Caleigh O'Shea's Blog, page 13

This ‘N That from Monkey

I Monkey here.

Mama is spinning around like some kind of cyclone, so I decided to snatch her laptop and catch you all up on what’s going on.

(It’s a cinch she won’t because she’s still grousing that she hasn’t written a decent sentence since I Monkey came to live with her. Huh!)

First off was her band concert. I tell you, her daily practice with that flute-thing was misery to my ears, but I understand it paid off.

She yakked on the phone (and yes, I’m a shameless eavesdropper) and told everybody how “wonderful” it was. They were in tune, the rhythms were correct, and nobody seemed to mess up. The audience, too, appeared happy to hear them — though I Monkey think they should at least have played ONE Christmasy song.

But they didn’t ask me. Hmph.

Next thing, Gramma had to go to the hospital. Nobody could seem to determine what was wrong with her, so she had to stay there a while, and that put more responsibility on Mama’s shoulders.

Mama became the “point person” for the rest of the family, and her cell phone has been regularly blowing up with calls, questions, and such.

I Monkey think she ought to have a better means of communication, but I’m just a wee pup and don’t understand these things.

Soon, though, The Kid (aka Domer) will be home for the holidays. Woo Hoo!

And that’s sent Mama into a cleaning frenzy. I mean, really. Does the woman think The Kid expects a five-star accommodation or something?

She’s also moving furniture, which I’m pretty sure her chiropractor would frown on. I tell you, sometimes Mama’s nuts! I do what I can to help — you know, chase the vacuum so it doesn’t eat her, help her carry heavy stuff, and bite at the cleaning rags.

She’s rearranging her entire bedroom, when it looked perfectly fine to me. However, I’ve noticed she has yet to really throw anything out. It seems she’s just moving stuff from one place to another. Is that supposed to fool anybody?

Still, she did succeed in getting my crate-bed out of the middle of her room, and so she’s happy about having more space. Probably just seems that way, don’t you think?

So here we are.

I don’t imagine the woman will make time to reply to your comments, but I Monkey will. She thinks I sleep while she’s running in circles. Hah!

Don’t clue her in, okay? It’ll be our little secret!

Where Did Fall Go?

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. ~ Dale Carnegie, American writer, lecturer, and more.

Shivering beneath this coat of snow
Snow that unexpectedly trickled down
Down to the ground below
Below ground, my root system sleeps
Sleeps while Winter whitens the landscape
Landscape that one day will become green
Green when Spring comes back again
Again my red blooms will brighten the yard
Yard that needs something so brilliant
Brilliant, isn’t it, how cyclical Nature is!

Note: This poetry form is called Chain Verse.

 

Bittersweet Memory

There is no night without a dawning
No winter without a spring
And beyond the dark horizon
Our hearts will once more sing…
For those who leave us for a while
Have only gone away
Out of a restless, care worn world
Into a brighter day.~ Helen Steiner Rice, American writer, inspirational and Christian poetry

Dallas, September 2016

This would have been Dallas’s 16th birthday (2006-2020). Rest well, my Sheltie angel!

Squirrel Hunt with Monkey

He that waits upon Fortune, is never sure of a Dinner. ~Benjamin Franklin, American statesman, inventor, writer, etc.

I Monkey here. Before Fall turns into Winter, I want to take you on a squirrel hunt.

What? You’ve never been on a squirrel hunt?

People, that’s crazy! Come with me, and I’ll show you what you’ve been missing!

Suited up and ready to go!

Keep your eyes open, now. I know, the leaves are pretty, and it’s a nice day.

Blah blah blah.

We’re looking for squirrels, not scenery. You can look at scenery later. Wait, there’s one right in front of us! I told you not to blink, didn’t I? They’re cagey little critters:

Do you see what I see? There, on the pole! He can’t be trying to hide, can he? Nope, I think he’s getting ready to walk the wire. He’d better hope his balance is excellent, or he’s mine:

I’ve found that squirrels are especially busy during the Fall of the year. Mama says they’re collecting and storing food for the long Winter months. Oops, here’s another one. Walking around in the grass like he hasn’t a care in the world. Huh, wait until he spies me:

This next one looks like he’s posing, doesn’t he? I’m positive Mama was baby-talking him. And I didn’t like it! I’m her baby, not some red squirrel (even if he thought he was being cute from his safe perch above):

Oh, look — what a courageous soldier. Of course, he knows where all the trees are, and he’s pretty sure Mama and I can’t follow him up one, so it’s easy being brave:

Here’s one of the Eastern Gray Squirrels. Mama says Illinois has several species of squirrel, but I told her you don’t need to know that. Bet you’re wondering — as I am — why they race up as high as they can when they see me. This one thinks he’s a fence-topper:

For your final viewing pleasure, I Monkey present — Ta Da — a yard simply FULL of squirrels. They were scurrying up and around a nut tree, and oh, did I ever want to chase them. Mama held my leash tight and counted at least a half dozen. How many do you see:

Time for my nap. Hope you enjoyed our excursion. Let’s do it again but next time, you bring the squirrels!

