Finding a way

One of three chicory flowers I saw while walking this afternoon in suburban Allentown.  It's been mown down in the past, but that didn't stop it from putting out flowers below the mowing line.

Sept. 24, 1995: Kelly Cat Adopts Us

On the road

I usually take a walk around the neighborhood in late afternoon, when traffic in the area has thinned out, but today's mid-afternoon forecast was calling for rain in the near future.  A quick look at the radar showed the leading edge of the rain far enough to the west that I thought I'd be OK, so I put on my walking shoes and went outside.

  

I took one of my usual routes around the neighborhood, which led me into a nearby park.  The road into the park also contained a small lane facing traffic for pedestrians, and that's where I was when a car approached me.  

Instead of passing, it slowed to a stop next to me and the passenger-side window went down.  A young woman leaned across the seat, and with a smile, she stretched a hand toward me.  In it was a small clover.  "Four leaves?  How about that?" I said, and she nodded.  I took the clover and thanked her, we wished each other luck, and she drove on.  

I've had some unexpected experiences on these almost-daily walks: finding several coins, seeing a deer, a fox, even a coyote; and one evening, in someone's front yard I counted seven cottontail rabbits.  But until this afternoon, never a human stopping to hand me a four-leaf clover.  

My guess is that she was having a good day and wanted to share it with someone else.  At least I hope so.  

For what it's worth, less than a minute after she gave me the clover, it began to rain lightly, and it continued the remaining half-mile back to the house.

Another kind of bee (Life in our back yard)

Anthidium manicatum, or European wool carder bee, on a sedum leaf.  As usual with things I see these days, this insect is considered an invasive species that is out-competing native bees.  

Uncharted territory

What is it they say about being rich, that it reveals who a person really is?  Well, I can't speak for the part about being rich, but after years of being on-the-edge poor, I'm still thinking like someone without a dollar to spare.  I go into a supermarket and look not only for the sale items, but also the clearance and markdown products.  

I'll also admit that if I see a coin on the ground, I'll bend over and pick it up, even if it's only a penny.  Before Tabby's Place, I'd save any money I found throughout the year, and then at Christmas, put the entire sum in a Salvation Army kettle.  Of course, now everything goes into (you'll pardon the expression) the kitty.

But recently, this has led me down a road I never thought I'd travel.  To explain:  my loose plan for retirement involved (1) the cats at Tabby's Place, visiting them, socializing them, photographing them, and writing about them; (2) continuing to read French and understand the spoken language; and (3) music lessons, learning about drumming.  All three are time-tested, satisfactory ways to keep a person's mind active and keeping rust from forming.  

It was about a week ago that the online drum lesson group sent a request for me to complete a survey.  I think the questions had to do with how I feel I'm doing and whether these lessons are helping me meet whatever goals I set at the beginning.  But right after completing the survey, I got another note from the group, telling me I was now entitled to choose a free set of lessons from another part of the music education company's offerings.  Those consisted of piano, guitar, and voice.  None of them jumped out at me as something I'd always wanted to try and the chance to fulfill a lifetime goal.  

But gee whiz, it's free!  

I dismissed piano and guitar because I didn't want to buy an instrument.  That left (drum roll) "Sing Better in 30 Days!" (exclamation point included in the title)  At once the doubts began making themselves known -- you're going to sound like a fool!  You've gone so long without singing that your voice, which was never high-level in the first place, is rust-covered and hopeless!  At least I know that PG won't ridicule me, but doing something as an absolute beginner and doing it out loud where anyone else can hear it?  I'm a capital-I Introvert who would always rather learn a skill behind locked doors in a soundproof room, emerging only when I feel ready to perform at a high level.

But, but, y'know, it's free!  And hey, maybe I'll learn something.  Maybe it'll even be fun.  It's so unlike me, and so unexpected, so sudden, that I have no expectations.  

And today, I completed day 5 of the course.  The lessons are only 10 minutes long, so I watch them once and then repeat them with what I've learned.  I've shared one of the lessons with PG, so she understands why I'm making noises that don't appear to have anything to do with singing, and that has helped me relax and move away from the defenses of an Introvert.  This isn't going to turn me into Pavarotti, it'll just help me sound better than I did at the beginning.

But don't ask me to record myself singing alone!  Anything but that!

Today's walk in the park

Still growing

 Nasturtium has literally blossomed since being transplanted from the planter box to the soil of the small flower garden.  Three in full bloom, with one more at left about ready to join them.

Just putting this out there

To me, it's fun to take a close look at ballpark photos like the two below and try to figure out the game situation and date taken.  With the help of Baseball Reference, the detection process almost always takes only a minute or two.  

On this one, the photo isn't sharp, but it's possible to see the score is 7-7 in the bottom of the 9th.  The infield is way in, which probably means the game-winning run is on 3rd base.  The batter's number isn't legible on the scoreboard, but the high average of .332 means the first guess would be Pete Rose.  

Sometimes other scores and batting order information can also help, but they weren't necessary this time.  The Cincinnati Reds left Crosley Field in mid-1970.  Pete Rose was a .300 hitter from 1965-1970, so next check B-R for the 11 games per season where Atlanta played at Cincinnati.  

