What's inside your shoe?

shoe2
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

Rumor has it that Gandhi could fit all of his worldly possessions in a shoebox. My mentor/guru/spiritual advisor can fit them in a shoe. In your face Mahatma!


Note: the penny is for scale.


<$BlogItemTitle$>

Kinda spacey (more kinda spacey than usual)

Robert has been a little spacey these past few days. Just now I was trying to get him to put his pants back on. Imagine where I might stand for such a procedure. Yes, you got it; directly in front of the subject. I said, “Here, put your pants on.” He said, “Come in!” After a few minutes, the conversation continuing as it started, I got his pants and his missing sock back on. He curled up sideways on the bed and said, “Thank you, both of you.”

Twice today he smoked a cigarette with out lighting it. He took long drags and blew out invisible smoke. While putting his pants on, I took a cigarette out of his hand and he said, "Why would you . . . that's my hard work?”

Number 1 Hummingbird

firsthummingbird
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

Yesterday, April 14, I saw the first hummingbird of the season. I went out and bought a new feeder and a shepherd's hook so I could hang the feeders in front of the kitchen window. Today I have had one male black-chinned hummingbird eating from the feeder off and on. Also yesterday, there was a May fly hatch. So in Albuquerque when you see May flies start looking for hummingbirds.
The photo is of the first hummingbird I've seen this year. What? Oh me? I am a photographer, why?




<$BlogItemTitle$>




Notes:

Our Mascot

jumpspider
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

This little guy or gal quickly made a web in my water glass while I was carpeting my floor. Justin and I decided to make him or her our mascot. But he or she cared not about his or her status as mascot to such a fine organization and left without so much as spelling out a good-bye in her or his web. I think we're better off without her. I don't even miss her. I don't.




<$BlogItemTitle$>

Diggers

diggers
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

We had to build a fence around the garden for obvious reasons.

Garden Talk

I can see how gardening can get addictive. Justin, Manuel and I prepared a vegetable garden. We planted some lettuces, spinach, arugala, potatoes, sugar peas and onions. As soon as the danger of frost has past we will plant more. The last frost here is of course debatable. One fellow told us it was safe and then it snowed two days later. Everyday I want to go to the nursery and I do go about every other day. Even at the hardware store I am confronted with plants, seeds and gardening tools that I have to restrain myself from buying. Today I bought some terracotta pots for basil. I bought bamboo to make teepees for the peas to climb. Robert assumed that we went to the nursery to use their restroom and when I finally took him to it he was so happy that we finally found it. We did it. Mission accomplished.
We (Joy) ordered 24 lavender plants. We ordered enough thyme to plant a decent sized lawn. Unfortunately there already is a lawn that I will have to remove to plant the thyme. We do get a thank you magnet and mug free with our order.
I was just looking at the names of apple trees available on line. Jonathan, Jonagold, Jonafree, Northern Spy. I would be tempted to plant apples for their names regardless of taste. The flowers may be my favorite thing about apple trees anyway.



<$BlogItemTitle$>

Birds

screechback
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

While we are on the subject birds, I saw some swallows today - the first I’ve seen this spring. And there is a pair of Cooper’s hawks nesting in one of the neighbor’s cottonwoods. While one bird sits in the nest, the other clucks at us from a different but nearby tree. That might be why some people call them chicken hawks.* And did you know that Sharp-shinned hawks used to be called pigeon hawks? And Peregrine falcons were sometimes called duck hawks.

*I realize it is probably because they eat chickens and not because they sound kind of like chickens.



<$BlogItemTitle$>

screechfront

screechfront
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

The Dogs did not kill this Screech owl. A car did.

Esperanto?

Robert started talking to me in smooth flowing, complete sentences this afternoon. Unfortunately the words he used to make the sentences were unknown to me. I wish I could have recorded him. It went something like this but much better (and I do not even know what I am about to write): “There’s a snorble . . .” he said pointing toward the snorble. “Sweaten slog nocht the dogs, which was fine, ‘we vahje the drawing on the camp.’ It fell out of the pencil.” It went on much longer and was much more inventive. As we passed a restaurant called “Geezambonis,” Robert said, “Gasgozoom Rastrom we have to eat sometime.” He just walked in as I write and I said, “Hi Boss,” to which Robert replied, “There’s maybe thirty dollars,” and then started to leave. I asked him where he was going and he said, “Oh really,” and shut the door behind him.