Note: Mama says The Kid (AKA Domer) is coming home for the holidays. She says there’s a feast involved. Not sure what that’s about since I Monkey was less than a year old the last time any feasting rolled around, and I was too sick to enjoy it. This year, I mean to make up for lost time! We’ll be taking a few days off — Happy Feasting!

Thank You, My Friend

Hold a true friend with both your hands. ~Nigerian proverb

For longer than I care to admit, I’ve been battling technical issues with my WordPress blog.

Every time I wanted to comment on someone’s post, or even reply to comments made on my posts, I was forced to log in.

Every. Single. Time.

This was despite my having asked WordPress to remember me. And despite already being logged in.

And when I keyed in my username and password, I’d be taken to a page with a random photo and a link to the blog I was visiting, forcing me to pull the site up again just to see if my comment had registered.

The whole thing was becoming so complicated — and time-consuming — that I questioned whether I wanted to keep blogging. Or just chuck it all.

During this time, I read of others who were having blog problems, but they only alluded to the problem — never specified what it looked like or what steps they’d taken to resolve it.

So I contacted the “Happiness Engineers” at WordPress, explained my problem, and asked for help.

It wasn’t long before I received some suggestions: Try a different browser; make sure JavaScript is enabled; disable browser extensions. I promptly jumped through those hoops.

No improvement.

Then, one of my blogging friends said my posts weren’t arriving via email the way they had in the past. What was that about? She contacted WordPress, and someone worked with her to remedy the issue. Thankfully, she also asked them about my login problem. They theorized cross-site tracking had somehow gotten messed up.

She sent me a link, and a light bulb went off!

I did a bit of research on my own and learned that the browser I use (Firefox) automatically protects your privacy while you browse (a good thing). But that protection might be considered overkill if you’re unable to visit your friends’ blogs and make comments without jumping through a gazillion hoops.

This article explains the matter in some detail. But if you, too, have been having this issue, you’ll want to fix it NOW. Here’s what you do:

Unblock the trackers by clicking the shield at the left on your address bar to see what’s being blocked. Toggle the switch at the top of the panel that pops up — to turn enhanced tracking protection off for that particular site. You can always go back and turn it on again if you need to.

That’s it! The page will reload automatically, and you’ll be good to go.

Suffice it to say, blogging is enjoyable once more, and spending less time on social sites frees me up to write and do web design. A win-win, if you ask me.

Thanks, Linda!

Bunnies Times Two

I

Stretch up

To the sky

So I can reach

Something good to eat.

This green thing looks okay.

It’s not what I’d like, but it

Will have to do because I am

So very hungry and I don’t see

Anything else the lady has put out.

It’s raining and I have to wonder why

This lady has a camera on me.

Doesn’t she have anything else

To do with her time than click

At me when I’m hiding

Here beneath this bush,

Trying to stay

Oh so dry

In the

Rain?

 

Note: Poetry form is Double Etheree.

Happy Fall 2022

The leaves, a few weeks ago so green and shiny and sparkling in the sunlight, have turned to yellow, gold, red and brown for the touch of autumn is a magic touch and autumn is in the air. ~Raymond Carlson, “Arizona Highways” magazine

Before Autumn can slip away entirely, I set out to capture some of its beauty. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed snapping them!

The first was taken Oct. 15, 2022, and gives you a long-range view of how some trees turn color earlier than others (did you notice the moon way up in the sky?):

Here’s another early bird, a sugar maple:

Who doesn’t love Fall oranges, like this beauty:

The following was taken Oct. 12, 2022. The sun’s angle was just right for putting a spotlight on this turning tree:

Trees really do march to the beat of their own drum when it comes to dropping their leaves. See how these two, across a street from one another, show how one is nearly bare of leaves while the other is in full color:

Here’s another brilliant yellow, taken Oct. 22, 2022:

And let’s not forget the reds! This hedgerow of Burning Bush offers a striking spot of color when Fall arrives. Doesn’t it look like a cartoon critter:

And how about this single crimson beauty:

The Fall leaves, when they’re still on their trees, are glorious, but remember, it’s not called “Fall” for nothing. Somebody might want to rake or mulch these:

Before I close, I want to share two special photos. The first is my late Sheltie Dallas in 2016, taken just four years before he went to the Rainbow Bridge:

Next is my Monkey, taken just days ago (he’ll be two in December):

Happy Fall, everyone!

Walktober 2022

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. ~Søren Kierkegaard, Danish theologian and author, considered the first existentialist philosopher

Once again, it’s time for Walktober, the annual group-walk hosted by Robin over at Breezes at Dawn. Participants each take a walk (or bike, skate, whatever) and write a post about it (with photos); then, Robin does a roundup linking to the participants so we can all “walk” together and share our amazing world.

Today, I’m headed to Monticello, Illinois (near Champaign-Urbana) to the Allerton Park and Retreat Center. There are 14 miles of hiking trails (no, we don’t have to explore ALL of them!), but lace up your sneakers and join me. It’s a gorgeous day — clear and sunny, with morning temps in the 50s, but it will warm up as we go.

