Random Thursday Thoughts

Hmm... maybe a smidge overexposed on the sun?

A nice foggy morning.

Bob here, typing away as the dark Montana night is diluted by a couple fluorescent bulbs on the river side of the house, and that #@*$ doorbell light on the road side. I swear, one of these days that thing's goin' away.

It's sadly ironic that people move to the country to get away from the city, then they can't stand the benefits of the country: quiet, dark, far from stuff! I have no problem with porch lights, lights for a driveway, etc., but please -- dual 300-watt pink mercury halogen spotlights to light your single-wide and the rusting '83 Monte Carlo you swear you're going to restore someday? I think some people are fundamentally afraid of the dark. The Milky Way is stunning.

Hey, speaking of less than dependable handymen, the guy who was supposed to replace our big 4'x5' double-pane windows last Friday didn't show up. It was raining, so I said Monday was fine. He called late Monday morning, noted that it was sprinkling in the area, and said "We'll play it by ear, but I should be out there this afternoon." Monday afternoon was gorgeous, all of Tuesday was stupendously nice, but no "The Guy." It's Thursday evening, and not a peep in response to the messages I've left. Plan B kicks in tomorrow (hint: it involves finding a new "The Guy").

One the deer missed
My sister Carla (fabbo zenamoon candle website here, nifty blogs here and here) had a birthday yesterday, and today as we chatted, she mentioned it's not the milestone b-days that bug her, but the in-betweens that drag you inexorably toward the next milestone.

Carla's now 44. When our parents were 44, Carla was 22 and I was 19. Goodness.

Recently I was introduced to the fun of facebook.com. I've found a couple pals from college, but when I looked for Shadle Park High School alum, there are only a few. Friends, friends of friends, networks, and there's something oddly rewarding about throwing a chicken at someone, giving them a pot full of candy corn, or naming them most likely to steal a car. Random, yes, but very fun.

This last photo is of my aunt and uncle's dock, which I found wedged on a rock upriver this spring. After freeing it, I Tom Sawyer-ed it down-river. Apart from a little list to the starboard, it's a good dock.

Time to go gaze at a few (million) stars.