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I can see the photos so hopefully you can too.  These were the photos that were supposed to go with a prior blog post--my big home improvement for the year.  I'm thte unit on the right.  I chose the all-aluminum stair railing and my neighbor went with PVC, which was cheaper.  Definitely an improvement!  The old stairs were not only falling apart, but were inappropriately sized.  There's an extra step added.  I have no idea how the old stairs...
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If you're wondering what this means, the phrase is a modern adaptation of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous quote emphasizing that progress toward justice is not inevitable or automatic, and that we need active human effort to bring about change. It's meant to be a call to action urging people to work toward social change rather than waiting for justice to happen on its own. So appropros for 2025.
Even if trumpty-dumpty was not destroying the environment, selling off public lands,...
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The amazing thing is that the thousands of my photos that disappeared from my personal file folders have magically reappeared in those folders. I have no idea why, but I'm relieved, that's for sure.
All the Kiva loans I reviewed this week were from Phillippino borrowers, and all wanted money for a sanitary toilet. All of the borrower profiles showed the borrower standing next to a toilet inside a crude, cinderblock hut with a curtain for privacy. The toilet is never connected...
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I have a weak spot for craft fairs, church fairs and things of that sort. I love homemade knit items, which remind me of my dear grandmother, as well as homemade baked goods. I saw many things my grandmother would have liked.  It's a glorious fall day and I love this time of year.

That's a knit pumpkin at left with a real pumpkin stalk on it. So clever. Also a ceramic pumpkin for my kitchen window; I bought a similar pumpkin in a teal color last year. And, my first pair...
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Oct 17

A California Scrub Jay (the blue jays of the west)
Picture taken on a mid-day walk.  I really like how it turned out with the blue sky.
He flew up on a branch (I startled him) and I figured I'd try to take a picture.  Very pleased by how the picture turned out.  Not much bird detail, but the composition and the blue sky turned out neat.
Edited to add:  My desktop monitor showed the picture as much darker, mostly the blue sky contrasted against black. ...
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Oct 15

I bought a new desk at the end of last year.  & I set up a little side table for some extra space.  I expected my cat to maybe sit or nap more on the side table, but he doesn't seem too interested.
On Wednesday night I was working late and my cat was annoyed.  He usually jumps on my desk, when he's had enough.  Usually after a full work day.  But on this day he just jumped on my side table and looked somewhat annoyed.  (Maybe more annoyed,...
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Hahaha, I drastically underestimated how hectic my October is; I've got so much going on and trying to get my paid work done in between other things has made for crazy days that are over before I know it. Well, I've got a couple hours of downtime right now, so I looked through my phone to see if I happened to take any pics this last week. Not many, but here are a few:
Saturday 10/11
I spent Friday-Sunday in a DIY in-town "writer's retreat" with a friend; we visited libraries,...
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Saw this recently in a parking lot, and thought it was very clever, even if it is a Kia.

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This was a very good dessert this week: a flourless chocolate cake (warm) with raspberry sorbet and pistachio nuts.
Took dad to PT, then lunch. Mowed the back lawn when I got home.
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Alas, I got a flat tire yesterday.  I installed an old spare tire and drove it to a garage.  The place was so busy, they couldn't get it done today, so I have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up.  Anyways, here's today's photo entry:

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So tired of difficulties posting here. 
Anyhoo, catching up for a few days of missed photos.
Tonight I went to a meeting on efforts to ban rodenticides in my state. This is a rehabbed screech owl that survived an anticoagulant poison that killed the rest of its family. They've seen a real spike in birds and mammals like foxes and even domestic cats poisoned by rat and mice bait. This woman, with a group called A Place Called Hope, was a great advocate and very informative. 

This...
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Oct 14

Picture taken on a work break walk.  I was surprised how quickly the scenery turned to fall.  We just had a couple of days of cooler temps and rain.
Which reminds me, I turned on the heat today.  Wanted to make sure everything was working, before we really *need* it.  The temp inside the house dropped by 11 degrees, over the last few days.  

I made a fajita casserole for dinner tonight.   I was just taking pictures of colorful...
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I friend of mine really, really likes sunflowers, so when I saw them growing on the side of the road, I decided to stop and take some photos of it for her.While I'm here, I want to apologize if I am posting all these separate photo entries instead of just one big one.  SA blogs has this weird thing where it won't publish the first time I click it, so then I have to click the back button, and then click the publish button again to actually publish.
That's what I have figured...
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As some of you may know, I was law enforcement in a previous life.  Although it's behind me now, I guess some things about me still permeates that past life, such as that I still have gang members that have sworn to kill me in the streets, and I still have to largely avoid certain areas and neighborhoods where they reside.
As such, I still have to remain vigilant, and even shoot once in a while just to brush up.  I like shooting as a hobby anyway, even though I would...
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Earlier this summer, I caught up with a couple of guys I knew from all the way back since high school.  We didn't do anything particularly interesting.  Just kind of hung out at a park for example, and this merry-go-round just happened to be there.

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Maybe this is completely a normal thing for the rest of you, but I never knew it was possible to have white pumpkins until I saw it recently at a local grocery store.

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How in the world a guy this big managed to get into my house is a complete mystery to me.  Luckily, I was able to get him back outside, but not before taking this picture first.

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As the weather cools, I start to crave soups and stews, which is more or less what I am doing these days.  Here is a photo of my last crockpot pot roast.

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Oct 12

I've only just discovered chicken noodle soup.  & minestrone.  It's just nothing my parents ever made.  & MH never makes.  So it took almost 50 years to get it into the rotation.  I mean, I discovered 4 months ago.
Because it's a new thing, the thought didn't cross my mind (or MH's mind) when he was sick.  It took me a minute.  But I thought about it last week and made some soup over the weekend. 
Around the same time...
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So I do love sushi and this was quite an experience.  Kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi but michelin grade.  We were there before it opened at 10 am (9:30 am) and we were still number 5 on the waitlist.  I've never had 3 different types of Uni (sea urchin) purple, green, and orange.  Delicious. Scallop, Salmon, and a O-Toro in the background.

We left tokyo and journey to Hakone for a two night stay at an Onsen.  It's a traditional Japanese Bath.  When...
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