Some Recent Pics of the Moon

I have no fancy camera nor a tripod, just point and shoot sort of thing.  I think that there is more to the camera than that, but I have never taken the time to learn how to use most of the fancy stuff, so I basically just zoom in and out and point and shoot.

We were out walking a couple of evening ago and our wonderful daughter-in-law and her two children, a son and a daughter, came by.  They are very cute kids and we are glad to have them in the family.  It was just after sunset and of course, we had to talk awhile.  By the time we headed back to the house, it was getting dark and I noticed that there was a moon almost directly overhead.  I went in and got my camera and came back out to "shoot the moon".  The pictures didn't come out as good as I would have wanted them too, but by golly, I bet it was good enough to know that it was the moon.  Here are the two pictures:

This first picture was taken without zooming in.  If you look real close, there is a moon just above the second tree from the right.  Don't forget, you can always pick on a picture to enlarge it.

This last picture is taken with the camera zoomed in.  My camera does not zoom very much, so this is as good as I can get:

OK, that is all for today.  Hope you all will have a good day, you hear?

As Requested by byGeorge

(I am adding this to tell you that the bottom half of this blog froze up on me and I can't insert any text or move/resize any pictures.  Anyway, you will get the idea of what I am trying to show.)
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I got a request for some of my wife's and my artwork from another blogger who follows my blog:
byGeorge at:
https://www.blogger.com/profile/07575600935524610154

I will start with a few of my paintings.  They were all done awhile ago.  Guess I will have to try it again. . . or maybe not.

Here is one of mine that I like.  I have seen these in the past when I lived in Pennsylvania:

The above are just a few that I posted previously on my blog.

Next are pictures of my wife's endeavors.  She has done a lot of different types of projects from weaving, to crocheting, to drawings, to all sorts of things.  She is always making something.

The next picture, for some unknown reason to me, will not let me insert it at a size setting.  So it is larger than I want, but I did want to include it with her art.  She has done so much, this is just a sample.

A Pretty Vine

When I see vines starting to grow up the side of my house, I usually pull them out and off the house.  Somehow, this one got past me and my pruning/weeding efforts.  I am glad it did because in appreciation it turned a beautiful red to help brighten up my life. . . and it worked.  Here, see for yourselves:

                 

Yes, I know it is only a common five-leaf ivy, but it is still pretty, don't you think?  The picture isn't very bright because it was very gloomy and cloudy and raining when I took that picture this morning.

Speaking of the weather, it is not suppose to be nice for a week or so.  I guess we can stand that, since we are usually blessed with bright and sunny days most of the time.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Hard To See.

Dang, I got up this morning and told my wife that I could hardly see anything.  Just as she was getting that worried look on her face, I explained that it was Black Friday and when things are so dark that it is black, I just can't see anything.  I am not sure that she appreciates my sense of humor.  Oh well, it is Black Friday so some dark humor is acceptable.  Right??

It is pretty sad when retailers have to create a special day to stimulate shopping.  So far, they have not been able to get me out of my rocker.  In fact, I prefer to do my shopping during weekdays and at times when most people are at work or at home.  Yes, I love people but I hate crowds.  Maybe that is why I placed my home on my property where I can't see the road nor can I see any of the close neighborhood homes.

By the way, I need to let troublentexas know that I haven't walked around the swamp lately, so no new pictures.  Maybe I can get up off my rear and go do that today. . . and maybe I can put it off.  Time will tell.  She also said that a cold, wet front just reached her area and that she was sending over my way.  (No, she didn't say she was sending it my way, but it may get here, anyway.)  Hey, Trouble, keep warm and dry.

OK, I hope all of you can manage to survive this Black Friday and if you really have to go out shopping, please be careful and take care of yourselves.  Anyway, try to have a great day, you hear?

Some Last Words.

There has been a lot of famous and infamous last words recorded for prosperity.  But what about all those other times and other creatures.  You know, like the old joke, what is the last thing that went through the bugs mind when he hit the windshield of a car going down the road at 55 or 60 mph?  It would be his ass rear end.

But what about slightly higher intelligent creatures like humans?  Well, I ain't sure what will go though other peoples' minds at the end, but I have a good idea what will be going through mine.  My wonderful mother would tell me to always have on a clean, white pair of undies when leaving the house.  She did not want any child of hers to get killed and have on dirty undies!!  But Mom, don't you think that those clean undies would get dirty real fast when there is a speeding car coming straight at me in my lane??  But, Mother is always right and I can still hear her telling me that.  I don't and didn't always listen, but when I didn't and got home safely, I gave a huge sigh of relief.  I am sure that was one way she expressed her love and concern for me.  If I ever have to leave the house without a fresh pair of undies on, I get real nervous and am extra cautious.  Now, let me know what all your moms told you when you were leaving the house.

