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Photos

Monday, April 17, 2023 →

Bullock’s Oriole in our backyard Ceanothus. This is our first backyard Oriole! Wow. #BullocksOriole #Birds #Fujifilm

A medium Bullock’s Oriole bird with a bright orange chest, a reddish throat, and a black chin. It has a black back with whitish wings. Its orange head has a black stripe on top and a black stripe going from the rear corner of its eye to its back. The bird is perched in a Ceanothus shrub that’s loaded with tiny violet flowers and dark green leaves in between.

Sunday, April 16, 2023 →

Ladybug larvas were later than normal this year but geez do they have a feast now!

Several ladybug larvae, kind of a rectangular bug with mostly black with orange stripes, are gorging on aphids on a sage.

Saturday, April 15, 2023 →

We planted our vegetable and herb seedlings today. Our home compost has turned out real nice. Took several years to build up enough for use. The worms do most of the work since we can’t get the compost hot enough for long. 🌱 Two planted crop rows with drip tape. In the background are stunningly violet flowers of Ceanothus bushes. To the right of the crop rows is patio with grapes leafing out below the awning. Gravel makes up paths between crop rows. A wheel burrow full of worm laden compost. It’s sunrise and the shadows are long.

Saturday, April 15, 2023 →

Present me is very thankful that past me connected all the commons in our newer irrigation box. So I didn’t have to undo the common “water proof” wire nut but only connect up the green wire to move from an older, now broken valve in an older box.

A irrigation valve box with wires tied together by wire nuts including the green wire. The small box sits atop some gravel and has a stainless steel braided hose providing input water. There are 20-25 GPH pressure regulators and adapters to drip irrigation hoses.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 →

My #RaspberryShake caught the M 4.4 Cobb, CA earthquake early this morning. I did not feel it here in Orland.

A seismograph showing the signal of the earthquake.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023 →

First Cedar Waxwing ever in our backyard! They have a creepy high pitched song.

This Cedar Waxwing has a black mask that extends from its eyes to its chin, with a crest of feathers on its head. Its wings and tail are brown with yellow and white accents, and its tail has a bright yellow tip. The Cedar Waxwing's most distinctive feature is its red-tipped wings. It’s on a budding tree with a blue sky.

Sunday, April 2, 2023 →

Spotted our first Marsh Wren today at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. That vertical tail is something else. #Birds #MarshWren #Fujifilm

A brown Marsh Wren is perched along the top of a brown reed among a field of reeds. Its tail is pointing straight up! There are some Spring fresh green reeds amongst the brown reds and there’s a calm water pond behind the wren

Saturday, April 1, 2023 →

It has been a week. Today, introvert me gets what it needs and now I’m alone for a bit. Always difficult balancing my needs with my assumed & expressed wishes of others, even loved ones.

A black and white cat enjoying the sun at a sliding glass door. She’s so contented. This was her last day.

Sunday, March 26, 2023 →

Annie the Cat taking in a big dose of sunlight (again, but cuter this time). I hope she shakes her sinus infection soon. A black and white cat laying against an open slider with her head cradled by the slider's rails. Her sunlit fur has a rust hue.

Saturday, March 25, 2023 →

Photographed our first Downy woodpecker today. #Birds #BirdWatching #DownyWoodpecker #Fujifilm

A petite Downy woodpecker with a black and white striped head and a black and white body that's kind of fluffy. It's foraging on a tree trunk. There's a twig in front of its face.

Saturday, March 25, 2023 →

Here’s Annie the Cat enjoying some fresh air. She’s been sick but we’re fighting through it. #caturday

A tuxedo cat laying on a hard floor in front of an open sloding glass door. The cat is enjoying the fresh air coming through a screen. it's bright outside with blurred grern foliage.

Friday, March 24, 2023 →

Our young “New Century” Asian Pear tree is in full bloom. Our “Hosui” Asian Pear isn’t mature enough to flower and cross pollinate. Maybe next year!

Three open white flowers at the top of a very young thin leafing out tree. A stake is next to it, keeping it up right. The background is composed of blurred out gravel.

Friday, March 24, 2023 →

Not long from now is Summer. Better get our fresh baked sourdough fix while we can!

a golden elongated loaf of sourdough with slightly blurred kitchen racks that have many implements upon it

Thursday, March 23, 2023 →

I went to Shasta Dam today for a work thing. I think I overheard they may have opened a controlled spillway gate today? Gorgeous day. Water levels are as high as I’ve ever seen them.

