Still Frustrated With Blogger

 I still can't comment on blogs that don't allow Anonymous comments. I have no idea why blogger is being such a bummer, but it is. It simply does not show me logged in, even though I am. 

So to divert my attention from this absurdity I clicked some quick photos over the past few days.  

This one was when we were driving in the big town of Eureka. The city had a project back in 2018 that brought students interested in art to paint the corner utility boxes throughout town. 

They did such a lovely job. The artwork is really quite beautiful and a nice sight while waiting at a stoplight there.

Then, the sky actually cleared up a bit. My brother Michael had come up to look around with the prospect of maybe buying some land here. After three weeks of dismal gray bummer weather, he was reconsidering that option. 

On this lovely blue, big billowy cloud day though, he had a good time taking his long walks looking at land and fantasizing about a future. He drove home on Thursday still thinking about where to buy some property and build a little modular home. He was with us for more than a month, and we miss him already.

He didn't get to see this little beauty on the hummingbird feeder. He would have loved it!

 I'm pretty sure it's an Allen's Hummingbird. They fly all the way here from Mexico during breeding season. Here is a map of their journey.

 

That small blue spot is where they live in their non-breeding season. The yellow is their migration area and that thin band of orange along the California and Oregon coast is where they come to breed.  It's a 2500 mile (3972 km) journey. Brave and hearty little birds they are. We're glad they somehow manage to find our little bird feeder in our backyard.

And that's how I have been diverting my attention from my frustrating anonymous persona in blogger land.

Blogger Comment Issues

For the second time in a week blogger has made it almost impossible for me to leave comments on blogs. Even though I am signed into my google gmail account, this screen comes up when I try to leave a comment on some blogs.

This only seems to happen on blogs that won't allow Anonymous comments. On blogs that do allow Anonymous comments, this is the screen that comes up.

I have left comments explaining that I am actually Robin from Dharma Bums. 

On one blog I found I could just simply comment as usual and I showed up as myself NewRobin13.

I have no idea what's going on. But I do know that it is a bummer and extremely frustrating. So, if you don't hear from me it's because blogger thinks I mostly don't exist except in some rare circumstances. They may be on to something.

Well, blogger is letting me post this, so I guess I exist in some universe somewhere. 

Is anyone else out there having this commenting problem?

Herons At The Marsh

  Facebook reminded me on Thursday that I had posted this photo of a Great Blue Heron at the marsh on April 21, 2017, five years ago.

I hadn't noticed it when I photographed it, but if you look closely you'll see the lovely streak of blue plumage at the back of its head. It's part of its April breeding season plumage. Quite fancy and rather dashing. 

Well, exactly five years later I photographed a Great Blue Heron at the marsh again.

If you click on the photo and look closely, you'll see that beautiful little wisp of blue plumage at the back of its head. (If Facebook hadn't reminded me, I would not have checked for that.) Look at those fancy feathers on its chest as well. This guy is a true beauty just waiting for a mate, or maybe a fish to jump up and feed him while he waits.

A Snowy Egret walked by. 

I'm pretty sure the Heron was thinking, "You're very cute, but you're not my type." 

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

Holiday Morning Sky

I looked out the window early Sunday morning and saw a lovely 22 degree halo with a hint of an upper tangent arc.

I ran outside to click a quick pic. A neighbor was walking by so I showed her the halo. She was so surprised. She said she would have never noticed it. She asked me if that kind of display only happens here on the north coast. I had to tell her it's one of the most common atmospheric optics that actually happens everywhere. I showed it to my brother as well. He said the same thing as the neighbor. He would have never seen it. I'm hoping I planted a nice little seed of sky love in both of them.

I also noticed this lovely little display as well.

I went out to the back of the house to block the sun with our roof so I could photograph the very nice sundogs, that hint of rainbow color on the sides of the halo. 

Then I went back out front and saw a parhelic circle to the left of the sundog. 

What a delightful display this was on a lovely blue-sky not rainy Easter Sunday 2nd day of Passover morning.

When I started to write this post I thought about adding a bit of Yiddish to celebrate the holidays. So, in celebration you must all be thinking after seeing these photos, "Oy gevalt, she's at it again. More of those fakakta atmospheric optic photos. She's definitely mashugana." LOL!

Sky and Garden

  The sky fulfilled my wish. Yes, there was finally a lovely bit of crepuscular rays early Monday morning. 

It really had been a while, and even though rays like this are fairly common they can still lift my heart as high as their light and shadows can go. The drizzle came later, and I didn't mind that the gray had returned.

In fact, the drizzly rain was good for the newly prepped garden beds and the kale starts, basil, tomatoes, and carrot seeds we had planted.

I love the kale starts in one bed, and the kale flowering in another. The cycle of life in one little view.

We're still avoiding the news. Not exactly with our heads in the sand, but hands in the soil is a good compromise.

Springtime Birds At The Marsh

  We went for a walk at the marsh and saw some lovely birds in their season of love.

Green-winged Teal

Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail Couple

Canada geese and their adorable gosling

Photobombed by a Green-winged Teal

It was a beautiful morning for sunshine, bird love, and a nice long walk.

Yard Work Part Two

Well my back is a little bit better for brief periods of time, so I'm trying to make good use of those few hours. The other day I photographed Roger and Michael in the backyard doing yard work. Today, Roger surprised Michael and me by clicking a few pics of us working a bit of the front yard.

Our neighbor was out front thinning the succulents from his front yard. We went over to say hello and he asked if we wanted a few succulents. So of course we said yes. We had been thinking about filling the little front bed with succulents, and here they were being given to us by the neighbor. Perfect timing. So we had a big pile of Hen and Chicks to plant.

Our goal and hope is that they will fill in and look a lot like the other succulents we have in this bed. So lush and beautiful.

I could be making this part up, but I swear I heard the succulents complain a bit. They were grumbling about the move. They said, "I thought we were going some place special. We barely moved a hundred feet. All that annoyance for this? Humans are crazy." They're right you know. LOL! 

A Song For Friday: April Come She Will

 The first day of April always makes me want to sing this song. It's hard to believe that it was written nearly 60 years ago. Paul Simon wrote it while he was in England in 1964. It's a song that tugs at my heart, reminding me of days so long ago when I was young and full of dreams. Yes, April Come She Will.