Saturday Trail Cam Snaps

 I didn't put the camera out at all this week.  Unfortunately, the sheer size of the files is making my computer drag.  I'm deleting a bunch of stuff today, so it's back to working right again, but egads.  Who would've thought that you could fill up a 120GB harddrive so fast??  Okay, I should've but that's beside the point.

Anyway, I did take some snaps with my trusty ol' Nikon, but they're not happy pics.  Here's the story (as posted to FB yesterday)...

Hubs is out mowing the lawn. I was in the kitchen getting ready to spell him when I heard a sound like a huge balloon popping. I walked into the living room to see WTH it was, when suddenly it sounded like it was raining REALLY hard, and the front window looked like it was awash with water.  I looked at the window harder, because there was no way it could've been raining that hard on the front window, which looks out onto a covered porch.  It wasn't raining and that wasn't a balloon popping.  The lawn mower had chucked a rock into our front picture window and the tempered glass was blossoming into a spiderweb pattern like you wouldn't believe.  Thankfully, it's a double pane and only the outside pane is damaged, so no glass will be falling all over the living room floor.  Unthankfully, the nearest glass places might maybe get someone out here today or next week or on the 24th, and glass being delivered is 2-3 weeks out, if we're lucky.  

Addendum:

Local glass guy made it out already - which puts him way ahead of his competitors - and gave us a quote in no time.  It is not good, but I already got a ballpark from the internet, and it's in the middle there, so it could be worse.  Still, if you want to help out, buy an ebook (or two) or a paperback (or two) to help offset the costs.  Or if you have Kindle Unlimited, you could read a bunch of my books without any extra cost to you, but $$ for me.  I'd really appreciate it.  Thanks.

And now for the pics:

Closer up:

It kinda looks like the stained-glass filter in my image editing software, but it's for-realzies.

And now for the artsy shot...

That one kinda looks like birds... or a shot through an electron-microscope of dermatitis. It's through the glass looking up at the wood ceiling of my porch.  

So, we're dealing with that.  Then I go to move the curtains and the damn rod came apart - easily fixed, but irritating.  Then Hubs is making lunch and the top comes off of the mustard while he's squirting it on his sandwich - messy, but annoying.  Derp.  THEN, after I took those pictures and downloaded them, my computer slowed WAY down and kept giving me the 'not responding' message.  It was not a banner day in the Sanderson household.

I spent a hour deleting photos late last night and I've been at it again this morning, so that's getting fixed, but come on...

And that's me this morning.  I hope your day is awesome and nothing harshes your day.  Peace out.

Thursday This n That

 You know how people say they can predict the weather by the body parts that hurt?  I've decided it's not the weather, it's the barometric pressure that causes previously broken bones to ache.  Yeah, I've been thinking about this because the ankle that I probably broke (but never went to a doctor for) a few years back is shrieking at me.  Oh, and my broken bones scream at me in reverse order - newest to oldest - which is why that ankle is taking the stage ahead of the foot, the pelvis, the thigh, or the collar bone.  Actually I'm kinda thankful the pelvis breaks are being quiet.  When those hurt, it feels like someone kicked me in the crotch.  Not fun.

Potatoes.  The package of seedling potatoes I bought says 90-120 days from planting to harvest.  Several sites online say you harvest potatoes after the green parts turn brown and die back.  I need to research this further because why would they die back if they're happy and well-fed in the greenhouse??  But if that's not the key indicator, how will I know if they're ready at 90 days or at 120 days or somewhere along the way?  It's not like I can see the potatoes growing under the dirt there.  I told Hubs I need ground-penetrating radar, like they use to look for bodies, but small so I can look for potatoes.

I've been procrastinating about going shopping, so I really have to go today.  I have Old Mother Hubbard's freezer.  There's one chicken breast and one container of soup.  Oh, and a boatload of frozey-pops.  This does not bode well for a yummy dinner, so off to Wallyworld later this morning.  The cats are also down to one can of food, which is tragic.  Or will be if I don't get them more food today.

Hubs just came in with the coffee pot to refill my mug.  I picked it up and hovered over it like Golem, saying 'my precious'.  We laughed... well, I laughed anyway.

