How is your day Today, plans and achievements 2024....

Got food out of the freezer to defrost over the next day or 2.......watched a gardening YT video that I follow..took a call from my daughter...made an order for new Perrenials for the garden, made a cuppa tea... and I'm back sitting here... talking to you folks.. :D what a hard day..

ETA....ooooh and.. I dug out my old Camera which I haven't used for a while. and put the memory card into the card reader, and was astonished to see pictures on it from 2018... my goodness that 6 years has gone superfast. Scary!

Anyway I want to take it with me in summer when I go for my trip to the coast , because it has a great zoom lens on it, better than my Iphone... which of course is my go to Camera these days..
 

Omigosh! It is hot 🥵 out there. There are plenty of dead weeds and more weeds that need to die, but it's just too hot🥵.

My new patio bumbershoot ⛱️ provides so much nice shade. The 💰💸 spent is well worth it. Too bad it can't move with me to the garden while I kill weeds.

It could happen...I won't say it will for sure, but it could...that the a/c will get turned on today. So far windows open and ceiling fan in the bedroom is on. I'm gonna wait until the heat really gets to me because I prefer "real" air.
 
hollydolly said:
Got food out of the freezer to defrost over the next day or 2.......watched a gardening YT video that I follow..took a call from my daughter...made an order for new Perrenials for the garden, made a cuppa tea... and I'm back sitting here... talking to you folks.. :D what a hard day..
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I'd be interested to know which YT vid(s) you follow. Also, what perennials did you order?🙂
 

@hollydolly I used to watch Monty Don all the time when I had Acorn and BritBox. Got lots of good ideas and good tips from him.

When I get off work tomorrow I've dreamed up a new garden project. It's gonna be a lot of back-breaking work, digging up a small section of established lawn. Oy. I'm gonna use the grass that I dig up to fill in some spots that have been damaged over the years, and the part that's been dug up is going to turn into...yet another flower garden. I'm thinking peonies and hydrangeas. It'll keep me off the streets for a couple of weeks (and send me to the garden centers hunting peonies and hydrangeas).
 
Late start, cool day, but dry and sunny. Didn't accomplish a lot but easily filled my yard waste bin raking and grabbing leaves wedge in among shrubbery and beds over the Winter. Rerigged a string of solar lights just above ground level along the street-facing shrubbery at the house. Stakes lean and fall over and moisture gets inside the outer "bulbs" so some adjusting and draining never hurts.

Aside from some laundry not a lot got done besides paying some bills. Quiet day, but we have another freeze advisory for tonight.
 
hollydolly said:
look on this link these are what I ordered today....
What have you bought recently?

It wasn't suggested by Monty Don... I just like the channel...

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Thanks. The YT video won't show in Canada for some reason. But we've watched a lot of Monty Don on two or three TV channels, Canadian & U.S. Very absorbing shows.

About the only one of those perennials that we've got in our gardens, as yet, are peonies. Everything here has to be hardy enough for the odd severe cold snap that may arrive before the snow comes to cover (and insulate) the soil & roots. But I'm more the food gardener in the household, so I'm not certain about what might work.
 
I took time to delete several articles I had bookmarked to share here on the forum. They span a couple of years so there must've been over 100 of them. I didn't get a chance to post them all. I walked over to the supermarket this morning. Since most of the groceries had to be refrigerated or frozen, they got put away immediately. I updated my budget spreadsheets and the one on which I record my son's charges and his cashbacks. The latter is to keep track of what he owes me each month for his credit card usage and the quarterly cashbacks I owe him.
 
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The weather forecast for today Thursday on Wednesday morning was for marine layer clouds 4 mph breeze by 9am. But when I woke at 5:30am, then looked out my second story bedroom window at a nearby tall weeping willow tree through the blinds, saw calm dawn silhouettes. So grabbed my smartphone, saw WU forecast for 1 mph at 7am and 3 mph at 8am 4mph by 9am. Since this whole next period was looking breezy, I was willing to get up and gamble urban street driving the 3.6 miles to the garden in case it was actually calmer than expected. And it was. Heck, not like I had to do anything today anyway haha.

