Category Archives: Places
Posted on 20-Jun-2008
Here's a garden update as of this year's summer solstice. Presently on my mind are the apricots: not as many as last year, although not as paltry as 2006. However small the crop, they shall be imminently pickable.
For the botanically inclined, I submit vegetable porn involving burgundy and green filet ...
Posted on 28-Mar-2008
Unfortunately, the title of this entry is quite literal: Last week a hawk died in our neighborhood. As the poor thing expired, it managed to take out a transformer and blow a power line —rendering our block powerless until dinnertime. It had (the remains of) a squirrel, so one theory ...
Posted on 06-Mar-2008
For years we lived with a bathroom that I called the Pink Horror. No ventilation (other than the window and door), a rotten (literally) paint job done by the house seller, and pink tiles. I hate the color pink, and Pepto-Bismo Pink just ain't gonna be an exception.
Before bathroom remodel.
...
Posted on 03-Mar-2008
I know I'll continue my habit of writing lists on bits of paper, but I thought it'd be useful to maintain an online list of the birds I've seen in our neighborhood. I've limited this to visitors to our yards and the nearby park.
"Birders, are ye?" Well, I prefer the ...
Posted on 19-Feb-2008
In autumn and winter the birds arrive from the north to keep us company. This typically means a lot of White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows around the yard, but my flagship migrator is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Or, as Simon and I call them, Yellow-butts. For their 2007 arrival, I first noticed ...
Posted on 17-Jan-2008
It's that time of the year for another Macworld convention in San Francisco. The Moscone South and West arrangement was confusing, though, with many visitors (such as ourselves) going between the two, trying to find registration and/or not realizing that both buildings contained exhibitors.
Played with the MacBook Air. Oh, my, ...
Posted on 05-Nov-2007
Hiatus explanation: I'm back from vacation in the United Kingdom. We went to London, Cumbria (the Lakes District), Simon's cousin's wedding in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Edinburgh. Quite enjoyable, where the pluses greatly outweighed the minuses. Two-bit summaries below!
Strange but pleasant observation upon returning home: I thought the 5.6M earthquake in San ...
Posted on 28-Aug-2007
We planted three tomato plants back in early May. All of them are in one 6 foot by 9 foot bed —with the Sun Gold cherry tomato plant now taking over the entire bed. When I turn my back, another dozen orange globes fall to the ground. The poor Stupice ...
Posted on 30-Jun-2007
For a while I thought this year's apricots wouldn't ripen, that we'd be stuck with a bunch of stunted, inedible fruits. A possible recovery from last year's lack of fruit.
Nope. I walked around the backyard two days ago, and saw how the paths were strewn with bruised, sweet-smelling apricots (as ...
Posted on 29-Apr-2007
While picking peas, I've been subject to vocal commentary by various avians.
Anna's Hummingbird: Scritchy scritchy complain scritchy... BzzzzzzPINGk!
Black Phoebe: Pfee pfee. (Wag tail.) Pfee.
Western Scrub-jay: (Insert loud, rasping squawk of choice.)
...And: Chichichi chichi chichi hyeenhyeenh! Hyeenh hyeenh! (Repeat.) Chestnut-backed Chickadees have become our neighbors.
Chestnut-backed chickadee during a bath: "Hey! I ...