Roku 'monsters' channel was having an Abbott and Costello marathon yesterday - A&C Meet Frankenstein, A&C Meet the Invisible Man, A&C Meet the Mummy.  I watched part of the first and part of the last.  (The Invisible Man one was never my favorite.)  I used to have the mummy one on VHS.  I do love me some Abbott and Costello.  

Speaking of The Mummy, the best book of that sub-genre is Anne Rice's - The Mummy (or Ramses the Damned).  I think it's her best book, but that's me.  

Okay, I'd better get back to marketing.  (Not that it's doing me much good, but it's better than nothing.)  Have a great day wherever you are.  Peace out.

A Whole Lot of BS

There's a whole lot of BS going around the internet lately, and I don't mean me*.  So let's address some of it...

I've been seeing people talking about how we can't be allies with Israel because they attacked the USS Liberty back in 1967.  First off, that's stupid on its face.  We've become great allies with freakin' Japan, for petesakes.  One ship in 1967 is a drop in the bucket compared to what Japan did.  Second, from what I understand, and I understand quite a bit, the attack on the Liberty wasn't intentional.  No, I'm not going to list my reasons.  Go do some research of your own.  And this has been refuted before.  Many times before.  But any of the many people who irrationally hate the Jews trot this out when they feel the need, hoping people will buy the BS.  (Maybe because so many people do buy the BS.)

Then there's the Karma-low Anthony thing.  The whole defense of this killer is a pile of steaming BS.  In fact, the whole set-up where the other kid got murdered is BS.  KA went there to start something - in a totally premeditated way - and while I'm not of a mind that he went there with the express purpose of killing someone, it was the foreseeable outcome of bringing a knife to a track meet and then inserting oneself into somewhere one wasn't supposed to be and then instigating BS.  He wasn't responding to being bullied or to being attacked or to some kind of racial nonsense.  And since when did someone saying something turn into a justification for ending their life?  That's a whole 'nother level of BS right there.  

Speaking of a whole 'nother level of BS, what kind of hell has the UK descended into?  I mean, it's leaders sunk it there, but this is getting ridiculous.  Immigrants commit a shitton of atrocities and get slaps on the wrists, but you say anything that might maybe be construed as racist - or lied about as being racist - and you're in deep BS.  Or dead, as the case recently was.  And now Ireland is burning because some sick freak immigrant tried to behead a guy who was not only mentally deficient but also partially deaf.  I don't think legal residents of any country should have to put up with anything from squatters and illegals.  

And then you've got the BS where a family in FL had their horses stolen, only to find the corpses of their beloved family pets butchered for ingestion.  Yep, some immigrants from somewhere that they eat horse, decided they would steal a family's pets and cut them up, so they could sell them for other people to eat.  Gross.  

Or there's the bitch who decided that she wanted to stab a bunch of highly-trained, barrel-racing horses right before the competition.  That chick should get lynched.  I'm not sure if she wanted her horse to win or if she just wanted the attention (she claimed to be the one who discovered the horror and wanted to help), but really... what kind of BS is that?  Freak.

It's BS all the way down.  Some mornings, it doesn't pay to get out of bed, put your feet on the floor, and step into BS up to your knees.  Blerg.

*Cuz my initials are BS.  Get it?

Marketing Monday - Project Hermes

 It's Marketing Monday again.  Today's offering is Project Hermes - my political/medical thriller.  What can I say, I was channeling my inner Crichton.  Or maybe my inner Flynn.  

Anyway...

Starting today, PROJECT HERMES is absolutely free.  (Always free with KU.)  Get your copy of this fast-paced, thrilling ride now!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Y6G0EW

I designed that graphic this morning in hopes of bypassing the silly FB rules about certain words being verboten. I'm hoping not using anything with d-e-a-d in it will work.  :shrug:  ETA: Nope, FB is still harshing my day.  One post and when I tried for a 2nd post 25 minutes later, they said I couldn't post anymore.  Turds.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 23

Well, here we are at the start of another week, which means wrapping up the week before.  Lemme warn ya, though, it wasn't that exciting of a week...

I did write.  I got out 3025 words over 3 days.  Then I fell into the lazy pit.  I think I have a title for the book now, though - Song of Dream and Dragon.  Although, that doesn't feel quite right.  The dream part feels right, but the dragon part... not so much yet.  And the song part?  Meh.  Dream of Dread and Dragon, perhaps?  We'll see.