The massive shasta dam with snow capped mountains in the background. A spillway gate appears to be open, sending an enormous amount of water into the Sacramento River. It is an overcast day.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 →

Just got some pea sized hail in Orland, CA. #CaWX

Floating hail in a small pool of water at the bottom of a down spout.

Saturday, March 11, 2023 →

First bloom of our a front yard Ceanothus today. So many more to come. So. Many.

Bright small violet flowers with bokeh of green shrubs (coyote bush) in the background.

Saturday, March 11, 2023 →

The iOS Parcel app doesn’t write expected delivery dates to an iCloud calendar but only to a local calendar. So I just created a Shortcut Automation that runs at 9am daily, copying Parcel created events to an iCloud calendar (shared with my wife). No way to share Personal Automations so here’s a screenshot.

A screen capture of a shortcut that copies Parcel events to an iOS Shared Calendar.

Saturday, March 11, 2023 →

a screen shot showing a shortcut that copies events from the Parcel Calendar to a iCloud Shipments calendar. It checks for duplicates, too.

Friday, March 10, 2023 →

And here’s a rabbit at the Northern California refuge. Normally they’re at a full run. #Rabbit

A brown rabbit sits on the edge of a road. Brown grass lines the edge of the road. The rabbit's long ears are missing their very tips.

Friday, March 10, 2023 →

Northern Flickers have evaded my best efforts to photograph them. So this photo from today at a Northern California refuge will do for now. #Birds #NorthernFlicker

Northern Flicker up in a tree, vertical against a vertical branch. The Flicker has red on its chin and its tail. It has black heart shaped markings on its gray chest.

Friday, March 10, 2023 →

Last week I nearly missed this Great Blue Heron at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. #Birds #BirdWatching #GreatBlueHeron

A big gray-blue heron looks away from the camera. The bird is nestled in brown reeds.

Thursday, March 9, 2023 →

Here’s the Bald Eagle from last week’s headshot in all its glory. The wildlife refuges in California are a gem.

adult white & brown bald eagle looking back with its golden eyes while in a eucalyptus tree. Its full body is visible along with its talons.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 →

Snow Geese from last weekend. #Birds #BirdWatching #SnowGeese

Snow geese, white with black wing tips, take flight in the foreground while a linear group look on in the background. They're in an area with some tall grass and the sky is blue gray.

Sunday, March 5, 2023 →

Spotted a Bald Eagle today!

A Bald Eagle, white head blazing, peering down through a eucalyptus tree canopy

Sunday, February 26, 2023 →

This was one of two batches of mandarins juiced today for this week’s breakfast 😋

a pile of halved mandarins, cut side up, on a red cutting board.

Sunday, February 26, 2023 →

I hate the MacOS login items notification that when clicked doesn’t tell me jack and furthermore the app it claims has added itself is disabled on that infernal system settings screen. I cannot figure out how to get Citrix to stop even with CleanMyMac X. 😤

Friday, February 24, 2023 →

A few “better” photos of last night’s brief snow around 1 am last night in Orland, CA. Around 1:15 am it went back to rain but points further north like Redding continued to get snow.

A red car with a little bit of fresh snow on it in front of a street and some houses. A classic photo of snow on palm tree leaves against the dark, cloudy background.

Friday, February 24, 2023 →

Snow in Orland, CA. Wow. #CAWx

Thursday, February 23, 2023 →

Just a few degrees lower and Orland, CA could get snow tonight. Raining right now at 39°F. Doppler returns look softer at Red Bluff & northward… Impressive. #CaWX #RadarScope

Doppler returns for Orland, CA showing rain echoes and fuzzier snow echoes near Redding.

Monday, February 20, 2023 →

I juiced & pasteurized two liters worth of mandarins today. The mandarins still on the tree should hold quite a while longer even with the upcoming cold snap. #HomeOrchard #Fujifilm

A backyard with a mandarin tree loaded with fruit and a Valencia tree. it's extremely green. Bark covers the ground and there's a weather station nearby. A counter covered in juicing equipment including a bowl full of rinds, a strainer sitting in a bowl, and very yellow juicer by Proctor Silex branded with Alex's Lemonade Stand.