Clearing Up

Plenty snow up north. Maybe take a ride early next week. Not far. Snow line.

Woke up; couldn't sleep. Church soon. Very holy congregation. Need to read up on Plymouth Brethren. Read Broadbent's "The Pilgrim Church". As a matter of... will do that right now.

Things Looking Up?

Christmas. Staring at the ceiling. Happy?

Not exactly. Was thinking of that philosophical work "Being and Nothingness". Who'd write such a thing? Satre. Who'd read it? But it more or less describes my existence.

A pity, surely. Nothing to be done. 

Happy Christmas

Christmas Eve; reminiscing. Married in 1973, our first Christmas. Going to the Benson Hotel in Portland for dinner. I wanted so much to make her happy but she was impossible and did not love me. Turned out to be our only Christmas.

I remember going out into the country around Mt. Hood and cutting down a tree. I think I had just gotten hired at Good Samaritan Hospital to work as surgical orderly and I sure was happy... but she was impossible! She ruined everything.

Tough having this as a Christmas memory but thete it is. My only Christmas. She ruined everything!

Dream On

Took a good hike and a nice shot in Dreamy Draw. Would like to extensively go through the mountain park. Build up to a good long walk.

Weighed myself. All I can say is I'm glad I'm under 300 pounds.

After the hike, went on the treadmill at the club. But fell off the wagon almost immediately. Very depressed last week and spent it in bed between meals. Awful. Same old; feeling lonely.

Church tomorrow. Have to look up and forward.

Naturally Happy

An antidote to toxic politics. So stated on Twitter too. Listening to Limbaugh in great peace. It's Bizarro World. Superman. Everything the opposite of what's real. This rose very real. For you... whomever you are. Lovely.

Reflections. This too beautiful. I made it. I wish my mother could see it. No, don't need the hateful toxicity spewed by Democrats. Mom was a Republican. 😆

A grackle. So proud of myself identifying! Lucky shot. Lucky fellow. Happy to be me. Surely.

Audubon Calling

This morning. Best identification: a warbler. At a Denny's. Monday night. Not much happening. CNN going on above; can't stand a glance. How I hate the way Donald Trump is being treated. I let the world know... tweets, Facebook postings. Not much camaraderie but its there. Even when its over they will persist. God help us.

An odd day. Felt like making spaghetti with sweet Italian sausage. Got the meat on sale the other day. Five sausages; cooked them all, two for now and the others for sausage and peppers later. I dropped the plate. Lost two to the patio deck.

After the noontime meal, slept all afternoon. To tub. Nice and limber, here I am.

Iced

Well, back to waiting for the love of my life to walk into a coffee house. To this tune. Friday night presently in such a place, not much going on. Going home soon

Made some chicken salad the other day. It is delicious. Have videos to stream. No point in going out. 10 o'clock now. No music convenient. Thought to have a gin earlier. Pink gin.

Slept all day today. LOL. Had a sandwich after being up several hours this morning and back to bed. A good sleep. Then a tub. Then here. Such a life.

Not Too Subtle

Took this the night I thought I was going to make a friend of the Twitter contact. She asked me what I thought about getting married. GETTING MARRIED! Without being specific, I demurred. Explained my circumstances and stated my age. Very strange. Awkward enough, the chat occurred on Hangout (new to me) with long pauses between disjunct statements. I sensed it was going nowhere.

She subsequently asked me for money. I demurred. I kept the repartee, such as it was, going after a time out. Very strange. Then, having gotten a 10" tablet I didn't like and buying a 10" Kindle Fire instead, had a spare. She told me she had a 10 year old son. I thought to gift him the spare. She was impossible. I demurred.

Sent me another picture. Beautiful woman. Told her she looked fierce. The negotiations about the pad went nowhere. Wanted to have me ship it to Ghana to rendezvous with boy. Price prohibitive. Resistant about just giving me her address. Very strange.

