Life update

Clouds… while waiting in line for a Hannaford store.  (They no longer require a line.) (Jun 14 12:50 p.m.)

Things had gotten a little busier since I’d last left off.  Since last post, I’d studied and passed the IC3 Digital Literacy Certification exams for the Information Technology field, and now I’m on the path toward certification.  Just part of vocational rehab, no biggie. 😉

Summer, summer… fog/haze on day two. (Jun 21 5:07 p.m.)

Of course, I’ll have to do interviews and other such things that bring some anxiety for someone who’s both introverted and autistic.  My people skills are not great… so that’ll be another challenge, another test.  Something to think about.  And my mind goes to Office Space… A classic, that film.

Most of all the testing has been online, and not because I can’t get out of the house.  (I can get out of the house.)  But because of Covid.  That virus has been a real drag.  I’ve seen stores close for good, and I’ve seen stores open.  And schools, well…

Metal play thing: dismantled. (Aug 3 11:56 a.m.)

I don’t know.

I saw two men digging in this very playground the other day.  The sight of that reminded me of California officials partially burying Venice Beach Skate Park… But these two were probably digging for some other reason.

Not everyone is following the rules.  Some people walk their dogs in areas that make use of the No Dogs Allowed sign, in red text.  I’ve seen so many people walking dogs in Portland, I start to think: what if that’s the only exercise the human gets?

An area is unusually dry. (Jun 22 2:29 p.m.)

This summer has been mostly okay.  Some days have been sweat-all-day hot; clothes stick, and you need to open more than one window to make any difference in room climate.  The humidity can be high sometimes, hence that fog near the top.  But it’s never too bad in Maine.  The need for an A/C was raised, and eventually one was installed, considering the other client here is heat-sensitive, and could literally faint if too hot.  The squeaky wheel got the oil.

(Jun 29 1:48 p.m.)

I can’t mention growth and change without including some new coneflowers that appeared near the front porch.

A Year In Photos: 2017 (Part III)

(Jan 4, 2017 4:48 p.m.)

The new year begins where the previous left off.  And where we live, that means winter is still lingering around, with snow (and ice).

Pink sunset. (Jan 19, 2017 4:34 p.m.)

(Feb 3 1:29 p.m.)

Eventually, that white stuff clears up.

One could live for scenes like this

(Dec 19 12:25 p.m.)

Partly blue skies, and just the right amount of snow on trees — sometimes the view in Maine is remarkable.  And this shot is of the front yard to our house!

(Dec 19 12:22 p.m.)

This one, the back.

Daily walk

(Dec 13 5:55 p.m.)

Ice on the ground
hurts my knees;
wind gusts, around
shake ice from trees.
It shouldn’t have to be so hard
to walk outside these days.
But what can I say?
I can be stubborn
in my day-to-day ways.

It’s a winter wonderland
obstacle course
out there.
And it’s not officially winter!

Second snow

Partial moon in top-left corner. (Dec 10 7:08 a.m.)

For the second snowfall of the season, which happened over the last two days, we got around 4″.  (And you can click here for the first snow, short-lived.)  We’re expected to get more precipitation tomorrow, with temperatures in the 20s and 30s.

(Dec 10 8:18 a.m.)

This time, on Saturday, I could somehow tell the clouds in the sky were snow clouds.

Winds of change, part II

(Oct 28 6:31 p.m.)

So… I’m posting from the library again. (I’ll have to rush a bit again. WordPress is also not working properly— failing to add captions, Javascripts that hang— for some reason. Frustration galore.) The lights are still out at home. But at least with WiFi at the library building, I can send photos directly to the media library… which will be needlessly larger and lack color correction, but you can get a glimpse of what I’ve seen.

Winds of change

(Oct 8 12:33 p.m.)

Well, we finally had a real storm in the northeast. Power was knocked out to over 240,000 in Maine alone. It’s mild compared to the recent hurricanes in the south. (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still struggling.) But it affected us directly. I got to see, firsthand, not only downed lines, but the effects of the downed wires: dark traffic lights, a closed road, and a closed half of a road, with tree debris still hanging on several cables.

We lost power last night. In fact, I’m typing this at the library. I have no photos because I took the older phone (which is actually connected and needed charging)… and I can’t find the thumb drive for any other photos. If that drive is lost, I’m SOL for now.

The winds are rose again today, and the tide has been going out. The nearest clouds are visibly moving. The winds are harsh enough that clusters of wet leaves have been tossed around violently, into the streets as you’re driving, and some sea gulls in the air find the winds hard to predict. Entry doors to the library are slightly ajar sometimes, pulled open.

Metaphorically, the winds are high in the news as well. Indictments have been made in the Russia collusion probe, as you may have read. Paul Manafort and Richard Gates, 12 charges. Tony Podesta to step down from the Podesta Group. House of Cards, canceled after someone accused Kevin Spacey of sexual abuse (and then some), after the downfall of Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo campaign that came with it. Plenty of guilty people in the news, and more resignations to follow.

Well, I gotta go. Time restrictions. Until next time…

(Oct 14 6:07 p.m.)

Summer update

(Aug 12 1:47 p.m.)

So I’ve been falling behind on the blogging front again.  I attribute it to the national news, the negativity and lack of confidence in my voice even though I have enough I’d like to say.

Gotta post some day, so here goes.

Last Saturday wasn’t particularly eventful… in Maine, I mean.  I was invited to a BBQ, but declined because it entailed more sitting around doing nothing.  It’s kind of funny because, despite not going, I saw tiki torches— something you’d see at barbecues— anyway, with the news.  (Not much was funny about what happened in Virginia.)

Participation or no, I needed to get out of the house.  And it goes without saying: most of the opportunities in life are not going to be online.

(Aug 12 1:47 p.m.)

First stop… and without much choice (because I can’t drive): timely photos of Crescent Beach, and with the better camera.  As you can see, the beach was populated.  (With people.)

(Aug 12 2:08 p.m.)

A park ranger at the entryway toll booth asked whether I was native to the state.  Maine gets a fair amount of tourism.

Chipmunk! (Aug 12 1:33 p.m.)

I saw a few animals before I even put my feet onto pavement.  (As always, click to enlarge a photo. …And sorry for the traces of bird poop on the windows.)

The more things change…

(Jul 10 7:14 p.m.)

The difference five months makes.  This is the trail that runs next to the house.

Upon entering. (Jul 10 7:13 p.m.)

Last time on this blog, the area was covered in snow; now, it’s green with vegetation.  Or, as one commenter put it: lush.  This Monday, I was a bit annoyed with the stagnation in the house— being unable to deal with the squirrel that’s in our roof, for one; I stormed out.

Roof.  And two trees which enable the squirrels access to it.  I’d cut them down if I could. (Jul 9 6:37 p.m.)

I soon returned to grab the iPhone to take some pictures of the trail for the day.

(Jul 10 7:17 p.m.)

The bucket’s still there, as well as the chairs and collapsed table(s).

Green light

By the street. (May 28 2:55 p.m.)

It’s a gray Memorial Day, so I’ll let yesterday and sunny days previous speak for the season.  Summer is closing in now.  The green leaves have filled the view of the windows.

(May 19 11:24 a.m.)

And the front yard is filling up. …Over brown leaves that have yet to dissolve.

(May 17 2:13 p.m.)

And to think, this is what these leaves looked like only two weeks ago.