Magazine Posts

I find deceit
to be intolerable,
no matter the reason,
no matter the why.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Looking north from southern New Zealand, the Andromeda Galaxy never gets more than about five degrees above the horizon. As spring comes to the southern hemisphere, in late September Andromeda is highest in the sky around midnight though. In a single 30 second exposure this telephoto image tracked the stars to capture the closest large spiral galaxy from Mount John Observatory as it climbed just over the rugged peaks of the south island's Southern Alps. In the foreground, stars are reflected in the still waters of Lake Alexandrina. Also known as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy is one of the brightest objects in the Messier catalog, usually visible to the unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch. But this clear, dark sky and long exposure reveal the galaxy's greater extent in planet Earth's night, spanning nearly 6 full moons.

Photo by Ian Griffin

We got a tradition down here on the South End that when we want to purge our bounty, clear out our closets or empty our sheds, we drag the unwanted possessions down to the highway, slap a FREE sign on the treasures and let the passing motorists fight for the spoils.  Usually only takes half a day before someone slams on their brakes, jumps out of their pickup, does a cursory investigation, then grabs what items would fit in their closets or their sheds.

Sure, we could haul the stuff down to the thrift stores up north but they would charge money selling them to pay for their overhead and rental so why not skip the middleman and reach out directly to our fellow indigents?  I carried out two nice maple colonial chairs circa 1950, cushions reupholstered, mint condition (okay, pretty good condition), set them at the end of the driveway with a woman’s Schwinn bicycle and a rug.  The rug was gone in an hour, the bike in a day and the chairs — well, I suspect the new owner needed to find a truck or van, but they disappeared today, two days later.  Saved me that hellish trip into town, saved the scroungers mucho bucks, probably saved the planet too although I don’t want to get overly carried away here, just doing our part, no need to thank us or even throw a good review on Yelp or whatever social media you still think is worth the End of Democracy and Civilization as You Know It.

All I’m saying: down here on the island’s Banana Belt, capitalism has evolved.  The barter system still works, garage sales outpace the mercantiles now that Tyee Store is ancient history, non-fungible tokens have taken root at the History of the World Gallery … and roadside thrift stores bypass the backlogged goods waiting in ports from San Diego to Vancouver.   Future economists, no doubt, will study us.  Meanwhile, anyone need a perfectly good microwave, come on down tomorrow.  Satisfaction guaranteed!

The Skeeter Daddle Diaries

Fate stopped by
to say hello.
Said she had
many stops to go.

Your name came up,
as she said,
"I'll visit tomorrow,
don't be in bed."

Came the morrow,
true to her word,
she brought Fate.
Know what I heard?

One more day at the zoo,
a place with characters,
much more than two.
Three males live here,
two residents of memory care.
I live with my wife, in memory care,
although I am considered an Independent.
Supposedly, I do not need assistance,
but that is another story.

Yesterday, there was an altercation,
with one gentleman being pushed down
on the floor. I didn't see the actual beginning
but did see the last shove to the ground.
Fortunately, no one was injured and
bruised EGOs recovered, due to the
memory issues of other residents.

A small excitement in the daily life
of singing songs, painting pictures
and interesting discussions with
some of the residents and staff.

The staff should be commended for
the prompt action taken to resolve
the solution. They do not get paid
enough for the verbal abuse they take,
from some residents. Fortunately,
most residents are well behaved.

www.ryderphotographic.com
www.flickr.com/photos/zrxryder

Light bounces
off the glass,
bringing heat
to those
who pass.

A life's paradox.
A dream unkept.
Now the sadness,
of tears wept.

Life's love journey,
lost in time
when disease
becomes the mime.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

A now famous picture from the Hubble Space Telescope featured these star forming columns of cold gas and dust light-years long inside M16, the Eagle Nebula, dubbed the Pillars of Creation. This James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam image expands Hubble's exploration of that region in greater detail and depth inside the iconic stellar nursery. Particularly stunning in Webb's near infrared view is the telltale reddish emission from knots of material undergoing gravitational collapse to form stars within the natal clouds. The Eagle Nebula is some 6,500 light-years distant. The larger bright emission nebula is itself an easy target for binoculars or small telescopes. M16 lies along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy in a nebula rich part of the sky, toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the snake).

If you have ever eaten at the old Spaghetti Factory restaurant you may remember this old favorite Spaghetti with brown Sugar dish. Click to see the recipe

Abut the morning shadow,
sunlight streaks the edge,
as straws of moisture rise
in cold, cold Fall air.