Then, I perceive, she lied. Said she was going to South Africa. Now that did not compute either. She's asking me for money and she and her son are going to Africa. She also told me she drives a Cadillac and works but part-time. Not making any sense at all, I cut it off. Back to being me, looking for love.

An Italian woman. I'm going home and will make shrimp scampi. Rotten luck. Reminded of the scurrilous Bonanno but still love the food. To hell with them. This is all I find for now.

@ Habitat

Sonoran Desert critter. Acromyrmex versicolor. They bite. Leaf cutters.
Friend, Gregory, gave me a paper to read. Nature, 1989. Foraging.
This image ©W.P. Armstrong otherwise. I wonder what's in my turf!
Aha... he told me but I forgot. An interloper here, he said. They bite!

Have been at local Starbucks. Much to do. Got new laptop, the old one suffering from LCD deprivation, black streaks coming on. Could replace but think I found good deal. Doing setup procedure. Issues crop up.

The new device is, like the old HP operating on Windows 10. But it is loaded with S-something and proprietary codes are clashing. Can't download Chrome browser, have to use MS Edge. McAffee either; must depend on MS Defender. Another learning curve using all the MS apps. One could unload it, evidently, but not now. Just want to get underweigh.

Nice barista here now. Liked a picture I gave her. They're very busy. Front and drive-thru. Have to ask to use the rest room. Locked and coded. Bit of a bear. A nuisance, really. Some of the other baristas are indifferent to the customers' "When you gotta go, you gotta go." They used to just give one the code. Sheesh. Homeless problem. Shooting up. Taking baths. Not our problem. Told my new friend, "Reminds of old joke: does Macy's tell Gimbel's?"

Merchandising. Big deal getting coffee. Faux pastries. We could go on. Told her she was kind to me. Appreciate it. Verde Valley pictured. From Jerome. San Francisco Peaks.

Saturday night. Church tomorrow. Might like to listen to some music but not much here on the near West Side of Phoenix. Funny thing; thought to go to acoustic place on East Side, coffee house sort of venue. No music tonight. A play the thing. About Wyatt Earp. Hmm - don't think so. A nice recital would be... nice.

Have online friend at Hangout. Met through Twitter. In Florida Keys. Has already asked for money. Cut her off for a while. Few days. How gauche! Too many Internet contacts get to be that way. Inch. Mile. Light year. Too much. She was reprieved. No idea of her financial circumstance. Doesn't work full time. Conflicting information. Sent her picture. Very good looking. Gorgeous? Told her to drop dead when she solicited me. Ameliorating, said she was drop dead gorgeous. Oh, I think I posted the picture already.

Just checked. Yes, I did. I ought to send her this. Let's rumble in the jungle! Very dicey repartee in slow motion. Patience of saints. Lord, have mercy. More to come.

Forgive Me

Early Saturday morning, all I can think about is going back to church tomorrow. It's been about a year since. Anticipating somewhere different. Presently killing time at coffee but home soon. Do the laundry and cook some supper. 

Funny, until midnight last, I thought today was Sunday. The church is called Gospel Hall. The gospel of forgiveness, right? Right. Hope I make friends there. The last place was pretty stuck up but I've got a different social sense. Hard to connect between the secular and the spiritual. 

The trouble with going to church is like you get with the program there but you feel lonely when you leave because you don't associate with those people until the next gathering, either Wednesday Bible study or Sunday again. Go watch a ballgame or have coffee between? Fat chance. I just don't understand it. 

Bit of an epiphany. Fretting and fussing over my new sandals, the fit and feel, I met a woman with no legs.

Oh, by the way. My cyber lady friend kiboshed. She asked me for money. Rather gauche.

Figuring

Very unhappy with new tablet. Buyer's remorse in effect. What to do? Primarily, it won't play back downloaded Amazon music files offline. Got the thing for the purpose of playing downloaded movies. That goes through. But the audio files do not. The unit is 'rooted' it says.

