protect my space. It is easier to prevent her occupation than to remove her afterward.

We have had some awfully cold weather already with nighttime frost warnings. As we wake up this morning, the cars across the street are frosted as is the field out the back window.

And so, I have retrieved my blanket from summer storage. It is draped over the back of the chair, above.

But she sometimes gets there first. I draped it partly over her, rather hoping that she wouldn't like it and, therefore, vamoose, but it worked as effectively as the towel did in the warmer weather as she settled in for a very long nap.

I wasn't expecting her to go back on her own later, but she did.

Hopefully, nether cat nor human (note who came first) will require the blanket too much for the next few weeks. It is too early to get this cold — -1°C at the moment, but we are in for a bit of a reprieve as the temperatures will reach double digits later today.

Perhaps we can enjoy a few nice autumn drives and have a nice Thanksgiving next weekend.

Updated Diagnosis

I had diverticulitis for two days, but now I don't.

The result of my CT scan is such that I don't have diverticulitis although there are things going on down there. I'd tell you what those other things are, but I can't remember them all as I took the doctor's call while standing in line at the pharmacy.

I know that I have diverticulosis (pouches along the wall of the the intestines) but that is not uncommon, and you may have them too. But I don't seem to have the dangerous inflammation of those pouches that is diverticulitis. I do have a cyst, and there were one or two other things that the good doctor mentioned.

But the key point it that I don't have the most concerning problem.

She took me off the antibiotics, which I won't miss, and will refer me to the urologist of whom I am already a patient and have been for more than a decade. He is the one who diagnosed my hernia for which I had surgery in May.

We were impressed with how quickly the doctor was able to get the sometimes slow-grinding medical wheels moving for me. I was able to have an ultrasound within days when there is a rather long queue at the hospital. She reacted to those results right away before getting me in for the scan, also in record time. Then she called me within hours the scan and I suspect within minutes of receiving the results herself. This has all happened within a week: the quick initial appointment, the ultrasound, the course of treatment based  on the ultrasound, the CT scan, and the adjustments in treatment resulting from the scan.

No, things are not right done there in my nether regions. But it is not a worst case scenario either. I will continue to be careful about what I ingest and, hopefully, manage whatever is transpiring in my intestines until there is further investigation.

In the interim, I slept a little better last night although not as well as I would have liked. Hopefully, I will do even better tonight.

The Diagnosis is In

Diverticulitis is inflammation or infection of small pouches called diverticula that develop along the walls of the intestines. The formation of the pouches themselves is a relatively benign condition known as diverticulosis. The more serious disease, diverticulitis, may involve anything from a small abscess in one or more of the pouches to a massive infection or perforation of the bowel.

That diagnosis is what the ultrasound suggests, and it seems to be consistent with my symptoms. However, I am awaiting a CT Scan to confirm.

The doctor, herself, and not her assistant, which is telling, called yesterday morning to pass along the news and the immediate course of treatment. I do stress immediate as she put me on antibiotics right away. This was accompanied by dire warnings to proceed directly and swiftly to ER (and I don't mean Elizabeth Regina) should symptoms worsen. These things can perforate, doncha know. Yikesorama, Mama!

I am on not one but two strong antibiotics. Without going into detail, let me say that the staggering of the two pills and the observing their separate protocols requires much study, While I was out picking up the kids for supper yesterday, Sue devoted her considerable organizational skills to making up a chart.

So it was that I knew that my first pill (of today) was to be taken at 6:30. And it was. With food. Yes, okay, got it.

The second pill will be swallowed at 10 o'clock with no dairy products etc 6 hours before or 2 hours after said swallowing (along with other conditions as if that weren't enough). Got that, AC?

A potential side effect of both is a headache, and I can confirm that is indeed the case. Sadly.

Oh, and a another restriction of pill #2 is that I must stop taking my sleeping pill.

This puts me in the situation of being awake for much of the night. This is why I take a sleeping pill in the first place — to achieve some semblance of a normal life, trying to keep in some sort of harmony with what normal people in my life are doing.

Fortunately, I managed a few fitful hours early-on last night and another so-so hour from 4 to 5 o'clock. I did get some book reading, via audio, done during some of the awake hours.

This must go on for two whole weeks! Expect my already dark circles to intensify. I may resemble Rocky Raccoon by the time this is over.

But I am thankful that the doctor is on the case and hopeful that I will soon be rarin to go.

The Blatherings of Life

How about some irrelevant blather about my mundane life for a change?

Yesterday, I was privileged to experience a rather grand caffeine deprivation headache.

I had arisen at 5 but was disallowed my habitual coffee, for I was to fast until my ultrasound at 11. By then, of course, I had a rather prodigious headache.

It was a two-part ultrasound, the first part for the intestinal area for which I had been ordered to consume a bucket of water. The technician was very kind and permitted me to have a bathroom break before the higher and rather lengthy upper abdominal examination. I didn't even have to ask but expressed my appreciation.

On a sidenote: I find it curious that they always use midnight as the hour to stop consumption of food etc. It doesn't matter whether your test is at 6AM or 12 noon. it is always midnight. Go figure.

It was during that part of the process that she asked if I felt well enough to go home or if I felt I should check in at the ER.

Say what?!

So yes, I have a kidney stone, but I have been carrying it around for 2 years at least, and that was not my prime reason for being there. Ah well. I guess one can suffer from multiple maladies when one is in his seventies.

I assured her that I was good to go, as it were.

Once done, I made hasty tracks to the coffee shop drive through where I ordered both the much needed coffee and bagel.

After checking in at home with Sue for a few moments, I headed to the grocery story, took my time shopping, including taking the time to slice three loaves of bread. (Why do the packages say sliced when they are not?) But then. Then confusion began to reign and rain at the cash lines as one cash line after the other began to experience trouble. I thought I had it sorted with all of my goods on the conveyor, but then I noticed the lady at the front searching for you know, actual money. Like who carries that anymore?

The lady in front of me had only two items but could only afford one.

I had enough $ to purchase three of the many items that I had put in the cart, including the three loaves of bread that I had gone to the trouble of slicing and repackaging. Good grief, Charlie Brown.

Upon exiting, I spied the proprietor schmoozing with another customer in the lobby. I opined to him that in such a case, it would be a jolly fine idea to have a person actually letting people in line know what was going on.

He replied that they had made an announcement, but by that time I had already been in line for sometime, and my cart was unpacked. Besides, being of poor hearing, I couldn't make out the announced message anyway.

Ah well. Last night I had a semi decent sleep, but only semi, for about 5 hours, if that. It was slightly before 4 o'clock when her royal puss decided that her patrons should get up. I knew that my sleep was so interrupted that I might as well comply.

I brewed my coffee only to discover that we were almost out of cream. I split what was left, using about half what I normally use and leaving the rest for Sue. But that would have left Sue with only half of her normal cream intake as well.

Sue arises ~7, so around 6:30, I headed to the bank for some cash, and then to the convenience store where I purchased a litre of cream. For my beloved. For which she hasn't duly praised me yet. Sigh.

Meanwhile, her royal puss is hounding me, assuming that cats can hound, for her tuna breakfast, so I must descend to the kitchen. Sigh again.