Jeep Peek
In its natural habitat. Well, not really. But it was looking all wild, like it got caught out in the open, out in the suburbs, and it was trying to hide in the brush until it could get back home. Looking at me, pleading with me, its headlights just searching to be set free, to roam, to escape this small, tame life. You can say it doesn’t really have feelings. Or thoughts. It’s not really trying to get into my heart, into my soul, whispering, telling me all these things that are possible. Urging me, coaxing me, pressing me on; to go, to go; “Let’s just go.” But Jeepers, we know. We. Know. Jeep love, Jeep nation. Later.
Pneumonia Anyone?
Thank you, internet, for exactly expressing my thoughts. And a million other people’s thoughts. But seriously. I meant to post this last week when it was 90 degrees on Friday. And sweltering. Sunny. Hot. Humid. Then 40 degrees on Saturday. And raining. Thundering. Lightning. Hailing. Ice and tornadoes. Where else in the country can you run the risk of having both heatstroke and hypothermia within a 24 hour period? And potentially having all your fresh, green, spring, grass wither and turn brown today, and maybe have your house completely demolished tomorrow?
I only bring it up today, again, because yesterday was another rainy, humid day of varying temperatures. Sixty-ish. I’m told. Because I can’t remember. I was at work, and my work city doesn’t always reflect my home city. I drove in weather that ranged from so severe I could barely see through the downpour, onto a stretch of road so bone dry it looked like a wasteland. And I only commute 26 miles. Last night, cold. Well, chilly. And damp. It’s a peculiar wet-type feeling that’s not exactly uncomfortable but raises the hair on your arms. Not tropical but not mountainous either. And it was foggy. Like, ghost foggy. Scoop it up in a cup foggy. Things that jump out of the dark foggy. Say, like, dinosaurs running out from the forest. (Movie plug! We saw Jurassic World late last night. It was good. If you like dinosaurs or even think you might, just GO. It’s not a waste of your money. End of plug.) Our weather is so accommodating, to give us that slightly scary, element of surprise and effect while driving home. Then rain and thunderstorms predicted for morning, and all day long.
Actual wake up weather today: sunny and gorgeous. Like, perfect. It’s 80 degrees already. Blue sky, white fluffy clouds. Soft breeze. It’s ridiculous.
I’d love to have a point here, or a guide for predicting and planning for the weather, but it’s mostly just observation and a little ranting. Tonight we are going to a wedding. I have no idea what the outside will be like. That’s the beauty of my little corner of Illinois. We could go in hot and come out cold. It could rain. Or it might not. Glancing outside it looks like the weather is getting ready to shift right now. I mean, it has been a whole hour. I need to go get ready and stop this foolishness. Everyone stay safe and enjoy these days and nights as you can. Later.
This Is Your Lucky Spring
I literally took only 2 pictures of my daffodils that bloomed this year. This is the better one. It’s not that the flowers weren’t there. They all came up on schedule and died on schedule but my opportunity to capture hundreds and hundreds of photos was not available to me this spring. Plus, I was super lazy. Sometimes one is all you really need anyhow. I’ll try not to let you down with the bird pictures. Someone (me) got a new birdfeeder for Mother’s Day, and the birds are plentiful and practically close enough to touch. Can you just imagine what you you are about to see? No. You can’t. That’s why I’m going to take a million pictures and post them all summer. Lucky you! Later.
This Is How They Get You
By degrees. Zero to Sixty in one week. I hear 70 for Monday. They freeze us out and then warm us up and we forget how miserable we were for 3 months. Tricksters. These are in front of the house. Bloomed. They don’t know what the heck is going on. I can’t remember what these are called, and my daffodils are still coming up. You can be sure I’ll post a pic of those happy flowers. For now here’s a close up, action shot, from yesterday, because I take too many pictures I just don’t know what to do with. FYI: The “action” comes from the slight breeze that was blowing while I was balanced over the flower patch in front of the house contorting and bending like some circus freak with my phone in one hand and the other pressing the bricks while maneuvering for the exact angle to frame these tiny purple petals without falling on my face in the dirt. Saturday’s can be so dangerous. Take that National Geographic. Later.
The Daffodil Update. At 75 Degrees. Chicago Time 3:03 PM.
Yes, I do have other things to do actually. But it’s the first nice day that I am home and alone and able to work on my schedule. So, of course, here’s a picture of the white daffodils, taken with the phone camera. And below is the yellow daffodils. Also the phone camera. I will be sitting outside for a spell now and bringing the camera. Get ready for a crazy Saturday night. Right?!?
