A year later

My neighbor's iris

Last year around this time, our front steps were torn down and rebuilt. Since it is the only direct way to gain access to our front porch, we were forced to go down the back steps and onto the short driveway that goes from the back of the apartment complex to the front. This meant I needed to pass by my neighbor Linda's flowers, and I was treated to a view of her lovely iris. I don't think I have ever seen this variety before, and I was enchanted. And I meant to see them again this year.

While pondering what to write about for this Tuesday post, I decided to go outside and see what the iris look like right now. Since the steps have been rebuilt, I have no reason to see them, unless I make an effort to do so, like I did a few minutes ago. Aren't they unusual? I think so, being quite familiar with the lovely purple variety that grows abundantly in most gardens.

Here is also a picture of my front porch flowers for this year. I've been slow getting going with them, but I posted a picture on my other blog and figure one belongs here, too. It will look different later in the season, but for now, here it is:

Lots of panies and other pretty flowers

For some reason, I am reluctant to spend much time on flowers this year, and I've decided to sit out the community vegetable garden, too. I just can't seem to generate much excitement, but that may change. 

Resident unnamed cat

This guy actually belongs to some nearby neighbors, but he seems to have adopted our apartment complex in recent years. Sometimes I see him coming out of other people's apartments, so he must be getting fed by them. It's nice to see him around fir whatever reason. He comes and goes, sometimes I don't seem him for weeks, but then I'll find him asleep here on one of his favorite spots. It's a nice addition to our place, I think. He is a neutered male, I'm told. I wouldn't know how to tell myself.

Well, that's about it for the day. I do hope you are having some nice weather wherever you are, and that you are enjoying the lovely season how, and ahead.

:-)

About that Monday post

Flowering ornamental cherry tree (I think)

I just spent a bit of time trying to discover whether the bright pink flowers on the trees all over town are ornamental cherry or not. They are everywhere right now, gorgeous to look at, and the ones I've seen every year don't seem to produce any fruit, so I'm guessing they are ornamental. It doesn't really matter: I am enjoying them too much to worry about what they're called.

I went to bed a little early last night, just feeling tired and wanting to lay there in bed thinking about the day and getting myself ready for a good night's sleep, when my Apple Watch vibrated to let me know I had a phone call. Since my iPhone was in the living room, I answered it on my Watch (I don't usually do that). It was my friend John calling to ask me where my Monday post was. I groaned and let out an expletive and realized that I am continually forgetting to write that Monday post. Probably it's because I write once a week on my other blog, on Sunday mornings, and I don't have much desire to come up with something new so soon. So, I've decided that my Monday posts will appear on Tuesdays, whatever I decide to call them. Welcome to the New World!

It was supposed to be raining today, but other than a few stray raindrops, it's been pretty dry and almost sunny. I walked by the Cornwall Rose Garden to ascertain that many of the plants are now heavy with leaves, but I couldn't see any rosebuds. Yet, anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing them appear and turn into lovely roses, which I will share with you, of course.

Mom at the top, Kid Bunny at the bottom

And who should hop out in front of me as I got to the trail, but these two bunnies. The little cottontail closer to me is smaller enough from the other for me to speculate that this is a new little guy. When he saw me, he froze the way bunnies do, and as Mom hopped across the trail, he stayed very still and never took his eye off me. I talked to him but he doesn't speak Human yet, and after a fair amount of time he followed her off into the bushes, and I continued my walk home.

There are plenty more clouds than rays of sunshine right now, but the temperature is mild and I can feel myself gearing up for spring. I think even I might have experienced my fill of rain for the time being!

:-)

The rain continues

Lunch break

Yesterday, I was able to have a nice walk and saw these local residents out for their lunch, it seems. The little one is still has spots, but they didn't show up all that well in the picture. Today, however, I'm inside, staying dry. Last Thursday we walked in the rain, but by late afternoon the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. And it was also lovely all day yesterday.

It doesn't look like that will happen today, however. I'm reconciled to getting my daily exercise, if I decide to, in a Health and Fitness video from my local Y. Somehow it's just not that much fun. I'd much rather be outdoors. But I'll survive.

I got a call from the office of a hematologist, which had received a referral from my doctor. That was a little bit of a surprise, since she suggested that I see one, but wanted me to first get another blood test a couple of weeks after the original one. Since I was able to ascertain that I only need to pay my usual co-pay to see this mysterious doctor, I'll go ahead and do it all. Apparently my doctor is concerned about my low white blood cell count and wants to rule out any underlying conditions. I appreciate her thoroughness, but it was still a bit surprising, since I had already decided that the second blood test would be perfect. Ah well, who am I to turn down a visit to a new doctor?