Odd Plants Along My Driveway

I tried to post these pictures yesterday, but for some reason, they would not post.  But guess what, you all ain't getting off that easy, they posted today.  Yep, didn't change a thing, didn't do anything different, just tried again today.  Therefore, I believe it was my internet provider acting up.  OK, I am glad you all waited to see the missing pictures, but it may be a let down for you.

The first thing I noticed were some tiny plants growing on the leaves of other larger plants.  Have any of you seen this before?

Then I got a little bit closer and took another picture.

This next picture shows at least three different kinds of fungi.  The ones from the picture above are in the lower right of this picture.

A few steps further along and this clump of fungi came into view:

And a little closer look at it.  Is that a grape laying on the top of it?

Then around the bend this fuzzy stuff that looked like cotton to me, came into view. 

And then another clump of it.  What do you think this one is?  It reminds me of the fake snow we used to put around our Christmas tree.

Well, that is it for today.  The computer and/or internet is working somewhat better today but am still having problems with blogger.  I

kept trying to get the alignment set to the left edge.  It worked at the beginning of this blog but then it just switched to the centered alignment.  Oh well, I guess it is still readable.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Can Not Post Pictures.

I had some pictures that I wanted to upload and put on my blog but for some reason, I cannot figure out why they will not cooperate.  I have tried different ways and different pictures.  Heck, I have done it before, so why can't I do it now?  I can choose the files and they show up in the upload window but they will not insert in my blog.  I am really POed about it.

I will keep trying but if I don't post a blog, you know I threw my hands in the air and said "forget it"!!  Hope you are having a better day than I am. 

Sorry For The Delay.

Sorry I have not posted for awhile.  My new computer was doing good and then, poof, it wouldn't go on line.  I kept trying and gave up.  I finally got a chance to take it back to the store and have someone check it out.  Since I purchased it at Best Buy, we went back to that store and their "Geek Squad" took care of us.  Well, they would have but when I turned the computer on, it worked perfect.  I guess it is something like when you finally make an appointment to see a doctor about something that ails you, the ailment goes away on the way into the doc's. . .

Oh well, it is working for now.  This has been long process trying to replace the one I had for the last few years.  The first replacement wouldn't recharge and this one wouldn't get on the internet.  Well, since it fixed the trouble on its own, we will never know what happened.

The dinner bell just rang so gotta go.  After lunch, we will make a grocery run.  Got to have groceries, right?  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

PS -  I guess I should explain a little more.  The computer didn't just start working by itself.  The Geek Squad found the problem.  There were two anti-virus programs on it and they were working against themselves.  They took them off and put a new one on and now everything seems fine and dandy.  There, that was the rest of the story.

And Another New Computer

Back on the 12th, I posted about junking my old HP Pavilion laptop and buying a new one.  Well, that new one wouldn't take a charge.  I plugged it in but a warning came up that said "plugged in, not charging".  So, I took it back to the store and they said they took the charge off my American Express card.  Well, I bought another one, this one is an ASUS.  They kept it for twenty-four hours to set it up and make sure it would charge up.  I picked it up today and headed home.

On the way home, an unusual looking warning light came on and my Jeep started running rough.  It smoothed out, but on the way home we stopped at an auto repair shop and left it there.  They brought us home along with the stuff that we had in the Jeep.  There must be something jammed up in the Jeep's cooling system because it was bubbling out the reservoir and running down the pavement.  Then, of course, it started running hot.

Well, at least I am sitting here writing this blog on my brand new computer.  And to top off the benefits, this computer was triple digits cheaper than the HP and it has the same 17.25" screen and all the whistles and bells.  I think that it will be just perfect for me.  So far, so good.  Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Another Walk Around the Driveway.

As most of my readers know, part of our drive way has a loop.  This loop creates an island in the middle of the loop.  My wife and I walk around this island.  She does it for exercise, health, and to feel good.  I do it because she tells me to do it.  I usually put my camera in my shirt pocket and take pictures of the things I see that interest me and as you know, I put these pictures on my blog from time to time.  We walked around the driveway this morning.  It was a little on the warm side, mostly because of the extra high humidity.  It is surely going to rain today.  I can't see how the air can hold so much water without doing so.