Let’s Call This A Lucky Saturday For All My Fans!
Oh yeah. It’s the first bird picture of the Spring 2014 edition of “This Website Sucks Now Because It’s Always A Picture Of A Damn Bird Or Some Clouds Or Some Flowers.”
Obviously that’s a cardinal. Don’t be fooled by the grey sky behind this happy little fellow. It was warm that day. It was warm yesterday. 71 degrees. It’s supposed to be warm today. I filled the bird feeder lighthouse and the birds have found it again. So get ready internet world! More bird pictures are this close for scrolling down this website after a long cold winter of just snow and icicle pictures. And not to disappoint, below is the first picture of my daffodils, also making their debut Spring 2014 appearance. Enjoy.
Please Please Please Can We Have 60 Degrees?
My flowers are so confused. First batch is already trying to bloom. They don’t know it’s still only 39 degrees. Lots of sun. No fun. And now we wait.
Snow Progress
The first snowfall. When it was pretty. And we were all like, “Yay winter!” Then it just became annoying. Now it’s all gone. At least off the table.
This Is Really The Last Picture Of The Famed Icicle
Mostly because it is totally gone. All of it. The icicle and the snow. We are back down to the sidewalk and rocks. I took this right before I left for work. By the time I got home, winter halftime melted almost everything around this majestic beauty. In Chicago, we get a few days every winter, smack dab in the middle, to remind us why we live here or don’t live here, or why we need to get our pneumonia and flu shots every fall. Temps go up, dumbasses walk around in summer clothes, and then can’t figure out why they are deathly ill the next day when the temp drops back into the teen range. Except that it only stays there for a few hours before going back up into the 50’s and raining like it’s springtime. Not raining like you might have. That’s baby rain. That’s amateur hour outside of the Illinois borders. But raining with thunder and lightning and 50 mph winds that are blowing the half melted icy snow across the road to cause some kind of watersleetsnowicefog mix that causes us all to crash into each other on the expressway. And then at night, just a touch more snow, like the icing on the cake. It’s actually more like vanilla powder on a cake that already has icing, flowers, writing, sprinkles, shavings and maybe some glitter. It’s overkill and we are not impressed. Only Indiana can rival us with snow weather. They get a lot. Mostly due to our strategic placement of Lake Michigan. Ha. Suckers. But their biggest problem this year, I hear, is something called “expansion joints.” Apparently they keep popping up in the middle of the roadway and causing a bunch of flat tires and accidents. It’s not funny at all. But it kind of is. How about you all do it like we do it in Illinois (and everywhere else) and just make the road in one long piece? Then all you have to worry about are the giant potholes that can swallow an entire Mini Cooper in one bite! Come on Indiana! Step it up and get all those flat tires the good old fashioned way. By driving into, and out of, a huge hole in the ground! In Illinois you get a 50/50 chance of coming out of it ok. Whereas in Indiana, I don’t think you have even a slim chance of not getting a flat, or worse, when the whole roadway separates into two, non-connected, pieces. It’s probably because our roads go through our state, not over it. Let’s bring it to the ground I-N.
Anyhoo, let me end here. I don’t want to start any wars. Winter blows all over this middle part of America. Every place around here has their own private hell. Sometimes you win, mostly you lose. So it’s a draw. I think I have one ugly pic of the front of the icicle and a blurry pic of the road that I drove home on the next day. (More snow. Can you believe it?) I’m not using them. I want to forget. I’ll just post some of the other random pictures from the camera and phone and call it a wrap for this wave of weather. It’s holding steady around 30-35 degrees. For 2 whole days now! A little melt. A little freeze. I don’t know why I stay here. Later.
Such A Liar
This is with my phone camera. Phone. Camera. I really have a problem. Ya think? Here’s another one:
Also with the phone. I just wanted to see if I could. It did take longer with more blurries, but I ended up with 3 pretty good shots. Only 2 are being shared. Nothing was missed, so you don’t have to scroll through looking like I know you were about to. You are all caught up on icicle water drops. Happy day! Now that I’ve transferred these pics I can clear my phone gallery and get ready for the next wave of nature. I’m about to post the last pics of our giant house icicle. FYI. It reached about 50 degrees a few hours after I took the pic and the icicle is gone now without even a trace of evidence that it was ever there. That’s how we do it in the big city. Later.
just shy of pretty 