When I tried to add the above picture, I again had difficulty finding a way to insert it. I tried lots of stuff and then went online to see if others are having problems. One person suggested clearing the cache on my browser, which I did without any success. Then I went over to the HTML tag and was able to add a picture using that work-around. Sigh. If anybody out there has any other ideas about how to fix this problem, I'm all ears.

:-)

Fire destroys old building

7:30am yesterday

Yesterday was a weird day. It started when I got a call at 6:15am from my coffee shop friend John that maybe I would be better off driving instead of taking the bus downtown, since there was a big fire right across the street from Avellino's. The old Hohl Feed & Seed building was aflame, with the street blocked off and lots of water running down the entire street. Apparently it also flooded the Bellingham bus terminal, because it was dark and the buses seemed delayed as well. I later learned that the power had been turned off because of the flooding.

After having found a place to get coffee, around 8:00am I walked by the scene and headed to the YMCA where I was getting ready to work out. Other than the lack of traffic lights, everything seemed fine there. But while I was riding the stationary bike at the Y, I began to see dark smoke coming up from the building, where I thought the fire was out. And then I saw this:

Flames!

The fire had flared up again, and soon there were lots of us looking out the window and wondering if it had jumped to another building. But it turns out that the fire was not completely out of the old building, built in 1901. And even after this was put out, it happened once again.

Aftermath

After my workout, when I walked back to where I parked my car, I saw that the original fire trucks had been joined by more, and if you look carefully here, you can see a stream of water directed right into the building from firemen on the ladder.

No one knows at this time how it started, but there were more than 75 animals saved and transported to the local Whatcom Humane Society. Laura Clark, the executive director, reported to the Bellingham Herald this good news:

"WHS animal control officers arrived on scene and loaded several cages and aquariums filled with animals and immediately transported them back to the Whatcom Humane Society, where our animal care staff was waiting to provide care,” she said.

A few birds succumbed to the smoke, and a large python is missing. Otherwise, all the animals were saved. This morning, other than the demolished building and a few barriers, everything seems to be back to normal. No more flames, thank heavens.
:-)

Beavers and groundhogs

Recent beaver work

Today is Groundhog Day, and I learned that Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog who supposedly predicts whether or not we'll have an early spring didn't see his shadow today, which is supposed to mean that, yes, it WILL be early. Well, we haven't had much of a winter here in the Pacific Northwest, and the trees have been seduced into putting out buds already. We'll see what the cold weather we are predicted to have beginning tomorrow will do to those nascent buds. At least the day is the halfway mark to the first day of spring!

I took the picture last Thursday of the tree felled by beavers at Lizard Lake. Those guys are busy as, well, beavers. Did you know that they must gnaw on trees or their teeth just keep growing and then they cannot even eat properly? All rodents, apparently, have teeth that continue to grow during their lifetimes. But beavers are special: beaver teeth have really extreme growth, up to 4 feet a year! Because they're not worried about wearing their teeth down, beavers are free to chew on as many hard objects as they can. Learn more about them here.

I watched the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards, and I decided to check out a couple of shows that interested me: The Kominsky Method on Netflix (I really loved it) and Killing Eve on BBC America. Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin star in the comedy series about getting old, and it's just been renewed for a second season. Sandra Oh stars in Killing Eve, and I guess I should have realized it would be bloody and suspenseful, but I got hooked anyway and watched all eight episodes. It's also been renewed for a second season.

And I've seen all the performances and movies nominated for the Oscars, except for Glenn Close in The Wife. I'll try to see that one beforehand, since she has garnered accolades from those two events as well. It's an amazing eclectic mix of shows this year; we are really lucky to have such talent working today.
:-)

Leo's new passion

Leo and Gene: notice Leo's t-shirt

Leave it to my friends to wear t-shirts that advertise their interests. Leo, it turns out, was going to school yesterday and his dad brought him to the coffee shop before class, to give us all a thrill. He was loaded down with books about snakes, and then Robert (Leo's dad) showed me what Leo was bringing to class for Show and Tell.

Yep, Leo's new pet

I looked at the small burlap sack and wondered what the heck it was, until Robert opened it up so I could see this snake. (Robert was reading the paper and it fortuitously displayed a Mother's Day advertisement.) Wonder what Leo's mom thinks of this latest pet. I wonder who will be feeding him, since I KNOW what they eat! Oh my.
:-)