Built as a private residence in 1900 by artist/philanthropist Robert Allerton, the Allerton Park and Retreat Center offers 1,500 acres of woodland and prairie, 14 formal gardens, hiking trails, a reflecting pond, and an impressive mansion:

I was told the mansion’s first floor is open to the public unless previous events have booked it. The day I visited, it was closed, but I couldn’t resist snapping a sneak shot of what I think was called the grand gallery:

In 1946, the property and buildings were donated to the University of Illinois; today, Allerton is considered one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois. Conferences, summer camps and concerts, retreats, and community programs allow visitors to experience nature, history, and art … free of charge. Let’s visit one of those gardens. Here’s the entrance:

You might have noticed the path is lined with immense arborvitae:

Ever wonder what it feels like to be inside a wall of trees? I did, too! Reminds me of some movie or other, I can’t remember which:

The next is the triangle parterre garden. “Parterre” is French for “along the ground” and features symmetrical garden beds with gravel paths between … and no flowers:

I understand the gardens are most striking in Spring and Summer when the flowers are in bloom. There wasn’t much in the way of Fall color, to my disappointment.

Robert Allerton was a Chicago native who held a lifelong appreciation of art and traveled the world, bringing pieces home with him. This 7-foot high statue called Adam is a copy of the one made by Auguste Rodin:

The next is called the Avenue of Chinese Musicians. Why? I don’t know, but even Allerton guides think their features are Westernized:

Here’s a closeup so you be the judge:

The House of the Golden Buddhas is a concrete gazebo with two teakwood Siamese Buddhas:

This is one of two Chinese Maze Gardens with goldfish sculptures:

The map I got from a fellow visitor says this is the reflecting pond. Sadly, I wasn’t able to get close enough to really see it because the area was closed because of a prior group meeting. The water looks pretty murky though, don’t you think:

The lady at the Information Desk told me the Sunken Garden is popular for wedding ceremonies. I forgot to count how many steps down it is from the rest of the property, but it really is sunken (and used to serve as the mansion’s garden dump!):

One of my favorite spots was the Fu Dog Garden. Featuring 22 lapis lazuli-colored sculptures purported to ward off demon spirits, this garden combines two things I like (the color blue and dogs!):

Here’s a closeup of one. He’s got the Sit command down pat:

Thanks for joining me on my walk — and thanks again to Robin for organizing Walktober. If you ever need a nudge to keep moving, remember this:

Exercise! — because zombies will eat the slow ones first. ~Internet meme

Walking with Monkey

Ever wonder where you’d end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash? ~Robert Brault, American writer

I Monkey here.

Everybody’s taking part in Robin‘s Walktober, and I want to, too. She never said pups can’t walk along — why, I have it on good authority that Princess Katie always got her own special walk! I might not be royalty, but there’s champion blood running through my veins, and by golly, I mean to tackle this walk-thing!

Mama’s taking the pictures, but I’m pointing out what she needs to shoot. The story, of course, is all me. Let’s GOOOO!

Here I am, all suited up and ready to scout the neighborhood:

Mama says it’s too early for Fall color, but you can see the trees are starting to turn:

Wait! Let’s pause for a squirrel. See him attached to that pole (huh, and he thinks I can’t see him there!):

This tree had oodles of green balls (about the size of tennis balls) underneath it. Mama thinks it’s a walnut. She almost tripped when she stepped on one and it started to roll — be careful, Mama:

Some of you are aware there’s a “holiday” coming up that’s almost as frightening to us little pups as Scary Boom Day (you know, Fourth of July). Mama says it’s called Halloween. She doesn’t plan to partake in festivities this year, on account of me being anxiety-riddled over it.

Perhaps you need a refresher so you won’t scare the pups in your neighborhood? I recommend you avoid stuff like this wicked inflatable thing:

and this 13-foot tall skeleton (I kid you not — the box was outside the house, and Mama almost tripped again while she was reading its description):

Something like this is okay though:

Or a relatively tame lineup of mums and pumpkins:

Another thing to watch out for is the woolly-worm. These critters, Mama tells me, should change into a moth or butterfly down the road — gosh, I hope I never turn into something different from a dog!

Anyway, woolly-worms are supposed to predict what kind of winter we’ll be having (although that’s probably as crazy as believing a dumb ole groundhog!). Here’s one we saw inching across a sidewalk:

Folklore tells us the black bands indicate a particularly long, harsh, snowy winter. We’re also supposed to believe that where the black bands fall tells us when the weather will be bad. Like, if the worm’s head section is black, the winter will be harsh early on (and vice versa).

I’m no meteorologist, but this one looks all black to me, so I guess I Monkey will be hibernating like a bear for a few months:

Thanks for joining me on my first Walktober! And Miss, Robin, thanks for letting me participate. Slowpoke Mama will be along in a few days with her own walk so don’t stray too far from this site.

Wishing to Travel

The desire to reach for the sky runs deep in our human psyche.  ~Cesar Pelli, Argentine-American architect

Going some place new

Traveling on a jet plane

Just a dream for now.