Today was for the birds...

So today did not go as planned.But really what day ever does? 

I did get to spend time with the Girl... and that was good. It was a frustrating day punctuated by moments of brilliance.  One surprise was this hawk that let me drive the truck right up and park feet away from her. Dog barking, truck running, radio blasting, we watched each other for a few minutes reminding me surprising things still happen for no reason at all.

Worst post ever.

There was lots of bad  news today and endless amounts of work to do.

I needed a laugh so I turned to my friend youtube for a while and that seemed to work.
After listing to Elmo order at the Taco Bell drive up window (seriously the link for it is *here* I almost pissed myself) the cat walked across my keyboard and and here was the result.

                                                                           11111112'[[[[[[]

Yep, that was the cats contribution.

Then I realized it was better than anything I had written. Yes the cat had accidentally put down the best thing I had written all day.

Then I was depressed again.

Stupid Cat.


 

Kitty checks in .

The night before the night before,  Kitty lies between the presents and the tree finding a warm place to hide away from the chaos.

Double Trouble

The "HDR" app on the phone takes multiple exposures sometimes leaving ghost images in the shot... like this one of Tanner literally running off into the sunset.

Tanner checks in

Tanner rides shotgun on the way to the Park.

My day started out a little batty:

I did not see exterminator on my job description but today that is exactly what I was doing when this little guy showed up at the office and drove everybody quite literally nuts.
While everyone was ready to call for help I scooped this little guy up place him in a box setting him by the woods hoping he will fly away tonight after it gets dark.
Turned out that  he was just a little baby and kind cute just trying to curl up until it gets dark out.

Kitty does not play well with others...

and we have had a lot of people in and out of the house the week and this weekend.
This does not make her happy so she sits in the shop watching me for a while tail twitching bank and forth until that to seems to bother her.
So she sits on her tail, I think to keep it from moving back and forth as if this is just to much for her to take. In this way she extends her control over her environment even if it is just in this symbolic way.  

Of course that does not begin to assuage her frustration at the whole situation, but its a start.

As I said before.....

I take a lot of photos... and every once in a while I get a good one.
Tanner and I were at the park, the rain had just gone through and the air was clean and fresh. The heat and abated slightly but it was sill warm, just no longer oppressive.  This barn swallow was out hunting bugs  flying a foot off the deck and zig-zagging back and forth between us and the trees. Tanner sat and waited patiently as I took a couple shots trying to catch this speed demon in mid-flight.

Shot with my cell phone. Sharpened up slightly. I love this shot. Not because it is perfect, its not. Not because its composed well, it really is not that either. I love it because I caught it in motion: me moving with the bird trying to get him in the frame. Awesome.
Click to enlarge.

My secret fishing lure this year....

My secret fishing lure this year....LAZER CAT

Kitty found an empty spot in my tackle box and went all Scott Summers on my ass.

I caught this handsome fellow in the yard this morning

Like me the cold was not making him very happy. It was 38 deg and he was not going to move even if I almost did step on him.
Tanner remains the only one not discouraged by the cold weather and the slow start to spring.

Kitty and I are both to tired to post anything tonight

Maybe tomorrow,

This morning at 4:30 am ...

This morning at 4:30 am ... the dog decided she wanted to get up. She started poking me in the arm with her nose relentlessly until I obliged her protest by taking her out. Tanner does not often do this so I am thinking maybe she does not feel well and waiting another hour until her Girl gets up for work maybe a bad idea. Usually I find when a dog is trying to tell you something you should listen... at least most of the time.
So outside she went I waited by the door and was struck by the cold radiating off metal shop door.
Overnight the clouds had stayed away and any heat from the day quickly left as well leaving a cold , hard-packed snow surface that glistened in the streetlights. I could not help but think that it was like the cold unforgiving surface of the moon, all pot marked and alien in appearance especially eerie at this god-forsaken hour.

Tanner was back before I could finish my thoughts, something about too bad we don't have the lighter gravity of the moon... and she elected to stay downstairs as I lumbered back to bed half asleep still anyway.

I knew I would get back to sleep but I also knew that the alarm goes off at 5:30 again for the Girl and the trash was not going to take itself out. Those thoughts faded as the warmth of the comforter poured back in to my limbs making me wonder, for a second, if I had ever really been up at all.

Kitty says....

You might think you are going to watch TV.

I think you are going to pay attention to me.

PS later I will be stomping on you face while you sleep sooooo.... consider you have plans.

Whiteout in the night ( out)-

While the rest of the world hunkered down for the snow Tanner went for our park for our nightly romp around the park.

I would like to show you what it looked like, but I really could not see it myself.

I would say that I can not remember the last time weather stopped our ritual. So tonight was not going to be an exception.

We have gone during rain and sleet and snow... so this was not any different.

Tanner lives for the ritual and the snow and cold rolls off her back as if she were a canine machine. I, on the other hand, am only human and therefore subject to the energy sucking cold and snow and the pain that it brings.

Ride through the streets....

Ride your ATV through the streets....in the summer and you are a menace. One that is subject to a ticketable offense.













Slap a snow plow on that puppy in the winter and you are a snow moving god with traffic law impunity.

Shhhhhhhh....

Be Quiet.... I am stalking.

Well we did get some snow.

Bringing traffic to a crawl and making getting anywhere a hassle. Tanner was unaffected with her four paw drive she was bounding through the woods like it was her job.

Come to think of it, that kind of is her job.

No doubt about it, Tanner is a winter dog.

Tanner is super stoked

For the Michigan Ohio State Game.

Speaking of things we dont know...

Bees Solve Hard Computing Problems Faster Than Supercomputers.

Thanks to Gizmodo for humbling me again.

In a new study, researchers report that bumblebees were able to figure out the most efficient routes among several computer-controlled "flowers," quickly solving a complex problem that even stumps supercomputers.
Read the entire article *here*

Spidey Sense.

This morning when taking Tanner out for her morning business I ran into, almost literally, this itsy bitsy little spider.

She was hanging out in the early morning haze, waiting for a meal to fall into her web. Luckily I was not that meal.