My Town Shoot Out - Sounds

This week's shoot out theme is courtesy of NanU of have genes will travel. "There are two versions of this theme. First, the simple one. We’ve been treated many different aspects of what your town looks like. Treat another sense: what makes your town sound like your town? Traffic? Kids playing? Birds? That annoying dog next door? Fill our senses with a different perspective.

The complicated version (and I apologise for not giving you more lead-time on this) I have heard called a ‘blind hike’. Find a trusty partner. Wear a blindfold (no peeking!). Get your camera, and with the help of your partner, wander around noticing what you hear. Take pictures (no peeking!) while you’re at it. It’s quite fun to do, and the photos will surprise you. Enjoy!"

I encourage you to go and see everyone's contributions here or here.

So, the weather this week has been whatever the word is for Monsoon, but cold - like 40 degrees cold, torrential rain and no end for at least another 5 days. It's a good thing because it may mean we will not have a drought this summer, but it also means that it is WAY too wet to take my camera about town. As such, I will have to pull from the archives the sounds I hear around my town. Most have appeared on this blog in the past:

The Chirpping of local wildlife:

The Whooshing of a BART Train as it leaves the station:

The air brakes of the Wheels busses as they stop around town:

The chains clinking round and round on bicycles:

The splashing of running water falls:

The laughter of children at play and climbing trees:

Happy Weekend All!

Whatzit Wednesday

This may prove rough
or for at least one not too tough
Tell me what plant in this shot
I took it on my frequent walk.

Tuesday Morning Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend we spent time visiting friends in Nevada City. LOVE that town and would plan on retiring there, if it were near the cean and it didn't snow. As it is, I do enjoy visiting, and taking The Boys to the snow:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

We all ahd fun, and in the sun it was warm. Had a great visit with our friends, and stopped on the way home to visit other friends. The Boys had today off of school, but I had to work, and I only got a portion completed of what I had planned. Looks like another busy work week to try to get caught up.

Music Monday

We spent the weekend away, so I'll have to update the weekend wrap up later. In the mean time, enjoy what we listened to on our way home:

My Town Shoot Out - Birds

his week's shoot out theme is courtesy of Scriptor Senex of Rambles from my Chair. "Whilst visiting some of the town bloggers, I had noticed that photographing birds in the garden was a popular pastime so my first thought was to suggest a subject of garden birds. But then I realised that not everyone has the equipment to photograph the real things.
That made me look out for alternatives and I noticed sculptures, posters, little models and various other things with birds on them so I hope that your town will prove equally productive and am really looking forward to seeing your birds (real or otherwise)."
I encourage you to go and see everyone's contributions here or here.

These are not in my town, but I did take these while on vacation in Yellowstone a couple of summers ago.
A Bald Eagle:

From J9 and stuff

A Crow taking flight, and I think one of the cooler ones I've taken:

From J9 and stuff

While these were all taken in and around my town.

A feeder hanging in my neighbor's yard:

From J9 and stuff

A Gosling from last spring:

From J9 and stuff

Some Wild Turkey:

From J9 and stuff

From J9 and stuff

A local flying rat (AKA Pigeon)

From J9 and stuff

A Blue Heron in San Francisco:

From J9 and stuff

A Blue Jay with some added color saturation:

From J9 and stuff

Pelicans overhead near Santa Cruz:

From J9 and stuff

A Seagull near Berkeley:

From J9 and stuff

Happy Weekend All!

Put a Little Love in Your Heart

After yesterday, I feel purged and empty. Today, I am holding love in my heart - all day. Positive attitude and outlook, and I know I will see more opportunities, and make myself proud! My problems are puny compared to others, and I need to remember to be grateful every moment of every day.
This is how I remember first hearing the song:


And I was searching for a gospel choir version, but only found one that gave me the sound I wanted, from the CMA awards of 1992:


Love to you all, today and every day.

Today I really need to just rant

About this one b*tch.
I signed up The Oldest for the next Theater production, and today was the first rehearsal. Same schtick as always, line up to input contact info into laptop, and pay materials fee. Pick-up paperwork, and head on my way. When I got there, 3 people ahead of me in line - no sweat. By the time I was next in line (maybe only 5 minutes), there were others behind me in line. This b*tch walks right in front of me and starts talking to the director (who is a very mellow and cool guy), hands him her check, and just proceeds to cut in front of me!
W.T.F.
Seriously - I have red f*cking hair and freckles, and am NOT invisible! AND it's not like there weren't people behind me in line. I was PISSED! But not wanting to make a scene (pun intended), I just raised my eyebrows, and as she proceeded to LAMELY attempt to input her data, the totally cool dierector turned to me and mouthed an "I'm sorry". I told him no problem, it will end up in my blog. She took something like FOREVER to enter literally 4 pieces of information while f*cking up the spreadsheet - idiot b*tch. So I get up there and have to FIX the b*tch's mistakes so that the rest of us can actually get our info there.
This is what I envision her to be (at least today):

And this was NOT the first run in with this particular beast. She seems to be a regular at this company, and if she pulls any more of her shit, I may have to move my kid to a different company. I mean seriously. During the last production, she made a remark about being with the company for 20 years, and wondering why the line to get into the production was so long and SHE had to wait in it. The first production, she was angry that she didn't get the seat she wanted. I don't want to pull my Theater cred out on her - mostly because I don't want to get sucked into working for free. But I swear, she'd better not rub me the wrong way on an off day for me. I'll get street on her ass!
This is how I felt:

OK. I feel better
Now that I think about it, sh probably lost her mother today, or just had a really crappy day, or got fired, or was arrested for running a meth lab or, or, or...
I need to have a more positive attitude about this woman, and her attitude - I could instead kill her with kindness.
Something Good - A.J. Newman


Wouldn't this old world be better
If the folks we meet would say:
"I know something good about you,"
and then treat us just that way?
Wouldn't life be lots more sunny
If we praise good we see;
For there's such a lot of goodness
In the worst of you and me
Wouldn't it be nice to practice
Just this way of thinking, too;
"You know something good about me
I know something good about You."

Now I have to find something good (sigh)