Notes from my patio

Grampa Don said:
It's a stereo microscope and I made an adapter to align the lens of my compact camera to one eyepiece. I set the camera to repeat mode and hand hold it as I vary the focus. I end up with 20 to 30 shots. Then I use a free stacking program to combine all the images into one sharp image. It takes a little practice.

Thanks for the comments.
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Wow, I'm glad I asked.
That is interesting, as well.
Thanks for the explanation!🙂
 

I’m back. I’ve had second thoughts and decided that since no one is forced to read this drivel, it’s pretty harmless. And, it’s something to do.

We’re between rain storms today. There’s bright sunshine and a slight breeze from the east. The air is cool and really fresh.

I put some crumbled up bread and some one minute oatmeal on the driveway for the sparrows and towhees. I figured they must be hungry after all the rain. I sat in the sun in the patio with my morning tea and watched for them. It took a while. At first all I had were the hummingbirds at the feeder and a couple crows flew by. But, eventually the gang showed up and went at it with gusto.

I got the oatmeal as part of my insurance plan over the counter drug allowance. I don’t need much in the way of drugs, so I ordered food items to make up the difference. The only type of oatmeal they offered was the one minute kind. I prefer regular old rolled oats, so I thought the birds might like it. They do.

I had a nice Christmas. My son, Susan, and my granddaughter came on Christmas Eve and brought me a big basket of goodies, mostly imported things I would never buy for myself. That’s what they usually give me. They know I like it and I don’t really need anything else.

For lunch I had Smoked Riga sprats in oil from Latvia. They came in a little jar that holds enough for two of my lunches. Apparently, sprats is another name for sardines, because that’s what they are. I had them with a BabyBel cheese, some pickled jalapenos, and Wheat Thins. They were good.

I’ve got a loaf of bread in the oven. Last week I made one with milk instead of water to see what difference it makes. The crumb was much softer, and the taste milder. But, I think I prefer it with water. I make a one pound loaf, cut it in half and freeze half while I use the other part, so it doesn’t go stale.

The Rose Parade might be rained on this year. That’s only happened a few times, and I feel sorry for the people marching in it when it does, especially the kids in out of state bands. I don’t really care much for the parade anymore. It’s really gotten commercial. Success ruins a lot of things.
 
Grampa Don said:
I’m back. I’ve had second thoughts and decided that since no one is forced to read this drivel, it’s pretty harmless. And, it’s something to do.

We’re between rain storms today. There’s bright sunshine and a slight breeze from the east. The air is cool and really fresh.

I put some crumbled up bread and some one minute oatmeal on the driveway for the sparrows and towhees. I figured they must be hungry after all the rain. I sat in the sun in the patio with my morning tea and watched for them. It took a while. At first all I had were the hummingbirds at the feeder and a couple crows flew by. But, eventually the gang showed up and went at it with gusto.

I got the oatmeal as part of my insurance plan over the counter drug allowance. I don’t need much in the way of drugs, so I ordered food items to make up the difference. The only type of oatmeal they offered was the one minute kind. I prefer regular old rolled oats, so I thought the birds might like it. They do.

I had a nice Christmas. My son, Susan, and my granddaughter came on Christmas Eve and brought me a big basket of goodies, mostly imported things I would never buy for myself. That’s what they usually give me. They know I like it and I don’t really need anything else.

For lunch I had Smoked Riga sprats in oil from Latvia. They came in a little jar that holds enough for two of my lunches. Apparently, sprats is another name for sardines, because that’s what they are. I had them with a BabyBel cheese, some pickled jalapenos, and Wheat Thins. They were good.

I’ve got a loaf of bread in the oven. Last week I made one with milk instead of water to see what difference it makes. The crumb was much softer, and the taste milder. But, I think I prefer it with water. I make a one pound loaf, cut it in half and freeze half while I use the other part, so it doesn’t go stale.

The Rose Parade might be rained on this year. That’s only happened a few times, and I feel sorry for the people marching in it when it does, especially the kids in out of state bands. I don’t really care much for the parade anymore. It’s really gotten commercial. Success ruins a lot of things.
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Welcome back. :)

I like crustier bread too, though I admit I haven't baked a loaf in quite a while.

I remember watching the Rose Parade as a child. :) As an adult I sent my teenage daughter to New York to participate, with the rest of her chorus choir, in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Poor kids danced and froze in the icy rain. 🥶 Still, I'm sure she's glad now for having had the experience.

It's a shame about the commercialism. :/
 
Medusa said:
Welcome back. :)

I like crustier bread too, though I admit I haven't baked a loaf in quite a while.

I remember watching the Rose Parade as a child. :) As an adult I sent my teenage daughter to New York to participate, with the rest of her chorus choir, in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Poor kids danced and froze in the icy rain. 🥶 Still, I'm sure she's glad now for having had the experience.

It's a shame about the commercialism. :/
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I remember as a kid watching the parade in glorious black and white while sitting on the living room floor munching on something. It was a local thing then, mostly community floats and high school bands. My high school was in it one year when it rained. A buddy and I went to see it in person once. We camped out on the curb for hours. Then, just before it started I had to find a bathroom and when I got back I had to stand at the back of the crowd and look over their heads. All I saw were the tops of the floats.
 
This is kind of hard to see, but I just completed my analemma. It's the pattern made by the points where the shadow of the corner of the garage roof were at 12:00 standard time over the entire year. The far end is the summer solstice and the near end is the winter solstice. I marked the spots throughout the year. The horizontal marks are one month intervals.

analemma.JPG
 
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