My Snow Queen

Sue's 365 photo group will most likely prescribe a seasonal series again this year. This is the one that she put together last year, after she had taken all 4 photos.

After a fairly prodigious snowfall, she decided to experiment with the location that you see here for this year's series. There is a tree and lawn, so the scene should look quite different in the other seasons. After Sue set up her preferred composition for me to take with her phone, I took a few photos with my own camera. Mine are a slightly different composition, done to my own taste and not necessarily to piggyback on the seasonal theme.

Later, we stopped at the park. When I saw this ↓ composition which included trees, a bench, and snow- laden trees way the background on the other side of the river, I knew that I wanted to capture the scene, and I really like the result.

Sometimes, the best photo turns out to be the one that you didn't plan but just discovered in passing.

Fall Down Go Boom

You may recall that Sue took a mighty tumble before Christmas. She landed on her face, and weeks later, she still has some bruising and swelling.

Now, I have gone and done the same thing. Thankfully, I didn’t land on my face but on my side. I don’t bruise like Sue; in fact, I scarcely bruise at all. While she turns purple-black, twelve hours later I can hardly see the two fairly large but very faintly discoloured patches on my right buttock and upper leg. Even the soreness in my lower extremities has subsided a lot overnight. However, as sat in my chair playing my usual games of Sudoku on my tablet this morning, my shoulder hurt every time that I lifted my finger to make an entry.

Apparently, Sue and I did the same thing. She tripped over the laces of her boots, and so did I. Well, I didn’t trip over the laces on her boots but on mine.  lol

Neither of us laced them up for a quick trip outside, in my case just to spend ten minutes clearing snow.

“What’s that” you ask. “You didn’t lace up your boots? And this was after Sue fell doing the same thing? Are you crazy?”

Well yes, I probably am crazy, but I am not as stupid as it seems.

These boots go on forever, and neither of us wanted to take the time to lace them all of the way for a quick trip outside, Now, both Sue and I are smart enough to have stuffed our laces way inside our boots. But I had, unwittingly, left a little little loop hanging outside of one of the eyelets — not much and not on purpose, you understand. I had been careful to stuff most of the very long laces right under my foot inside the boot, but I missed tightening this little bit.

Said boots have hooks and not the usual eyelets on the top three holes (not holes). So what happened was that little bit of lace from one boot snagged on one of the hooks on the other boot, and down went AC. It happened in a kind of slow motion, but I was helpless and there was nothing I could do to stop the fall.

I landed between the stairs and the car in the garage. I suspect that my side hit the stairs on the way down before I hit the floor. I would like to see a replay of the fall because it seemed to happen in slow motion. I don't have that, but I do have these pictures from outside just before the fall down go boom occurred. 

We have both emerged from our falls without major damage, which is about all that you can ask when a 75 year-old takes a tumble. 

Phantosmia Again?

Way back in March, I posted that I was smelling gasoline when, as verified by others, no such odour existed. We narrowed it down of the side effect of a medication and learned that the phenomenon could be called phantosmia. That's the term that I learned from the Mayo Clinic website although it was a new word to my doctors. (It is also a new word to spellcheck.)

I ceased taking that medication, not just for that reason, but also because it didn't seem to be benefitting me, and I never experienced smelling phantom gasoline again.

Now, I am wondering if I am experiencing phantosmia in a different way. In point of fact, it would be twice again because I also experienced it some time ago – well before Christmas, I believe.

On these occasions, it is neither unpleasant nor traceable to any medication as far as I can ascertain, for I am not on any new meds.

It is a pleasant odour this time: something like Chantilly perfume (that Sue used to wear), or maybe an aromatic talcum powder, or sometimes maybe even something pleasant that might be cooking on the stove. But none of these things are really occurring.

As I research phantosmia, once again, I don't find much new information, and most sites describe the odours usually associated with it as being unpleasant. However, this one of mine is not unpleasant. While phantosmia could be due to a "neurological or psychiatric disorder," I rather doubt that is the case with me, and I don't think it is worth pursuing with my doctor.

It went away after a few days before, and it probably will again.

I may even miss it when it's gone.