Got inside the park rose bush covered iron bar walls at 8:02am, and went right to a group of Daybreaker roses I tried to shoot 3 days ago. But the aesthetic due to petal unfurling was already diminished too much in that spot. Over this last week have visited 4/18 4/21 4/22 4/25 and it has been astounding how many more flowers are out of the buds day to day. So immediately began looking for another subject while being aware at any time a constant slight breeze might start that would stop my work. Cannot Focus Bracket with anything but slightest subject movement due to miss registration alignment unable to blend multiple shots.

UM04933-78y.jpg


Found the above freshly expanded flower low to the ground where it is often calmest in gardens, began to move on after first thinking I could find something better but then stopped and went to work aftera second glance seeing how simple and pretty it was. Not a large rose, so I could not easily move close enough to fill my Sigma 56mm APS-C frame. But I have a weird Benbo Trekker tripod that adapts for all manner of odd positions.

After framing the flower, took two set of shots at F8.0 and a last at F5.0, from which this image was blended. After noting how Zerene Stacker produced a good result from just the F5.0 aperture shots, from the 104 total images, deleted the 64 images at F8.0 leaving 29 shots at F5.0. With the a6700 Focus Bracket function, one can only use one aperture for a given set of shots. So my F8.0 set was mainly for a backup should there be any soft focus holes at F5.0 I've seen in the past. Most often in front of the near focus starting point as though the camera actually focused a wee further back.

After successfully post processing the final result, that is 4000 by 3400 pixels, reviewed the set and noticed only the first 28 shots might improve the image as the Focus Bracket function could have stopped earlier, something I notice is not too consistent. Instead, I deleted another 18 unnecessary images at this point.

Worked 5 total subjects by 9:45am, only 1 other of which worked well. One had some out of focus elements, another was too dim, shadowed, while I exposed one with chocolate color too brightly. Back home, completed processing all 5 subjects by 1pm. Looking forward to the next calm morning. Hunting for most aesthetic flowers within thousands at a garden requires a pleasant visual game that one can get better at over years of doing so. Looking for comparatively greater beauty, narrowing visual, and focusing in on that aesthetic is a pleasant game I enjoy. Over time it develops an aesthetic sense within one's mind I love. The Earth and its life has much beauty, enjoyment, inspiration, and wonder to offer we intelligent creatures.
 
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Spent the day looking for neighborhood resources to deal with my neighbor. Called 211, library and researched the neighborhood associations, police department and dispute resolution resources.

When I searched kids hitting garage doors in my area, I got a few hits of youtube videos from security cameras talking about how the police were called.

Tomorrow I hope to have a relaxing day.
 
Getting out for a visit today. DH 's sister lives four hours away however her son moved less than an hour away so we'll meet there for a visit. I hear they have little horses! Can't wait to see them in person. Oh, and family too. 😊
On the way, we'll stop at the bath place and finalize choices to get the bathroom remodeled.......finally. 🙄
Cracker Barrel is on the way home so we hafta stop!
 
Was fitted for this spectacular back brace on Tuesday and will be leaving soon to pick it up. Wearing the sample was remarkable. I think I will now be able to clean my apt. without moaning & groaning.

Then, this afternoon am going to my local library Book Club, which I haven't been able to attend for months due to health reasons. The book is The Spy Coast by one of my favorite authors, Tess Gerritson. Really looking forward to being with actual live people discussing something I like.

Odd thing though. Early this morning, after first cup of coffee, felt Death calling. My vision was fading, and I felt I could just drift away and die. It was welcoming. Then I saw my son/grandson in my mind and forced myself alive. Turned out my glucose super low..........I guess it was like coma time. Had juice, more coffee, all my meds and am now just needing to try to be able to face the day.

I hope I have a good time.
 