Anyway, if you are interested in the pictures I took, keep reading.  If not, well, just go check out someone else's blog.  Let me warn you, there are sixteen of them.

This first one is of some dried flowers or seed pods.  I thought they looked pretty:

The next six are of the fungi growing in the "island" area:

The next three are of some leaves that have started to change color.  We don't get much fall color here until the first two weeks of December, but the efforts of these few trying to brighten up my world warranted a picture and that picture posted on my blog:

As you can see, the "island" has a lot of leaves on the ground, but most of them are from years past.

 Then there were these bushes with a lot of small, round, green berries on them.  They sure did produce a lot of them:

The sumac is putting on a show of red leaves:

There were a few of these flowers blooming.  They remind me of lilies of the valley, but they are not, but another beautiful offering of nature.

This is part of my driveway that we walked.  This part runs east to west and borders the back of on of my neighbor's properties.

OK, I hope you enjoyed our little walk and that I didn't tire you out.  Now you all take some walks and make sure you take time to look down, up, to the side, and all around.  You would be surprised at just how much beauty you will be able to find.  Have a great day, you hear? 

A Sunset and an Unidentified Growth

We had another pretty sunset last evening.  Where I live, I can see the sunsets but way too many tall trees in the woods on the East of my property to allow me to see sunrises.  To the west is a different story.  My neighbor has a wide open field which allows for a good view of sunsets.  I happened to be outside walking and saw this sunset.  Took a couple of pictures.  This first one of the sunset shows the expanse of the field:

 I zoomed in on it for a second picture and think this one shows it much better:

This picture does not do it justice.  God is quite the artist and the sky is his easel.  Sometimes I just stand in awe and enjoy all of nature's beauties.

While I was walking around my driveway loop I found this object.  I could not find any more of them, just this one.  I was hoping to find one still attached to what ever it was growing on but to no avail.  Is it a fungus or a seed pod of some sort?  It looks like those little circular cups may have held some round seeds.  As a reference to size, I laid it on my knee.  If anyone knows what it is, please let me know.

Now, you all take time to glance at natures beauty and have a great day, you hear?

I'm Back!!!

My computer bit the dust again and this time I let it lie.  You know, what you do with sleeping dogs.  When I went to pull out the plug on the charging cable, the female plug that was suppose to be a permanent part of the computer pulled out along with it.  It wasn't very long ago that I had it repaired.  This time, I tore it apart and for some unknown reason, there was no where to plug or connect the female charging plug into the computer.  There was a about a four inch long wire from the plug's mount on the side of the laptop to the plug where it was supposed to plug into the computer.  There were also little guide slots for the wire to lay in.  So it was easy to see where it had been or should have been but doing so, there was nothing for it to plug into.  I was stumped.

I decided that I had spent enough money and time on repairs and this was the final straw just after an expensive repair not long ago.  Therefore, I decided to get a new one and I found another 17" HP laptop almost identical to the one I had, so there was no hesitation and no more shopping around, it was purchased.  I had them install the operation system, and some other important programs to keep it running. . . hopefully.  I went back today and picked it up and so far so good.  I like it, and although it is the same size and looks the same as my old one, it is much lighter and it seems to be running just great.  Knock on wood.

I also got me a wireless mouse.  I have a lot mouses (or is it mice or mices or??) but this is the first wireless one that I have had and I really like it.  No more of one of my pups getting tangled up in the wire mouse.  This new one takes only one double A battery and time will tell how long it will last.  It also has a very small receiver that plugs into an USB port.  It is so small I hardly know that it is there.

They only had one in the box and one on display.  I guess that they are fazing out these 17 inch laptops.  People, especially the younger crowd seem to prefer smaller more compact laptops.  Hay, I got a tablet if I want small and compact.

OK, that is why I have been absent on blogger, although I doubt if anyone missed me.  But like it or not, I am back (grin).  Now, you all have a great evening, you hear?

Driveway Fungus.

I carried the household garbage out to my dumpster this morning and on the walk out, I spotted some fungi that I thought was unique.  The one bunch of little mushrooms were there before and I posted about them back on Friday, October 30th.  In case you want to refresh your memory, here is a link to that post:
http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2015/10/walked-up-driveway-today.html

It seems that these wee little mushrooms have spread quite a bit since that post almost a week ago.

Remember back on that same blog I showed a picture of a stump with saw dust at its base.  This time there was very little sawdust but it had something else a little unusual.