While I can't be sure due to the fuzziness, the fact that even though the catcher wore a single-digit number, he was batting 7th (just above the red helmet of the runner on first) and likely meant that Johnny Bench wasn't in the lineup, or maybe not even with the team.  He became the starting catcher in 1968, so the first place I'd check would be 1967 games.  All this takes just seconds, and the result is found on June 3:  

   

Bottom of the 9th, Reds Batting, Tied 7-7, Braves' Ramón Hernández facing 9-1-2

b9 7-7 0 --- CIN Mel Queen Ramón Hernández 7% 71% Single to LF

                                                                                Chico Ruiz pinch hits for Floyd Robinson (RF) batting 1st

b9 7-7 0 1-- CIN Chico Ruiz Ramón Hernández 10% 81% Fielder's Choice /Sacrifice Bunt; M. Queen to 2B

b9 7-7 0 12- CIN Vada Pinson Ramón Hernández 12% 94% Single to P; M. Queen to 3B; C. Ruiz to 2B

b9 7-7 0 123 R CIN Pete Rose Ramón Hernández 6% 100% Fielder's Choice ; M. Queen Scores; C. Ruiz to 3B; V. Pinson to 2B

1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB. Braves 7, Reds 8.

Probably a '67 Firebird in the ad to the right of the clock on the scoreboard.  Didn't even have to reference Mountain Dew, which went on the market in the mid-60's, and the signage for what became Interstate 75, just beyond the left-field wall.  You can see what used to be behind that wall in the next photo.

What can be seen in that next picture, also from Crosley Field?   Looking at it full size, at the left edge of the beer ad, "Redlegs" was the team's name during the Red Scare of the 1950's, and was changed back to "Reds" prior to the 1959 season.  The Pontiac ad atop the scoreboard appears to depict what they called "Wide-Track Pontiac" in the late 50's/early 60's.  On the National League side of the scoreboard, the Dodgers are shown as "Los Ang" instead of "LA" so this may have been the first season after they moved to Southern California.  

My guess is that this is late in the 1958 season, after the 1959 car models have been introduced.  A higher-resolution version of the image would provide more information to help pin down the exact date.  (Click to embiggen, or just do like I do and download PhotoShow.)

Later that same day:  upon further review, I’m setting the date as August 17, 1959.  All NL teams in action, but only one AL game scheduled.  No clue yet as to why the teams were lined up on the foul lines.  That might require paying for a Newspapers dot com subscription to see a Cincinnati sports page from the following day.  I like digging for background information, but only if it costs time, not money.

Also, a photo on Alamy with plenty of detail to fix the date as September 27, 1959 has the same advertising on the outfield wall and scoreboard.  

I bet that the blob at the right margin of the Kroger ad on the bottom of the scoreboard was Toppie, the pink plaid elephant mascot of Top Value Stamps.  (Whaddaya mean, Top Value Stamps went out of business in the 1980's?!?  How come I can remember them so well, huh?  Explain that!)

    

Knowing one's limitations

A couple of years ago, I intentionally bought a top-of-the-line phone for its camera, and it has worked out well.  When I'm at Tabby's Place, if a cat is up off the floor, I can use a DSLR, but below that point, I almost always use my phone instead.  Taking pictures of cats often means getting a photo, then if there's time, trying to get a better photo.  Helping that along are the phone's autofocus and the ability to stretch down and hold the camera at floor level, while still having a good idea of the final result

However, if the subject is tiny enough, like this Six-spotted Orbweaver (Araniella displicata), the advantage of autofocus is muted.  This is the clearest image I got yesterday, with the spider and its visible spots far less than sharp.   

Open your eyes! (Or don't)

Years ago, while reading a newspaper I saw something in a gardening column that looked to my bleary eyes like this:  "Spring is a good time to dig up dead animals."  After a Berle-worthy double-take, I reread it properly as "... dig up dead annuals."

So this morning in my email was a notice from the cable/internet provider for what appeared to say "Autopsy Due Date Reminder".   Not quite...

I forgot anyway (until now)

Last month, I took a walk in a local park and snapped this image.  For whatever reason, I forgot to do anything about it until now.  

 

End-of-summer wildflowers

Just off one of the back roads in Central New Jersey, there was a field full of these yellow flowers.  A few of the flowers were in a natural arrangement with the white ones.  Google Lens seems to think the yellow is some form of Bidens polylepis, but gave no guidance as to the white flowers accompanying it.

Pretty in purple

This is from September 2023, the last time I took a bunch of images of a patch of purple asters near home.  In 2024, I took a few, and this year, the township buzzcut the entire area along the road, so I'm not hopeful I'll have the opportunity again.  

Another volunteer

There are several of these flowers in our small unlandscaped area out back.  Google Lens AI says, "The image displays an Ivyleaf Morning Glory, scientifically known as Ipomoea hederacea. This flowering plant belongs to the bindweed family and is characterized by its distinctive ivy-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped flowers, typically appearing in shades of blue, purple, or white."

But is it welcome wherever it grows?  "Ipomoea hederacea ... is considered an invasive plant, particularly due to its ability to spread rapidly, compete with native species, and form extensive runners along the soil that can quickly establish new plants. It is listed on the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States as a problematic morning-glory species that can cause significant ecological issues, and its vigorous growth can suffocate other plants."

Not again!

This was also on Xitter today.  I heard many years ago that you could tell a lot about someone if they hear the William Tell Overture, and the first thing they think of is the Lone Ranger.  And here, if someone like me sees a serious history tweet, while reading it I think of Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First?". 

"Hu received a call from FDR..."  "That's what I'm trying to find out!"  

"FDR asked the State Department to request Hu's autograph."  "Whose autograph?"  "That's right."  

As you see in the last clip, the author tells us who was FDR's last visitor.  Naturally.

Just between us

Today on Xitter.

Out in the back yard

"The image displays Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti), also known by common names like Indian Mallow, Butterprint, or Buttonweed."  But also:  "Since being introduced to North America in the 18th century, velvetleaf has become an invasive species in agricultural regions of the eastern and midwestern United States."

Also on the unlandscaped part of our yard, there were a pair of cabbage whites and a brown skipper on pink sedum.