Hello there, my fluffy darlings! Or perhaps you're not feeling fluffy? or even darling? Well, no matter, I won't say no to crisp and crunchy. Truth is, you're all delicious-- just as you are.
Now you might be saying to yourself, am I imagining things, or is he sounding a bit like Mister Rogers? Has Marko sprung a sprocket? Why, he doesn't normally open his little, Friday-flavored open thread with a plate of community appetizers.
And you'd be right. After all, the Moon is merely Waxing and gibbous, surely there's no call for the dinner gong to be rung. Again, correct, I'm actually quite full.
But cats will be cats. I'm just playin’.
Last weekend was a cozy one. I was out in the country with Mrs the Werelynx and Fabulous Mother-In-Law. The weather was mad as a March hare. The strong winds blew broad bands of dark cloud overhead and it was anyone's guess at which form of water would fall. Mostly rain, to be honest, but there was sleet and some pea-sized hail in there.
I did manage to inspect and repair a couple of the birdhouses I’d built ages ago. All of them had fresh nests inside, each had some of Fabulous Mother-In-Law’s hair lining the nest. I'd given her a haircut a few weeks ago and tucked the clippings into a large bush in the yard. In the photo below you can see some of her gray woven into the moss and grasses— spotted with white bird droppings, of course, and something else ...
I'd never heard of birds gathering and storing food. Biologist #2 Son informs me that it's not that uncommon a trait and that studies have shown that birds who make caches of food have brains that show greater object permanence. Makes sense, gotta remember where you've buried the goods.
We'd been putting out sunflower seeds for the birds all winter.
After I did my repairs, I closed the houses and hung them back up in their original places. While I was at it though, I made a new one.
I now have four of these triangular houses around the yard.
Things are usually a couple weeks behind up there in the northern foothills. I took a photo of our Forsythia:
Meanwhile, this week in Prague:
I took those last two photos while I was on my annual tax and insurance form drop-off run. I’ve got the Federal tax form, the Czech equivalent to Social Security form and a form for my health insurance to complete every year before the end of March. Then, with a bit of clever public transportation hopping, I can visit Fabulous Mother-In-Law on the other side of town and drop off all the forms on my way home.
And because I was a good lad, I deserved a treat. For me, there are a few things I consider treats. Books, music, pistachio ice cream — and art supplies.
A couple of my students had shown me sets of watercolor cakes, colored pencils and sketchbooks that they'd bought at a new store in a mall about a 20 minute walk from my apartment. I ended my long day of running around by stopping by the store and checking it out. A large sketchbook of acid-free, 130g paper, a set of 36 watercolors and a set of 10 cheap brushes for about $10 later and I was ready to put my feet up for awhile.
This morning though, I got out my treats and played for a couple hours. My work in progress:
I think dragons are my default drawing subject.
Thanks for stopping by.
This is an open thread.