Caturday 46++: Lacey Really Likes JJ

It isn't news, for I have posted (probably more than once) that Lacey likes JJ. Almost as soon as he came for his sleepover last weekend, she hopped up for a visit. They were cuddlier than this phone photo shows, but I like this one. The b&w version was an afterthought, but, as it often the case, I like it better. Of course, my taste is variable, and I may not feel that way tomorrow.

Now for the + part of the title.

As you know, I often experiment. This time I turned a recent photo that I have previously shown you into a partial b&w ↓. This can be called selective colour.

I am mainly showing it as an excuse to answer a recent query about photo gloves – you know, the ones where you can expose just your critical fingers. Yes, I have a pair, and I am wearing them in the ↑ photo (with all digits covered).

The gloves are especially made for photographers. I paid a king's ransom for them, and they do help. But I tell Sue that they were made for American winters, not Canadian, for they are not all that warm. Besides, if you have the tips of 4 digits exposed for a prolonged period at -10C, as I did later that morning, they get extremely cold. I felt like my 4 exposed fingers might drop off at any moment.

As for the second +, I just thought I would show you an out-the-window phone pic, taken yesterday, Friday, morning. It had been almost snow-less earlier on Thursday, I mean in places where it hadn't been artificially piled, such as our front yard around the tree.

Now, town roads and our driveway have been plowed (or ploughed), but I will likely remain indoors today, for it is a cold -12C/10F as I sit here before 6 o'clock in the morning.

Two Three-Legged Things

On a cold winter's day, Sue had me out for a photoshoot with me as her subject.

Actually, we had been out two days earlier when she grabbed this photo. The idea was to use negative space in a photo, but Sue found another that worked better for her prompt, so she didn't use it.

Yesterday, she wanted some that included my cane for her project of the day. At the pond around the corner, she took these photos, along with others, taken both here and in other spots. But I figure these two are enough for you as a little of me goes a very long way. The cane is especially visible in the second photo, and it occurs to me that both I and the tripod have three legs.

We were out for more than an hour, but I had to beg for mercy after awhile because my ancient fingers were fair unto frozen. I did try a few photos of my own. This one of a patch of ice stuck on a branch on the river is close to what I wanted to get.

After a warmish spell, we've had a few nippy days. Now, we are scheduled for a significant snowfall overnight and into tomorrow.

Map Views

Today, with very little comment, we present a few maps about Canada and the USA.

However, we begin with a chart that reveals the duration of the months in Canada. Sad but true, it has been scientifically verified by assiduous peer review.

Fifty per cent of Canadians dwell under the red line. I, in point of fact, have lived all of my life in this tiny zone.

Along with the northern states, we require more snow before we cancel school. Of course we do. Otherwise, we'd all have a maximum grade 2 education.

Now for the USA. Consider population density ↓ when you see those election maps. Each of the states in blue have a population that is less than Los Angeles County.

In another view, the two orange regions have the same number of people as all of the red region.

Finally, a map of the states ranked by healthiness where blue is best and red is worst.

Sleepover

If it wasn't the final sleepover, we must be getting close.

Last Christmas season, both Danica and Jonathan claimed a sleepover, but Danica is growing up. She is a student, has a job, AND! has a boyfriend. Sheesh!

We were somewhat surprised when JJ requested a sleepover. My guess is that he was encouraged by Mom, but that's okay.

I picked him up mid-afternoon, Friday, and he left for hockey at 10am Saturday morning.

Lacey had to have a visit first thing. She likes JJ, but she now has competition, for they have just adopted a new rescue. I am sure that there will come a point when we shall Caturday the new puss, so that is all that I shall say for now.

Jonathan is pretty easy to please. He likes playing games with us, and we began with backgammon. I was going to say that I didn't win any games all weekend, but now I recall that I triumphed in both games of backgammon.

Next came Wizard where Sue left both of us boys in the dust.

Next on the beard, so to speak, was Sorry. The two rounds were split between JJ and Sue.

Finally, before Jonathan left for hockey on Saturday morning, we were able to squeeze in a quick round of Monopoly, in which JJ was victorious.

Dad picked him up for a out-of-town game, and Sha picked us up a half hour later. We sat under the heaters in the cold arena, but the heaters nearest to us remained off. Such is life.

The boys won. They are having a very good year. After two not-so-great years that is ... um ... great. 😎