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Post by Kapitan on Apr 5, 2020 17:25:14 GMT
I got out for a very nice, long (5-mile) walk, mostly through Minnehaha Falls park. It's finally warm enough to really enjoy it, sunny and around 50 degrees. If anyone visits Minneapolis, I really suggest you take it in. Beautiful, large park right in the city, though at times you wouldn't believe it.
When I got home I even raked the dead leaves and grass. Ain't I productive? Now maybe I can relax and read or watch TV (which, as I said, I haven't been good at doing during these unusual days).
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Apr 6, 2020 19:21:53 GMT
I don't have much to say lately. Listening to way less music than usual, which is the opposite of what I thought would happen during this time. Actually, I haven't even listened to anything in over a week. Tried a couple times to put on an album, but found myself ignoring it and switched it off. The closest I've come to listening to anything intently in the last several days was watching a Brian Eno documentary last night. Reminded me I've been meaning to spend some time with Roxy Music. Eventually, I guess.
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Post by jk on Apr 6, 2020 21:18:51 GMT
I don't have much to say lately. Listening to way less music than usual, which is the opposite of what I thought would happen during this time. Actually, I haven't even listened to anything in over a week. Tried a couple times to put on an album, but found myself ignoring it and switched it off. The closest I've come to listening to anything intently in the last several days was watching a Brian Eno documentary last night. Reminded me I've been meaning to spend some time with Roxy Music. Eventually, I guess. Any particular Roxy Music, bb? We own just one Roxy album, Avalon, a great record to drift away on. The best track in that regard is probably "To Turn You On", which seems to just float away at the end of the solo before the tune reappears and brings you back to earth:
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 7, 2020 11:33:59 GMT
Lately I've been trying to get a nice, long walk in before work. This morning I woke up around 5:10 (before my alarm...I'm not getting up QUITE that early) and within seconds saw the brightest, most amazing lightning bolt I've ever seen in my life. We had about 15 minutes of a loud, flashing thunderstorm ... and then silence. All clear.
I ended up getting a nice walk in after all, and in a cool landscape of fog, dripping trees, and birds coming out from shelters chirping to one another, "just what the hell was that!?"
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Apr 7, 2020 12:36:06 GMT
Any particular Roxy Music, bb? We own just one Roxy album, Avalon, a great record to drift away on. The best track in that regard is probably "To Turn You On", which seems to just float away at the end of the solo before the tune reappears and brings you back to earth: I only know a few of their songs, so the plan was to start at the beginning and work my way through their discography. As soon as I feel like it. But Avalon sounds nice. No reason I can't start there. As soon as I feel like it.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 7, 2020 13:27:01 GMT
Hey, lucky day! The road construction that closed down (and made total chaos and cacophony for) my block last summer begins Monday the next block down. They will be totally digging up the road, pulling and putting in new sewers, etc. It was literally earth-rattling last year.
So that's something to look forward to enjoying during this homebound stretch!
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 7, 2020 20:59:10 GMT
So I'm looking for another bird bath. I had a nice ceramic one but I placed it too close to a rock in the yard and an animal tipped it over and it hit the rock and broke. Any preferences? Concrete, ceramic, clay, metal? Color?
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 13:46:45 GMT
Tuesday it was 70 degrees and sunny. I was delighted to have a few beers on my patio as I read a book after work.
Today there's a chance of snow in the forecast over the next couple of hours.
I love Minnesota, but sometimes I really hate Minnesota.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Apr 9, 2020 13:54:57 GMT
So I'm looking for another bird bath. I had a nice ceramic one but I placed it too close to a rock in the yard and an animal tipped it over and it hit the rock and broke. Any preferences? Concrete, ceramic, clay, metal? Color? Something that won't break if it happens again!
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Apr 9, 2020 13:57:23 GMT
Tuesday it was 70 degrees and sunny. I was delighted to have a few beers on my patio as I read a book after work.
Today there's a chance of snow in the forecast over the next couple of hours.
I love Minnesota, but sometimes I really hate Minnesota.
Yesterday we had a beautiful blue sky without a single cloud, and it was nice enough to go for a walk with just a light jacket on. But then we had a pretty windy, noisy, snowstorm overnight. It's switched to rain and is melting now. But the first thing I thought when I looked outside this morning was thank fuck I don't have to go outside! Ah, spring. Such a jerk sometimes.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 14:04:36 GMT
Of course, if I lived in the south, I'd complain incessantly about the heat. Guess I'll be fine.
One thing that the nice weather prompted me to do was to get some yard work done, including prepping the garden a little: getting leaves up, raking the soil a bit, etc. As I raked over a suspicious looking pile of dead grass--suspicious enough that I should have known better--I tore the roof off some poor critters' hideout. I saw several squirming little fellas, thankfully not torn up by my rake, down there wondering what the hell was happening.
I put back their roof and it has grown in the past few days, so apparently mom is adding a new wing. Now I'm just not sure what to do longer-term. For a month or two it's fine as it is, but they can't live there through the growing season. Anyone have any ideas how to gently nudge them to move on?
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Post by kds on Apr 9, 2020 14:14:22 GMT
It was near 80 and sunny in Baltimore yesterday. Of course, I'm planning on lighting the grill this weekend, and it's back to mid 50s and cloudly. Springtime in the mid Atlantic is an unpredictable beast of a season.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Apr 9, 2020 18:09:50 GMT
Of course, if I lived in the south, I'd complain incessantly about the heat. Guess I'll be fine. One thing that the nice weather prompted me to do was to get some yard work done, including prepping the garden a little: getting leaves up, raking the soil a bit, etc. As I raked over a suspicious looking pile of dead grass--suspicious enough that I should have known better--I tore the roof off some poor critters' hideout. I saw several squirming little fellas, thankfully not torn up by my rake, down there wondering what the hell was happening. I put back their roof and it has grown in the past few days, so apparently mom is adding a new wing. Now I'm just not sure what to do longer-term. For a month or two it's fine as it is, but they can't live there through the growing season. Anyone have any ideas how to gently nudge them to move on?
Within a month’s time I would imagine the little critters would be grown up enough to be mobile. Maybe just keep your eye on the nest (burrow, whatever), and when they all venture out for rodent shenanigans, fill it in? Provided it’s empty, of course. (Because you totally have nothing better to do than watch a burrow in your yard…)
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 18:17:24 GMT
That's actually what I was thinking. My only fear about leaving it is whether that gives them (I think rabbits, btw, but when you're staring a few of the barely furry squirmers not much bigger than the size of a thumb, it's not exactly obvious WHAT they are!) some kind of instinct that this spot is really there's indefinitely, that they'd return to it, try to reuse it, etc.
But I don't really see reasonable alternatives, either. For now they're fine. Once the food is there, I'll chase them out with all my might. (I haven't much might.)
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 9, 2020 19:04:57 GMT
Tuesday it was 70 degrees and sunny. I was delighted to have a few beers on my patio as I read a book after work.
Today there's a chance of snow in the forecast over the next couple of hours.
I love Minnesota, but sometimes I really hate Minnesota.
Yesterday we had a beautiful blue sky without a single cloud, and it was nice enough to go for a walk with just a light jacket on. But then we had a pretty windy, noisy, snowstorm overnight. It's switched to rain and is melting now. But the first thing I thought when I looked outside this morning was thank fuck I don't have to go outside! Ah, spring. Such a jerk sometimes. The good news is that it cleared up and so I was able to go take a walk under the sunshine.
The bad news is that just under a mile from home it suddenly started snowing/hailing REALLY HARD with winds blowing the little ice pellets horizontally, straight into my face.
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