Marketing went rather crappily this week as FB twisted the rack on me.  When I switched marketing images to one without the word 'dead' in it, things went easier, but for pitysakes, how does one talk about FB's forbidden subjects without using any of the forbidden words?  Nope, still don't have the funds to pay for marketing, so there ya go.

Not much reading this week.

In baking news, I made Irish Soda Bread, which is so insanely easy I wonder why I never tried it before.  Oh, yeah, buttermilk.  I never have buttermilk in the house and I thought making my own would be a PITA.  Turns out, it's not, so there ya go.  I made chicken stew to go with the bread.  Mmmm.  And yesterday, I made pizza.  Yum.

On the activity front, I was pretty much a toad last week.  We did get one walk in and I did some stuff in the greenhouse, but other than that, nope.  Weight:? - don't ask.

The inside of the greenhouse looks like a rainforest.  Still only two tomatoes, but plenty of flowers on all three plants.  I planted the three peppers from the rescue I did at the feed store.  They're doing okay, but they came with issues, so I'm not holding out too much hope.  I thinned the carrots again.  Then I watered everything and fed the food plants (with store-bought food this time... the weed tea stinks so bad I'm giving that idea up.)  I'm thinking about taking more of my potted trees and transplanting them back into the wild - to free up space in there and to give them all a better chance at thriving.  As long as the deer don't eat them, that is.

Speaking of deer... The deer are pretty much all post-pregnant and they're starting to bring their babies to the yard.  Yay.  In Boo news, several of the deer have developed a taste for my irises.  When I see them eating my irises, I go out and chastise them, but they don't care.  One of the does looked up at me with an iris leaf hanging out of her mouth and then proceeded to munch it whilst I was scolding her.  On the upside, they haven't bothered my second redbud tree - Rudy - yet.

Not much else going on around here.  I'm hoping for a better writing week and to up my activity.  Tune in next Sunday to see how that goes.  Anyway, thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to chat about your accomplishments in comments.  Peace out.

Saturday Trail Cam Snaps

 Here we are again at Saturday, so it's time for some Trail Cam Snaps.  Let's get to it...

I call this one "Racoon Butt":

And here's a better shot of said raccoon:

Incoming squirrel!

Attempted Murder...

Deer Standoff:

We'll see what next week brings.  I'm hoping to catch some fawns.  Fingers crossed.

Thursday This n That

FB sucks.

X is pretty okay, but I haven't figured out how to use it for marketing.  (Not free marketing, that is.)

We have fawns!  Yay!

Chex Mix Bold is addictive.  Unfortunately, my intestines do not enjoy it as much as my tastebuds do, so I stay away from it.  Additionally unfortunate, Wallyworld had a big ol' bag of it on sale and right there by the checkout.  Thus, I couldn't stop myself from buying it.  Also thus, I am paying for it.  But it's soooo damn good.  Especially when you add a handful of mixed nuts to a bowl of it.  Yummers.

Getting old blows.  I used to be able to eat whatever whenever and never worry about it.  Now?  I look at wheat the wrong way and I get into issues.  Stupid.

The inside of my greenhouse looks like a jungle.  It's scary in there.  And hot.  When the tomatoes finally fruit and are ready for picking, I'm not sure how I'll get back there to pick them.  The potatoes are taking over.  I expect them to reach sentience any day now.  Oh, and I picked up three new bell pepper plants, because they were free, so now they're in there, too.  If I disappear, it's entirely possible I got lost in the jungle.  Send help.

It seems like everyone I know is neurodivergent, which begs the question 'if everyone is neurodivergent, is it really divergent?'  Think about that for a minute.

I made Irish Soda Bread for the first time, and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.  It's a super simple bread to make, too.  Messy, but easy.

For a woman who enjoys making bread, I have a weird quirk.  I can't stand having dough on my hands and I have to get it all off or I feel like I'm wasting food.  This is not a problem when I'm making a stiff dough bread product, like pizza crust, but for a wet dough... GAH!

Also, enjoying making bread and having issues with digesting wheat definitely do not go together.  Good thing Hubs enjoys eating bread, so there's less for me.

Okay, that's probably enough out of me.  Have a great day and feel free to drop some of your own observations about the world.  Peace out.