A SPORADIC WRITING OF MY FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS.
THEY COULD BE A LITTLE STRANGE AT TIMES. . . I DON'T INTEND TO OFFEND MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY BUT . . .
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Friday, April 26, 2024
Letter "Q" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 12 and Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures
This Week's Prompts: Starts with "Q." A Favorite. For Tom, "Q"uite". For James, Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures.
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Starts with "Q": This Canaille was quietly getting ready for blooming. It is the first flower this spring where a plant that has been cut to the ground has blossoms.
The rabbits living around here have nibbled on some ends when they were more tender.
A Favorite: The Canaille is my Favorite because my father had canailles all around his converted office up in Nebraska.
Those are his canailles around the smaller building. It was converted from a baby chicken brooding house into an office for his seed corn business. There is a yard light on top of the pole, yes there is not a street, it was sitting in our farmyard. I slept on the front porch behind the hedge.
I grew up in the house sitting in the back. It was a two bedroom, four room, two structure built around 1900 and moved to our family farm in 1920. The new owner had bulldozed it down and has burned the rubble.
For James, Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures: The Guadalpe River is great for rafting. I'm not sure why the picture came out so striated.
For Tom, "Quite":This is one is a spot where the river runs Quite smoothly but there are rapids along its route at other places. You can read more about the house and my growing up here.
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The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
# posted by Jim : 4/26/2024 04:12:00 AM
3 comments
Friday, March 22, 2024
Letter "L" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 12 and Reflections and/or Street/Candid
HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY!!
He is risen!!
He is risen indeed!!!
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Captures
Letter "L" - This Week's Prompts: Starts with "K." A Favorite.
For Tom, "L"ake".
For James, Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures.
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"
"Get up close with Animals at Louisiana Global Wildlife Center," "Only in Your State" magazine, 3/22/2024, Louisiana issue (URL)
Starts with "L": Love starts with "L". Is there such a thing as Parental Love?
Texas Bluebonnets are the Texas State Flower
A Favorite: Lady Bird Johnson was my Favorite First Lady. 284 acres of The Johnson Texas farm was made into an open to the public, Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center. It is now a state botanic garden and arboretum with over 10,000 different species of wildflowers from all over Texas. It was featured on the March 2024 issue of the Southern Living Magazine, page 88 and ff.
More than 240,000 visitors have been coming every year. Mrs. Jim and I took my parents from Nebraska there in the 1980's, They, retired former farmers, were thoroughly impressed. I think my dad, generally a Republican voted for him, same as our family here in Texas.
For Tom, "Lake" and For James, Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures: This Lake find was at the Northlake Nature Center at Manderville, Louisiana (URL). Mrs. Jim is from Louisiana.
A Lagniappe: Two Love Birds
A Sad Update!! A squirrel has eaten these birds' eggs, robbed from their nest; so they have no reason to stay here. They are headed further north in their migratory journey up from Central America.
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The fine print
- [Click on most any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Back
woods Travel" (Link hereto click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
# posted by Jim : 3/22/2024 02:47:00 PM
3 comments
Friday, February 09, 2024
Letter "F" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 12 and Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures
This Week's Prompts Starts with "F." A Favorite.
For Tom "F"lower.
For James Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures.
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Starts with "F": Ford starts with "F". The two above are Ford Mustangs, toys from my 30 something collection of 1:18 scale cast iron cars. I have more Fords than any other brand.
Ford models; a lot are of the cars that I have owned and others are of the cars that I like.
A couple I purchased while in countries older cars on the roads. My favorite would be of the early model Citroen 2CV that I picked up at a tollway rest stop in France. The car here was parked in front of our hotel in xxx France.
I worked for Ford Aerospace Division, at New Hampshire and Houston, Texas from 1961 until 1980, leaving as a Senior Aerospace Engineer and get a small monthly retirement check from them for $214 per month.
And of the 32 Cars that I have owned, 15 were Fords and one Mercury. To see my list, click here.
[1952 Ford like my First Ford -- Click photo does not enlarge]
..
A Favorite: My first Ford was a Favorite of mine, it was a 1952 Two Door Sedan which I had hopped up to be very fast. It would outrun, at the red light or on the road, the 1955 and '56 Chevy with a power pack and any other car that it had met and tested.
I built the engine myself; it had a 1950's Ford Flathead stroked and bored to maximum. I also ported and relieved the block and manifold and had added dual exhausts.
[Click on most any photo for larger view]
Tom's choice, "Flower": Little white Flowers all over where we could camp. I don't know what they were excepts weeds of some variety.
[Reflections on the car and on the shiny floor beneath]
For James, Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures:
This one is a shiny blue 1 9 3 4 Fordthree-window coupe. Envision it without headlights, having the fenders cropped fairly close to the body, and with very heavy-duty bumpers.
Oh yes, paint the number "88" on the doors and trunk and you will have our 'modified stock' oval dirt track racing car back before I got drafted into the Army. I learned auto mechanics from being a part of the pit crew and from working on the car over the weekend (once in a while I would be the driver, but our driver had experience by driving midget car races).
Our car was very fast, it would almost always win the "B" Feature race. We held it back so as to come in about third or fourth in our Heat race so it wouldn't have to race in the "A" Feature race. Occasionally we would race there but never could come in first place.
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The fine print
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Back
woods Travel" (Link hereto click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
# posted by Jim : 2/09/2024 11:51:00 AM
5 comments
Friday, October 20, 2023
Letter "P" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 11 and Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures
This Week's Prompts Starts with "P." A Favorite. "P"lural. Reflections and/or Street/Candid Captures.
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[found via google search, "yellow pinto"]
Starts with "P": Ponystarts with "P" We had one of those new, a yellow 1972 Ford Pinto. Bought it new on the Ford employee discount plan. I worked for Ford Aerospace at NASA Houston Space Center as a Senior Aerospace Engineer. I did that for 19 years, three in New Hampshire and then 16 at the Space Center, in the Flight Control Branch.
A Favorite: Our Favorite Tree was our Palm Tree. When we moved here there were Three Tall Palm Trees behind our pool along the back yard fence. We had a bad winter freeze and lost them all. We replaced them with this one shorter and wider palm tree. Then three years later another hard freeze go this one, it was sooo pretty.
Its kind was supposed to be freeze tolerant. When we first planted it the tree seemed sickly, not bright green, and not many fronds. It snapped out of that fairly fast.
Tom's request, "Plural": Right away I think of "Number" when we say "Plural". Today, then I think of the number word, "Two". I have 'two' more Ponies, both "Antique Mustangs". A 1998 Ford Mustang GT and a 1974 Ford Mustang II. Both are pictured to the right. We have moved from this house, had it planned by ourselves. ..
Reflectionsand/or Street/Candid Captures: This was on the golf course where in my not too long ago younger days our men's group of 12 or 16 or 20 played quite often. Once I had a ball that landed on one of the lily pads.
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The fine print:
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large] - I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews) - I am also linked this week with James of "Weekend Reflections" (click here for his Reflections Photos). - The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
# posted by Jim : 10/20/2023 08:56:00 PM
2 comments
Friday, July 21, 2023
Letter "C" -- Friday's Weekend Roundup 11 / Reflections and-or Street/Candid Captures -- Corny, but there is a lot of Corn here today
- This Week's Prompts Starts with "C." A Favorite. Tom's Choice, "C"andy.
- James' request, "Reflections and/or Street Photos/Candid Captures."
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Roasting Corn Ears ready for Cooking (boil until kernals are soft)
.Starts with "C": Corn starts with "C". I can't eat corn anymore, doctor's order. Nor can I eat nuts and seeds. I cheat a little, could be Fake News, but I believe that Pecans are vegetables.
A Favorite: These are Corndogs that I cooked. Corndogs, sliced dill pickles, and Diet Cokes with corn chips on the table.
Corn Dogs are one of my favorite foods. I had my first one in California, on a pier near San Franscico in 1964.
Tom's Choice, "Candy": Candy Corn Day, October 31, is always on my birthday. So every year I buy a big bag of the Candy Corn for my namesake.
A Lagniappe No. 1: A Corn Plant. There are no ears or blossoms, ornamental only. They are very easy to grow though. Even forgiving if not watered a time or two.
A Lagniappe No. 2: Corn Field, this is me and youngest granddaughter a long time ago, peeking around out from the Corn Stalks. Click on this URL for the story behind the photo.
Reflections and/orStreet Photos/Candid Captures: After the Corn is harvested and sold or in the crib the corn farmers become Snowbirds.
_ _ _ _
The Fine Print:
- [Click on some pictures for larger, click it again for extra-large.]
- The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Traveler" (click here, Link, for Tom's Weekend Reviews)
- I am also linking again this week with James of "Weekend Reflections/Street Photos" (click here for his Street Folk and Reflections Photos).
# posted by Jim : 7/21/2023 11:02:00 AM
5 comments
Friday, December 24, 2021
Letter "Z" -- -- Weekend Roundup and Reflections/People on the Street
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! and
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
For the 26th letter time, The Week's Prompts are Christmas, A Favorite, and "Red and Green". The letter not asked for would be "Z".
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Christmas: Our Christmas Tree lighted. It's a seven-foot store bought artificial. Also Red and Green.
At the foot of the tree is a manger scene, a Fisher Price "toy". It represents the purpose of tomorrow's holiday, celebrating the human birth of Jesus Christ. Christians celebrate it on December 25 regardless of the actual birth date. (Click here for viewing other nativity word posts)
Hence the song that we sang over and over in my country schools, grades one through ten:
Away in a Manger
.
Away in a manger No crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus Laid down His sweet head
A Favorite: My Holly Tree -- Again, also Red and Green.
My Hard Time Canna Lilly
The rabbits ate all the tender
leaves after we planted it.
Red and Green: We hope the hibiscus other plantsdidn't freeze again this winter
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A Lagniappe: The last rose of Autumn but more are on the way.
Another Lagniappe:my favorite "Z" Words are
1. Zipper;
2. Zigzag; and
3. Zoo (not necessarily in that order; plus there may be other favorites that I have not mentioned.)
I am showing you a fence owned by my friend who has a "little ranch" near Telluride in Colorado.
Today I like best "zig-zag" as a zig-zag fence appeals to the hidden rocket scientist nature in me.
They can be freestanding without the use of buried fence posts. A section can be removed and put back for access/entrance without damage to the fence. Lastly on my short list is that their rustic looking appearance appeals to me.
- This fence belonged to my friend and neighbor before we moved to Katy. It was on his Colorado ranch and was there before he acquired the property.
He was a retired major oil company CEO who started in the Chemistry lab of the company when he graduated with his degree, a PhD in Chemistry.
A Reflection or a Street Photo Capture: during a little bit of Christmas shopping I had to use this restaurant. The store had two, both "any gender" per the sign.
It's been a long time since I've rated a relief facility but this on would have been a Zero except that scale goes from one to five. I RATE THIS ONE A ONE.
Another Lagniappe: Below, is the last full posting on this blog for the year, the following post is from 15 years ago. I started it in December 2005 but the picture and text below are from January 2006, it was Adi's, our beagle dog's, first of many on this blog. She was also on some of my other blogs here and there.
Incidentally, this blog has 2,257 posts, 884 draft posts, for a total of 3,140 writings. It has 18,690 comments with 710,899 hits. Quite a few families and friends read it and tell me about their viewing but don't leave comments.
"Saturday, January 07, 2006
another FIRST TIME
.
it's for Adi this time
.
.
.
This is Adi, our therapy dog
She specializes in reading with children
and visiting assisted living residents"
Adi died September 17, 2012 (read my tribute to her here)
Adi was born September 1, 1996. Read Adi's blog post here.
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Fine print stuff
- [Click on any picture for larger, click it again for extra large]
- I am linked with Tom of "Backwoods Travel" (Link here to click for Tom's Weekend Reviews)
- I am also linking again this week with James of "Weekend Reflections/Street Photos" (click herefor his Street Folk and Reflections Photos).
- The pictures mostly are all mine and rights are reserved to me under Copyright Law.
- Click Here for all countries I've visited. (none for XYZ, there aren't any.)
- - -
Note: I have activated my "jim's little Christmas Tree farm" blog posting for this season. Click this label, Christmas 2021 , to have a peek and monitor my progress.
It has directions to send me a picture of your tree or decorations if you wish to do so.