Happy Birthday Laurie and Angelina

My niece had a baby this morning. The baby has some problems. She is missing a finger and has almost no chin. She can only breath if she is on her belly. I do not know much more. When my mother called this morning, the normal baby questions did not occur to me. I have no idea how much she weighs or how long she is. Her name is Angelina.
I just talked to my sister who told me that sometimes babies born with underdeveloped chins will grow them later. (One per baby).


Today is my sister Laurie's birthday. She's 39 again.

Rob

Self-Iconolatry #3
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

This is a self-portrait my friend Rob Thurlow did on plywood. I think it is one of the most successful liquid emulsion photos ever.

My Night Out

First, you’ll want to know what I wore. Levi’s button fly jeans, my brand new western shirt (white with blue stripes and some really fine lavender stripes), Redwing shoes, American Apparel sweatshirt (black), and a silver Timex watch with Indiglo. So I was looking pretty good. I got in the Taurus and headed downtown. First stop: the new Flying Star Restaurant (for those of you not from Albuquerque, the Flying Star is a local chain known for its large magazine selection, mediocre entrées, and pretty good deserts). The line was long so I left. I drove for a while not knowing where I was going and decided to get on Interstate 25 North. I took the Montgomery exit and spotted a well-lit restaurant called IHOP. Why not I thought. I had the stuffed crepes. Here’s what the do: they take a light, thin, French pancake and fill it with a mixture of scrambled eggs, pork sausage, pork ham and pork bacon! That’s not all. Then they sprinkle finely grated yellow and white cheese on top. If that wasn’t enough, the crepes are topped with a generous dollop of sour cream. Oh, and the coffee; real diner flavored coffee. It really tastes like a diner – linoleum with hints of tobacco. But they give you a whole pot. Can’t complain about that. All this for under $12.00! (Including tip). And if someone weren’t standing behind me while I wrote this you would see, where it tells the time and date of posting, that I was home before 9:30

The Pope is Dead

or will be. Fox News said he was dead and then said they were mistaken. Perhaps it was an April fools joke. Not that funny, but I do not turn to Fox News for humor. I turn to Fox news by accident when looking for the Simpsons.

Terri Schaivo is dead. Not very funny either, but comforting.

I may not have been to North Dakota, Luke. Maybe we should go.

I have not been to Louisiana

I am saving the South for last

These are the states I've been to. I like to keep them in a cluster, except Delaware which I like to keep up around Maryland.


create your own personalized map of the USA

Terri Schiavo should not be allowed to die, she should be killed.

If Terri Schaivo was a dog she would have been shot 15 years ago. And that would have been the humane thing to do. Maybe you have to be a dog to be treated humanely. Maybe we should make a humane society for humans. For the record, if a similar thing ever happens to me I only want to be kept alive for 14 years.
It is a shame that when she is finally allowed to die it has to be from starvation and dehydration. What about a morphine overdose or some other less grotesque option? Like when we put Sally's rat in a can with a rag soaked in formaldehyde.

Ants

This morning, while on our walk, I noticed a lovely ant colony. I showed the ants to Robert who said, “Ants? Ants are great; you can train them: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,E,H,E,H,E,E . . .” I did not notice any immediate response from the ants. But, as I can attest from my attempts at training Pixel and Photo, our two young dogs, training animals takes time and patience. Robert gave up on training the ants right around the fifth ‘E.’

BlogItemTitle>

<$BlogItemTitle$>

Nap

I just tried to wake Robert from a nap and he said, “Just hold me for a while. I want you to hold me.” He never opened his eyes though so maybe it wasn’t me he thought he was talking to. I hugged him and he was hot like a baby with a fever. (I’m trying my hand at metaphors).

dogonrug

dogonrug
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

This is what my new carpet looks like. It is in progress.

flor

flor
Originally uploaded by Jonathansadler.

<$BlogItemTitle$>