The garden of neglect...

Some things do survive in the garden of neglect...

perhaps even thrive in it.

Life...

You are born... and then you die. Somewhere in between there is this thing called Life. Apparently I missed the memo.

Ghostly Garden...

What the heck is Googlebot?

In the last few months, Sitemeter indicated that I was receiving visits by Googlebot.com. At first it was pretty random, so I didn't bother to find out exactly what it was, and just figured it for an automated surfing program of some sort. I have noticed two different IP addresses, and that sometimes there is one pageview and other times, several, wherein the visit can last as long as twenty minutes or more. I wasn't planning on writing about this, except for the interesting fact that I now get more vists from Googlebot than I do from real people. Anyways, I did end up Googling Googlebot just out of curiosity. I still think it is weird considering the randomosity of my blog content.

Another interesting thing that I have noticed, is that Blogger Stats picks up pageviews and traffic sources that do not appear in Sitemeter and I am wondering if the lengthy or frequent Googlebot visits are interfering with Sitemeter's tracking. Oh well.. whatever.

Backdrop

Today was only a little warm compared to the last few days, but it was hot, stuffy and muggy inside at the first night of the obligatory sporting activity. Went outside for some fresh air and had to snap a picture of this view to the North. The black lines along the bottom are power lines.

I can't get over how fake the mountains look.

September Moon

The moon was shining brightly through the evergreen trees tonight. I just couldn't capture it properly. The tree branches looked like black lace over the illuminated sky.

That one tomato...

Last week I was delivered of some fruits and such from the little roadside stand that we used to visit every summer when we were kids. Apparently it is now run by the great grandson of the original proprietors, which is rare these days, and very cool. The other day I went a googling, and found a video for that same little fruit stand.  

For a change, I set the fruits in a bowl on the kitchen table, instead of just tossing them in the fridge drawer.

Today, I tried the massive Beefsteak Tomato, and what can I say... it was delicious. I toasted a big hamburger bun, buttered it, slathered on some Miracle Whip, added a very thick slice of the tomato, some Kraft Bacon Ranch Dip and baby spinach. Honestly, it was on par with the pleasure of eating an actual hamburger... it was that good. Juicy, tasty, hanging out the edges of the bun, with just the right amount of tanginess. Frankly, the tomatoes you get at the grocery store are nothing compared to this.

The other thing I threw together, just to see how it would be, was chopped tomato, red peppers and red grapes, tossed with some Kraft Greek Feta and Oregano dressing and Garlic Tabasco Sauce. Not bad... not bad at all.  The touch of sweetness from the red grapes was a great foil for the dressing. 

The great thing about that one tomato is that it is big enough for two meals, maybe even three.

The second time around...

Hmm... a truly happy middle aged couple. I wonder... Is it love the second time around for both of them or is it in fact love for the first time?  Ah... too funny... a scene from the Princess Bride just popped into my head.

Celebrating with old friends, a great wine (Fetzer Gewurtztraminer), a not that great wine (J Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon), good food and...  instead of a traditional wedding cake... cupcakes! Of course I got one with a purple flower.

Me at the end of the night.

You know you are getting old when:

You go to a friend's wedding and you leave the party before midnight. (Of course though, regardless of that fact, I still ended up not being able to fall asleep til probably 5am.)

Guys can be creative too...

... even if it is just to cause destruction and make a mess of things. In this case, Demolition Derby and 4 x 4 races.

One particular day...

I remember and won't forget.

Caught...

I felt something. I had just walked up the front stairs and something brushed against me. I thought it was an errant clematis vine, but when I turned around there was nothing there. My second thought was ... spider? I looked again, but not expecting to find this:

All I could think of was... Can a spider eat a dragonfly? I thought surely it was dead. Unlocked the door, went inside, grabbed the cell phone to take a picture. When I went back out, it was moving its legs... or what I would rather think of as arms...  It was alive. You'd think that the stress of its body pulling on its wing stuck to the web would have caused too much damage. I carefully pinched off about ten inches of the web strand and was trying to get a decent photo with the wind blowing, whilst trying to figure out a safe place to set it down.

