A Grave Omission

Good grief, how is it that I forgot to mention that I just read, and adored, "Pride and Prejudice?" Over a lifetime of reading, I had never before read any of Jane Austen's work, and what an omission on my part! During my recent trip to Costco I came across a stack of classics which are generally difficult to find. Do you suppose the publisher spiffed up the cover in order to gain buyers for a hardback?

If so, I am glad they did, because it is one of the best 10 dollar bills I've spent in recent memory. To think that she wrote it over 200 years ago, and it is still thrilling contemporary readers, is just remarkable to me. Did I mention I loved it? Well, I did, and if you think grave omission is too strong, you haven't read it yourself. What's more I visited Bath, England where she once lived in, I believe the Royal Crescent, paying the, around town homages, no mind. :(

Now I must get my hands on some of her other novels!

Just how long did you think I could go without posting a cardinal photo? I suspect, if you are a regular reader, your answer would be, "no more than a week," and you would receive an "A" for that answer. In fact, I'm posting two, making up for lost time!!

Still pretty beat up with molting, however, it won't be long before he is wearing his full, resplendent, red coat. Then there was this little guy, who I'm confidant is another male making his home in our garden.

I was absolutely dying over that one wing sticking out! Rarely, if ever, have I found a cardinal feather in the yard, so I'm not sure what to make of it. Did I tell you there was a dead rat lying in the grass last week when I was mowing? Yikes!! It is so nice to have a man around the house, I can tell you that much.

Who amongst you can believe my bike odometer? I, for one, hardly can, and I've ridden it, primarily around the nearby neighborhoods?

One of the places I've ridden with regularity is to Cheryle's house just a few streets away. Her garden is becoming legendary, as should her cat!

Those yellow eyes are--well, I was going to write striking, but you can see that for yourself, now can't you?

Sorry, but here's another shot of the living room, and in particular I want you to note the clock on the far wall.

The clock, to the left of that floor lamp, is one I purchased at an art gallery in Ft. Lauderdale, maybe ten years ago; I loved it then, and I love it now. Except, it had not been working for at least two months, and I've been too lazy to take it anywhere. Finally, I got my act together, called the Swiss House in College Park, and took it over there for a check up.

Never get the idea that I'm all with it because this little story demonstrates clearly how dumb I can be!

First off, it was very interesting to be in a store with so many clocks chiming the hour simultaneously.

Then too, there were a bunch of Keith Haring posters in the shop, which came as quite the surprise because the watchmaker didn't seem the type who would enjoy that sort of thing.

So, here's the scoop. He looked at the back, saying, "well, the battery is in upside down....." Of course it was!!! No wonder that this battery did not work because I put it in the exact same way as the last one that did not work! As to the Keith Haring---the man pictured above had a lot to do with making Swatch watches work, and apparently they used some KH designs, and a friend had all these posters, and there you go. So, now my clock keeps time, the pendulum swings, AND I have fresh batteries in five of my watches. Hurray!

So, by now we all know that the lakefront is looking wonderful, especially now that the man put some fresh sand there!

The bench, pictured about a month ago, fell apart, however, he promises a new one soon. Most people who know Bruce presumed that once retired he would be taking his kayak out on Lake Jennie Jewel, seven doors down from us. Prior to Saturday night, he had, not even once, had done so. While I was at the reunion, Mr. Peck finally went fishing, and was he ever happy he did, catching a four pound bass, releasing him moments after taking a photo. Nice.

I took the photo above last night as we were having an incredible sunset. You've heard, and seen that before! Anyway, after a bit, I drove the car around the corner to see what things looked like from another vantage point. By now it was nearly dark, my goodness, the sky was something else. For nearly 50 years a large structure jutted out into Lake Gem Mary (below), and those of us who live here were absolutely delighted when the Navy finally removed it. The building, mostly dark in the photo, housed a Navy sonar lab, using the lake, purportedly super deep, for experiments. Orange County Schools owns it now--what they do there is a mystery to me.

Wonder what the skies will bring tonight? I promise to stay away---if I can! :)