So I tried an unrooting app. Did not work. Don't know what to do. Always joke: find a kid. I may have to pay for advise.

With this blog too. Different behaviors on different devices. The pad keyboard seems unstable; difficulty posting photos on the phone. At coffee, just staring at the floor. No one here. Saturday night.

Aha... there is a computing guy here. Maybe approach him. Free advise? Assume nothing. He was unable to help but ran into someone else. We get together tomorrow.

Study Up

NGO 5033. Hubble take. Upon seeing multo stars this morning without my glasses. Made such commentary on Facebook. Curious, as ever, to see what sort of response will occur.

FLASH. FLASH. FLASH.

The woman I've been cybernauting with, the one posted previously, just asked me money!!! Another experience of this chain of events. They're not even Nigerians. Terminate that proto. Just like that. There's just no telling. Unbelievable.

Just was reminded of getting together with ex-wife after long separation. She wanted a steak. I'm telling you... it takes all kinds. Kind of hungry myself. Pick up some sausage. Have pasta and sauce. Reading this. Should be a restful afternoon. Had thought about going to Tempe. Use my transit pass. Find some music. Just might be a waste of time.

Far to Go

Problem with laptop. Downloads Amazon movies OK and plays just fine offline but not music. Download happens. Offline no go. Unit is 'rooted' by default. Coding issue, I presume. Found out about app toward unrooting. No go. Need to find a kid.

Here's a wafting along Verde River.

La rivière Verde. In ye older vernacular.

Hey... there's a kid here at Starbucks.

My cell phone customer service lady.

Here She Is

In Key West. Very demure. Strange, the interaction. Truncated.

We're getting along but too much thinking, not feeling, things out.

Take Fort Verde

Took a ride up to Verde Valley. Seeking color. Expanse.

Back and forth of a day. Bought state park pass. Deal!

Here's parade ground at the fort. Refurbished. Decor too.

Would like to ride an Appaloosa, pack a mule from here.

Float a Bond

Have completely forgot again about this here blog! Presently in hot tub, what have you got to say for yourself, Ducky?

Not much. Perhaps it's because I'm entertaining a cyber-woman on Twitter. Intriquing. Do not wish to delude myself. Chatting.

Oh, Henry

Just love this print. The Noble Train. From Ticonderoga to Boston. Dorchester Heights. 1776-77. I wish I had known when I visited in 1973. Would like to have seen the view. Vamoosed the British fleet. Made use of it for Twitter profile. Keep my bearings and perspective as I haul the load.

Political posturing is a bane of patriots. Who can be affined but those who were there? Of questionable relation, Henry Knox a good role model for skill and loyalty. A book dealer in Boston, he affiliated with the libertarians and taught himself artillery ballistics from books.

Here's the Old Man himself. Was at Valley Forge too. All the way through to Yorktown. Was first Secretary of War of Constitutional government. A stout Federalist. Remarkable.

His persona came up in a tweet. Dealing with current congressional ineptitude and executive harassment. Just had a look at this article. You just can't keep up. I'm holding steady with the Donald. I give him my best. 

Well, I need to get far from the madding crowd. Thought to go to Tonopah to watch the sunset but has gotten too late in afternoon. The traffic on I-10 is murder. Think I'll go to the Estrellas. Break in some new boots. Pictures forthcoming.

Welcome

Mine humble abode. Talk about wear and tear. Needs work, as they say. Have just pruned oleander tree, planted a Trumpet shrub and hung my Betsy Ross flag. Looks pretty good but deceiving. Need a roof. As mentioned, the A/C is hopelessly broke. Old unit; there won't be violent available for it anymore.

Right now, replacement impossible. So, back in July, I went and got a portable room unit. Camped out in a bedroom for the duration. No problem. I either get a job to pay for the roof and another A/C or sell the place. All paid for. Just walk away with a cash offer. Otherwise, looking at 12K to get copasthetic.