As I was nearing the back porch, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, another red dragonfly flying nearby, and found the perfect spot. I gently placed it down on a pine cone in an unused planter, held down the web as close as I could to the wing and pulled the rest of the sticky stringy part off.  A little bit of the goo was still stuck to the end of its wing, but it should be fine.

I don't believe that I've ever seen a Red Dragonfly before...  and it had come to my door.

A Few Good Things... Ice Cream

Further to me drooling over the Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bar, let's just say that I have had food on the brain lately, and even now, as I write this. In particular, ice cream, a hamburger with fries and ice cream, bacon, pork sausages, roast chicken, and pizza.  The other day a rustic apple tart came to mind as well as pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Needless to say, I have just managed to make myself hungry at 1AM, but... I just brushed my teeth, so there will be no eating now. Nor for that matter do I have any of those food items in the house.

Oh, I think I got a little sidetracked just now. I was supposed to be writing about ice cream.

Breyer's Classics Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Nescafe Rich French Vanilla Instant Coffee crystals sprinkled on top. Not really my absolute favourite ice cream flavour, but it is a "go to" choice, and in this case, you get three flavours in one... the mint... the chocolate... and the added bonus... coffee.

Nestle Rolo Sundae Cups. Pretty good, but too darn sweet once you get near the bottom of the cup. And the "spoon" that comes with the cup is a tad too small, which I suppose is a good thing such that you cannot reach the too sweet portion at the bottom.  Not really a fan of Rolo... would rather have a Caramilk, but still... had to try this out.

Oh... another tasty treat which never fails is the Klondike Ice Cream Sandwich which is simplicity at its finest. A very thick layer of vanilla ice cream nestled between soft, not crumbly, chocolate wafers. Yum. You would figure me more for a chocolate ice cream purist, but I have found that the blending of chocolate and vanilla by way of  two different textures seems to have the same, if not sometimes greater appeal.

One flavour of ice cream that I found surpassed chocolate a few years ago, but which I have not partaken of in a couple years is Espresso Flake. I don't remember which company made it, but it was absolutely delicious.  I suppose a Mocha Moo Latte from Dairy Queen would work well in its place. I haven't had one of those in a long while either. Come to think of it, I haven't even had plain chocolate ice cream in a few years.... or an old-fashioned chocolate milkshake, made with real chocolate ice cream...

Sigh.

That Darn Wheel of Life...

I wrote something called "I am the Hamster" a while back, so finding this tonight was a hoot:

(Note:  Yes, you have to watch to the very end for full effect.)

BOB from Jacob Frey on Vimeo.

From Noahware.

Fluffy?

WARNING:

Just some fluffy crap that spewed forth a couple years ago. 

Yes, sometimes I wonder where this stuff comes from.

Sun beyond the clouds

Free as the filtering light

On a windy day

To be in the sun

Feel warmth and comfort and love

In tranquility

Show the way to Peace

To give love, comfort and warmth

Reason for being

ckiSep 21 2009

Walk in the dark....

"If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark."                                      St. John of the Cross

I wrote that little tidbit in a journal two or three years ago. It was true to me then and even truer now, as I yet struggle to find my way in the dark. This morning, after not quite three hours of not quite sleep once again, I went to find something to stimulate my mind, and I rediscovered those words. So... when I went agoogling for information, I ended up finding the following, from here:

The Dark Night Of The Soul
By Saint John of the Cross
translated by A.Z. Foreman


Songs of the soul rejoicing at having achieved the high state of perfection, the Union with God, by way of spiritual negation.

Once in a dark of night,
Inflamed with love and wanting, I arose
(O coming of delight!)
And went, as no one knows,
When all my house lay long in deep repose

All in the dark went right,
Down secret steps, disguised in other clothes,
(O coming of delight!)
In dark when no one knows,
When all my house lay long in deep repose.

And in the luck of night
In secret places where no other spied
I went without my sight
Without a light to guide
Except the heart that lit me from inside.

It guided me and shone
Surer than noonday sunlight over me,
And lead me to the one
Whom only I could see
Deep in a place where only we could be.

O guiding dark of night!
O dark of night more darling than the dawn!
O night that can unite
A lover and loved one,
A lover and loved one moved in unison.

And on my flowering breast
Which I had kept for him and him alone
He slept as I caressed
And loved him for my own,
Breathing an air from redolent cedars blown.

