Good morning, friends.

10 September 2025

Fifty-five years ago, give or take, I stood at the base of Mount Fujiyama in winter—with no pants. What happened was this...

I was a Marine, fresh to cold weather training. We were out maneuvering, and that night we camped at elevation, pitching our pup tents in the snow. Each Marine carried a shelter half and a three-piece tent pole; two halves made one tent, a kind of forced partnership in nylon. We had cold-weather sleeping bags, too—issued, not chosen.

Before lights out, we received instructions on how to sleep. One rule stood out: don’t sleep with your pants on—put them in the bag with you. I misunderstood slightly. Instead of tucking them inside the bag, I slid them between the sleeping bag and its canvas liner, thinking that was close enough.

That night, the temperature dropped hard. Snow fell. By morning, everything was frozen solid. We were ordered to move out immediately. Our tents had to be beaten down with entrenching tools. My personal dilemma? My pants had frozen stiff. I couldn’t get them on. So there I was, marching through the hills in long johns, no pants, and a growing sense of regret.

Not my proudest moment. I was eighteen, maybe nineteen—a late bloomer with a loose grip on the concept of “attention to detail.” Back then, I wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch. But life has a way of teaching. Maturity works, and it tends to arrive eventually. These days, attention to detail isn’t just a habit—it’s a pet peeve. Earned the hard way, one frozen trouser leg at a time.

“Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” — John Dewey

“The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.” — Charles R. Swindoll

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #nature #morning #flowers #marines #coldweather #AttentiontoDetail #mountfuji #snow #frozen

@Lstn2urmama

Yep

@Lstn2urmama

Hmm … I always keep a few bucks in my wallet. Some businesses don’t accept checks or cards. One being my barber. I also prefer paying for incidentals with cash. That said, I use my cards more frequently than I used to.

@pokypinkdog

Thanks, Paula!

Good morning.

9 September 2025

NPO, Outfit, and the Absence of Coffee: A Morning in Three Acts

I’ve got a minor, noninvasive medical thing scheduled for this morning—about an hour’s drive from here. The reception desk called yesterday with a reminder: “NPO.” That means “Nothing By Mouth.” I asked what the letters stood for, since “Nothing By Mouth” would logically be NBM. She didn’t know. I was curious, so I looked it up. Turns out NPO is Latin: nil per os. I like knowing things, even if they’re mostly ceremonial.

Normally, I’d be having coffee right now. Or at least water. But today calls for self-discipline mode. It’s not automatic—I have to manually enable it when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I just willy-nilly do what I want and don’t do what I don’t want to do. Hmm… that sounds odd. “Don’t do what I don’t want to do.” Is that a double negative? No, I think I got that right.

Thrown off my usual rhythm, I fed Charlie as soon as I stepped outside. He was confused but didn’t complain. He finished before I realized it wasn’t mealtime yet. C’est la vie.

If Charlie could speak—really speak, not just mumble those half-formed phrases I sometimes imagine—he might sing me a song this morning. Maybe something to the tune of The Streets of Laredo. Something like:

I can see by your outfit that you're going to leave me. I can see that I will be alone today...

“Over time, as the daily routines become second nature, discipline morphs into habit.” — Twyla Tharp

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” — Josh Billings

#morning #moon #rambling #dogs #photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers

White Majesty in the Marsh

This elegant bird is a great egret, also known as the great white egret. I took this photograph some time ago while exploring the bayou at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana. It may well be the first of these magnificent birds I captured, though since then, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph many more.

A Tale of Backyard Tails

An eastern gray squirrel and a mourning dove met near the Hole Under the Fence early this morning. Both were drawn by seeds scattered across the ground. For a few cautious minutes, they shared the bounty—coexistence as a quiet condition of the moment.

But they both knew the problem: Charlie, the border collie, stationed just thirty meters away and already alerted to the squirrel’s presence.

Charlie, as we know, lives peacefully with the doves. They’re part of the landscape, part of the rhythm. But squirrels? Squirrels are a breach. According to Charlie, they don’t belong in the backyard—or anywhere else within his line of sight. So he makes it his business to run them down. The chase is ritual. He rarely catches one, and when he does, he lets it go. No explanation offered. None needed.

At this tense juncture, Charlie charged. The squirrel slipped back beneath the Hole Under the Fence. The dove took flight, settling in a nearby tree. The seeds remained, but the moment was gone.

Step into a world where even the smallest moments—like the glint in a bird's eye—tell their own story.

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #squirrel #EasternGraySquirrel #dove #MourningDove

Good morning. ️🩴

8 September 2025

Checks and Balances

Have you noticed that writing checks isn’t as popular as it once was? It’s very much a 20th-century thing. I still keep a checkbook and write the occasional check—usually to pay a bill that can’t be handled online, or for a larger purchase that my credit card might not accommodate. The checkbook isn’t forgotten; I still keep the ledger up to date.

I use a debit card now and then, though I prefer a credit card. The thing is, nowadays many small businesses charge extra when you use a credit card. Some even tack on fees for any card, which misses the point entirely—they’re not charged extra for processing a debit card. That’s yet another reason I might reach for a check.

Back in the 20th century—especially in the ’70s and ’80s—writing checks was common practice. People carried their checkbooks everywhere and used them for everything. Need gas? Write a check. Groceries? Write a check. Just want a cold soda? Write a check.

I still remember opening my first checking account and thinking, I have arrived. It took a lesson or two to learn about balancing the checkbook, and the statement you received in the mail didn’t always reflect your actual balance. Live and learn.

Nowadays, if I’m waiting in line at a store and the person ahead of me waits until all her items are scanned before digging through her purse—only to retrieve a checkbook—I might let out a silent sigh. I’d be careful not to show any emotion, not even impatience. Even if she waits until asked for ID to start rummaging again, my outward demeanor would remain impassive.

For I remember when.

“Any general statement is like a check drawn on a bank. Its value depends on what is there to meet it.” — Ezra Pound

“The good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.” — Billy Joel

#morning #beach #birds #photo #checks #nostalgia #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature