Tag Archives: trees

October 16, 2026

Weather Notes (10/16/26)

It occurs to me that the date format used in the title can be ambiguous. It’s certainly a local format. The longer form used for Friday Notes, (e.g. Oct 16, 2026), is specific but makes post titles longer than I like. I use the ambiguous form for brevity.

But for the record, throughout this blog, when used, I do mean month/day/year. Which I’ve long thought is an awful format because it doesn’t sort naturally, especially with no leading zeros on single digits. The sortable form is yyyy–mm–dd (with leading zeros on single digits).

But I digress (already!), so without further ado, here’s the local weather:

8 Comments | tags: autumn leaves, Bentley, charts, dew point, trees, weather, Weather Notes | posted in Friday Notes

March 22, 2024

Friday Notes (Mar 22, 2024)

By Wyrd Smythe

The last two weeks have been (by my ~~lazy~~ ~~easy-going~~ retirement standards) unusually productive. Two big and long-standing items off my TODO list — a huge relief. As a good friend said, getting stuff done feels so good you have to wonder why we let things go so long.

For me, a lot of it is sheer laziness. Often, something needs to break through to Urgent Level before I’ll get around to dealing with it. (I’d rather read and doing stuff cuts into my reading time.) There is also the subliminal fear things won’t go well, or will be a pain or, as has often been the case, a disappointment.

But regardless, time for another edition of Friday Notes.

7 Comments | tags: awe, Enterprise Car Rental, Ford Fusion, plumbing, science and spirituality, trees | posted in Friday Notes

May 23, 2023

Walking the Dog

By Wyrd Smythe

Moar Treats? Moar Walks??

I had the unmitigated pleasure of spending last Thursday through last Sunday with my opinionated little canine “niece” Bentley. Fortunately, her opinions all involve walks and treats rather than politics (which she thinks is what happens when your parrot swallows a watch).

On the other hand, her opinions on walks and treats tend to be rather definite (and rather on the greedy side). She knows what she wants (all) and when she wants it (now). My giving in to her opinions on walks led to some unexpected yet interesting results Saturday morning.

Sadly, I didn’t have my camera with me to document those results but did take it along on two other walks to document the beauty of some local parks.

9 Comments | tags: Bentley, parks, trees, walking | posted in Life

May 19, 2023

Friday Notes (May 19, 2023)

By Wyrd Smythe

I love that brief period each spring when the mock apple trees are in bloom:

I missed the peak before the blossom pedals start to fall. As you can see on the ground below, that’s already begun to happen.

8 Comments | tags: bread, die die die spammers, hot dogs, interweb, trees, vanish from the earth spammers | posted in Friday Notes

September 23, 2020

Got the Shot

By Wyrd Smythe

Sort of. It’s not quite the shot I’d hoped for, but it’s close-ish:

There actually is a cloud bank on the eastern horizon, so the Sun wasn’t too visible as it rose, but once it got a bit above the horizon, it was. And, a day later, it’s moved a bit south, too.

17 Comments | tags: autumn, autumn leaves, autumnal equinox, Harry Nilsson, Sun, trees | posted in Life

October 11, 2014

Sam’s Final Walk

By Wyrd Smythe

The autumn leaves that litter the trail crunch beneath my feet, and dozens of flying insects — grasshoppers I think — flee the oncoming giant tromping through their domain. The late morning sky is a lovely cerulean broken only by lonely, scattered cloud wisps. The October air is crisp — like a chilled white wine — dry, bracing, invigorating. I am given a perfect fall day to accomplish my task.

The trees that surround me, mostly oak and linden, a few scattered elms, give way to pines. Now the trail is covered in long pine needles and pinecones. Large birds — falcons perhaps — watch my passing with avian alarm. A brave one flies directly overhead to get a closer look at the encroaching human.

I’m seeking the “Cathedral of Pines,” the place I’ve chosen for Sam’s final rest.

36 Comments | tags: ashes, autumn leaves, Black Lab, Black Labrador Retriever, dogs, final resting place, last rites, mourning, parks, peace, perfect day, pine trees, quiet, Sam, Samantha, silence, trees | posted in Life

January 17, 2013

Dear SciAm

By Wyrd Smythe

Dear SciAm This is a post I’ve had sitting on the shelf for when I wanted an easy one. I don’t know about other bloggers, but it takes hours for me to crank out a post. Some can take most of a day. (There are some where I spent days making graphics, and an upcoming one has work that took weeks! (You saw a glimpse in a recent post!))

The situation this concerns is long past. This is no rant, just a piece on a life change that surprised me a little, made me sad a little, and which doubly reflected the end of an era.

I could write this any time, but today I got another plea from Scientific American magazine. Again they beg me to come back. Again I won’t.

This, then, is an open letter to SciAm, a dear old friend with whom I’ve parted ways.

17 Comments | tags: Carl Sagan, Scientific American, trees | posted in Life, Science