And from the castle wall
The wind came down to winnow through his hair
Bidding his fingers fall,
Searing my throat with air
And all my senses were suspended there.

I stayed there to forget.
There on my lover, face to face, I lay.
All ended, and I let
My cares all fall away
Forgotten in the lilies on that day.


The Original:

La Noche Oscura Del Alma
San Juan De La Cruz

Cançiones del alma que se goça d’auer llegado al alto estado de la perfecçion, que es la union con Dios, por el camino de la negaçion espiritual

En una noche obscura,
con ansias en amores imflamada,
¡oh dichosa uentura!
sali sin ser notada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada.

Abscuras y segura,
por la secreta escala disfraçada,
¡oh dichosa uentura!
a escuras y ençelada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada.

En la noche dichosa,
en secreto, que nadie me ueya,
ni yo miraua cosa,
sin otra luz ni guia
sino la que en el coraçon ardia.

Aquesta me guiaua
mas cierto que la luz del mediodia,
adonde me esperaua
quien yo bien me sabia,
en parte donde nadie parecia.

¡Oh noche que me guiaste!
¡oh noche amable mas que el aluorada!,
¡oh noche que juntaste
amado con amada,
amada en el amado transformada!

Y en mi pecho florido,
que entero para el solo se guardaua,
alli quedo dormido,
y yo le regalaua,
y el ventalle de cedros ayre daua.

El ayre de la almena,
cuando ya sus cabellos esparzia,
con su mano serena
en mi cuello heria,
y todos mis sentidos suspendia.

Quedeme y oluideme,
el rostro recline sobre el amado,
ceso todo, y dexeme,
dexando mi cuidado
entre las açucenas olvidado.



Knowing but a few words in Spanish, I cannot comment on the literal translation itself, but I find this rendering to be both beautiful and poetic, being, as much as I can discern, far from cut, translate, paste. I say this of course having only a great fondness and appreciation for the written word, poetry in particular, and how it flows off the tongue in any language. Myself not being much for regret in my life or envy of another's, I find that I feel a touch of envy for this young man's thirst for knowledge and passion for linguisitics. The funny thing about this is that I have always considered myself as being devoid of passion, or deep emotion, and yet this work speaks to me on an even deeper level.

Sun scorched...

In other words, the photo of the sun that didn't turn out properly.

Amended (more like what my eyes saw):

The cool thing about a heatwave in September instead of July or August is that although the sun is just as intense, the daylight hours are fewer and the nighttime temperatures drop considerably, such that the house remains cool. Yesterday the differential was 18 degrees. In the next few days daytime temps are expected to be consistently above 30 with a high of 34. Thus ends my boring weather report in lieu of having anything substantial to say or share. Oh... I mowed the lawn yesterday... damn hot... Let's just say I was positively glowing afterwards...  Too much information... I know.

Oh.... and... a to die for tidbit for a hot sunny day... or any day for that matter:

Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cup Bar which is by far THE best Ice Cream bar... ever...  (not to be mistaken with the plain old Reese's Ice Cream Bar which is on a stick).  I don't have these very often as the cornerstore only sells them individually at $2.69 each! (With tax it comes to $3.01.) This is a must try if you haven't already.

Clinging to Summer...

Beautiful bright blue

Azure painted wistful white

Lingering summer

Warm golden halo

Sheds its light from the heavens

Embraces the soul

Sun warmed blissful charms

Fade with fickle tenderness

Summer‘s last sweet kiss

ckiSep2009

nb: I figured I had better clarify that the words are not highlighted for any hidden meaning... they are simply links to other posts.

Crow capture...

Lazy Summer Sunday...

Lazy afternoon

Fading thoughts fall away

Soft September breeze

Fading white blue haze

Draws the light of dying day

Leaves the soul at peace

Soft September light

Last warmth from the dying sun

Lost dreams fading away

ckiSep 21 2009

One slow day back in September 2009, I scribbled several of these in a journal. I have posted a few separately, some with accompanying photos, but these three seemed to go well together due to their repetitive nature. Late this afternoon I sat outside in the backyard, soaking in the sun and eating a bowl of ice cream, instead of ... mowing the lawn. When I came back inside, I went searching, and found them to be a perfect reflection of today.

Out of formation...