On my early morning walk at 6:30,was a tad nippy temp was 34 as I walked halfway on my street, birds were chirping,sun was out
Yesterday afternoon I saw my new apt at Canterbury Woods the retirement place I'm moving to end of May. My close friend, Marcia came with me, Adam{sales dir who I've liked from day 1} took us
We walked in and I said' WOW", kitchen has granite countertop, dark brown cabinets.I'll have space to put things in the cabinets since I don't cook. All new appliances frig/ electric stove/microwave/ dishwasher,new carpeting. The living room has 4 windows will get the morning sun, .Marcia took pictures as I was looking around. I was cking out the bedroom ,the closet looking out the 1 window,all of a sudden I got emotional, didn't cry but it hit me this was going to be my new home Our church friend, Bill{ he moved in a yr ago} his apt is like mine except he has 3 windows in his livingrm was helpful as well
This morning ,my plan walk to Walgreens will take me 25 min to Walgreens,need couple items. It's too nice a day to pack.I'll do that tomorrow-rain in the forecast
 
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I was fidgety all night, and didn't get a lot of sleep, but I don't think it had to do with having espresso!!! 🙃. I'm going to guess that it was the steroid shot in my knee that was keeping me up. I did doze off now and then....I seem to feel rested enough.

Today is going to seem strange because I don't have any running around that needs to be done. I actually don't have any plans at all today!!
emoticon
(other than stay out of the rain, of course!)
 
caramel said:
Spent the day looking for neighborhood resources to deal with my neighbor. Called 211, library and researched the neighborhood associations, police department and dispute resolution resources.

When I searched kids hitting garage doors in my area, I got a few hits of youtube videos from security cameras talking about how the police were called.

Tomorrow I hope to have a relaxing day.
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awww I'm sorry you're having to live with such a distressful situation...:(
 
David777 said:
The weather forecast for today Thursday on Wednesday morning was for marine layer clouds 4 mph breeze by 9am. But when I woke at 5:30am, then looked out my second story bedroom window at a nearby tall weeping willow tree through the blinds, saw calm dawn silhouettes. So grabbed my smartphone, saw WU forecast for 1 mph at 7am and 3 mph at 8am 4mph by 9am. Since this whole next period was looking breezy, I was willing to get up and gamble urban street driving the 3.6 miles to the garden in case it was actually calmer than expected. And it was. Heck, not like I had to do anything today anyway haha.

Got inside the park rose bush covered iron bar walls at 8:02am, and went right to a group of Daybreaker roses I tried to shoot 3 days ago. But the aesthetic due to petal unfurling was already diminished too much in that spot. Over this last week have visited 4/18 4/21 4/22 4/25 and it has been astounding how many more flowers are out of the buds day to day. So immediately began looking for another subject while being aware at any time a constant slight breeze might start that would stop my work. Cannot Focus Bracket with anything but slightest subject movement due to miss registration alignment unable to blend multiple shots.

UM04933-78y.jpg
Click to expand...
Stunning.... !
 
Pepper said:
Was fitted for this spectacular back brace on Tuesday and will be leaving soon to pick it up. Wearing the sample was remarkable. I think I will now be able to clean my apt. without moaning & groaning.

Then, this afternoon am going to my local library Book Club, which I haven't been able to attend for months due to health reasons. The book is The Spy Coast by one of my favorite authors, Tess Gerritson. Really looking forward to being with actual live people discussing something I like.

Odd thing though. Early this morning, after first cup of coffee, felt Death calling. My vision was fading, and I felt I could just drift away and die. It was welcoming. Then I saw my son/grandson in my mind and forced myself alive. Turned out my glucose super low..........I guess it was like coma time. Had juice, more coffee, all my meds and am now just needing to try to be able to face the day.

I hope I have a good time.
Click to expand...
Oh good! I hope the brace works out well for you.
When you were fading, were your son/grandson saying, "Snap out of it!!!" 🙂
 


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