Look a little to the right of the saw dust and there is a strange looking growth with yellow tendrils stretching out across the stump:

Now tell me that nature doesn't have some weird stuff.  But Mother Nature is neat and tidy.  She tries to clean up, dispose, or use all dead things.  Sometimes it is a fairly fast process and other times it takes a lot longer, but she gets the job done.  Now have a great day and try to stay quite a few steps ahead of Mother Nature, you hear?

Flaws in TV shows and movies.

One would think that TV shows and movies would be checked to see if there were any blatant flaws or mistakes.  But I guess some will slip though.  I was watching the Western Channel this afternoon.  The show was an old black and white Gunsmoke with Mat Dillon and Chester Good.  The flaw happened when Marshal Dillon told Chester to "check out that room down there".

Of course Chester went and checked that room and came out and said it was a dark room that was completely empty.  He said that it didn't even have a window so no one could have gotten out of it.  OK, so far so good but then I remembered that when Chester was in the doorway, a bright light from within cast his shadow out in the hall and when he left, light from within the room left a bright patch in the hall.  OK, if it were dark in there, where did the light come from?

There are a lot of things like this that I take notice of in shows that I watch.  Usually makes me smile or laugh out loud.  Have any of you noticed things like that?  Now, you all have a great evening, you hear?

Our Galaxy and the Geminid Meteor Shower.

A little astronomy for today's post and I hope you find it interesting.  I could write and write and write about the stuff out there in the universe but to save on your eyes I will only touch on a couple of things.  The first is an early reminder so you will not miss the Geminid Meteor Shower.  This time, the peak shower will happen at night in dark skies.  No full moon to drown out the shower.  This will happen on December 14th, so mark your calendar and enjoy the show.

I was on an airplane traveling to New England one time when I looked out the window and saw the streaks of a meteor shower.  What worried me a little was that the streaks went well below the height of our plane, which meant they could hit us in mid-air.  Of course the chance of that was very slim and thankfully it didn't happen.

Now a little about our galaxy, the Milky Way.  Its total mass, including dark matter, is one and a half to two trillion suns.  I sure don't have enough fingers and toes to count that high!!  And did you know that the diameter of our galaxy's disk is about 150,000 light-years across.  Those old sci-fy TV shows must have had some super fast space ships to fly across a galaxy and then on that even larger jump through empty space to another galaxy.  Oh, but Captain Kirk managed to do it.

Here is what our galaxy would look like from Captain Kirk's ship:

But since my feet are planted firmly on the ground, this would be the best that I could ever hope to see:

 I am going to keep this short and (hopefully) sweet.  But before I go I want to tell that when I was young and my parents and I went to visit my grandparents, as we were leaving my grandpa always said to me "Keep looking upwards".  I believe he meant it in a religious sense but I don't think he would mind if I do both and look at the skies on a dark night.  Now, take time to step outside tonight and see what you can see and have a great evening.  Keep looking upwards, you hear?

Wondering About Age.

Since I don't have anybody handy that is as old or older than I am, I guess that I will have to ask myself what it is like to get old.  We all go through many stages as we age.  After we are born, the major chore is getting enough to eat drink.  Then the next milestone was learning to walk, talk, and feed myself.  Do any of you remember that stage?  I sure don't. except for a few flashbacks.

As I put on a few years I started looking forward to going to school.  I suppose some didn't look forward to that, but being an only child, I was anxious to go to school and meet all those other kids.  At six years old I went off to 1st grade.  The next step was off to junior high and then the initiation into high school.  Do any of you remember being initiated?  Do they still do that?  It was a big thing in my day and I dressed up in a strange costume and had to do the bidding of the upper class students.  You then wanted to be older so you could be one of the upper class students.

Then you just couldn't wait to reach the age of 16 (in the state I grew up in) to get a drivers license.  Then came graduation from high school and off to college.  After that was a job and marriage and then a family.  After 17 years working at the same place, I moved to another state and another job.  That happened a couple of more times.  Then my age caught up with me.  My hair and beard turned snow white.  I guess you could call me . . . old.  Yes, but I am planning to kick up my heels a few more times.  Although my Dad passed at age 60, my Mom lived into her 90's and my Dad's brother lived to be a hundred.  That gives me sort of a family record to try and beat.  Not sure if I can, but the secret is to enjoy every day, every hour, every minute, and every second of every day.  Now enjoy your evening and have a great day tomorrow, you hear?