Everything just fine. Heading out today, the sky very clear and blue, felt lucky to be alive. At a Starbucks for downloading and taking the time to do this. I have been spending the mornings going back and forth between Twitter and the news sites. Kvetching. Back and forth.

New and Improved

Have a new device. 10" tablet. Good for the flicks and a much faster download capability. I'm not one for toys, digital or otherwise. Glad I've got it fired up and am slowly learning the tricks. Just opened this up; long time no post. I suppose that's on account of Twitter. Much activity there and more interaction. Hell, there's no interaction at all. 😛

Took a ride last week. Many excellent shots. Poster shots. Money shots. What a bunch of to-dos. Have to rearrange the family and living rooms first; more to do, the entire house needs a major tidy. Now that it's cooled off I will get to it. 

The cool had me going to Tucson. Great two day trip. Went around the Santa Catalina Mountains and up to Mt. Lemon. Not too many deciduous trees as they're not indigenous but enough to enjoy. Brilliant aspen and maple. Then over to the National Saguaro Park.

Well, this is the initial post using the tablet. Seems to be working just fine. So glad it's cooled off. Just recalled the last post told of the A/C breaking down. I managed. I coped. I prevailed. Tell you how next time.

Hot Enough For You?

Have to detour to this venue on account of speaking of matter I should not like the world to know about. My air conditioning unit is kaput. That's right... 105 and not a pleasing situation. Nor can I afford to replace it. No any credit to even think about it. $5000 cash.

Went to store and got portable to cool one room. Will cope. Been praying that unit held up and I blew it; stopped praying and let the gas go down to nothing. Blew out the coil.

The thing of it is, I'm going to be spending more time at mercantile locations in the collective cool. Thought I might commence to write again.

This is the woman I'm sleeping with. A rubbing. Have had it a long time and I don't recall how I came into it. Has been kept in a spare room where I've taken up abode with the portable air conditioner.

Sitting in that room presently. What to do. Have surveyed the Internet. Same old. Watch a movie? Just about to. Have a hankering to go out this Friday evening but nowhere to go; save your money.

No... went nowhere. Good to have gotten comped Amazon for movies. Just streaming along. Saturday morning. Do need to get out.

God Bless Me

My oleanders! It's only 80° today. I ought to be working on the presentation. Plants to report and trim the indestructible Bermuda grass. Note the runt. Caveat emptor. It's always something standing between us and perfection. You'd think, when you buy at the garden center, that when you buy several plants from same section - I've a distinct memory of doing so, that they'd all be the same. But no; dwarf species. 

The battery is going down fast on my Kindle. Some other shots  in light of pride of ownership.

Here's an old prickly pear. Magnificent.

Always Now

Been some time. Springtime at its height; hit 100° today. My oleanders looking splendid. The house warms up in late afternoon and I've got to engage my cost savings strategy with regard to the air conditioner, which I don't wish to turn on for another month. So it's out to hang at Starbucks as the sun goes down and it cools off. Otherwise, life the same and I still don't know a soul here.

Have been doing next to nothing. Online most of the time. Increased Twitter activity versus posting here. Facebook a dud. Fortunate to have gotten Amazon Prime wrapped in my phone bill. More hot-spot time too. Stream a lot of movies. Just what I'm going to do presently. Such is life.

Watched a movie filmed in China. Digitally so and we'll done. Beautiful landscapes. Costume drama with typical action elements of Chinese Western. Medieval period. Crusaders who'd gone PTSD and wandered east seeking to put distance between themselves and the killing in Syria. Outcast.

Nicholas Cage not bad. Poor guy has to earn a living. I've always liked him. Read he got married again and it lasted a couple of days. Hope that doesn't qualify her for alimony.

And an old British telly production from 1954... Colonel March of Scotland Yard. Boris Karloff. A great actor. I love the suits. He heads the Department of Queer Complaints. LOL

Has cooled down. Go home. Fix dinner