Nandina Domestica—Good, Bad, not Ugly

Out on a walk early February 4, I spotted a plant with striking red berries and vibrant leaves, making me think of Christmas and holly. It was growing wild in a shallow ravine just behind a guard rail. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Reaching Past Pasta Ads that Feature La Donna E Mobile

Every now and then, I've tried finding a TV commercial that advertised pasta and used a particularly catchy classical piece. I've long since forgotten the name of the pasta and most of the pasta words. I had never learned the name of the music until a few weeks ago. ("La Donna e Mobile" is a 43-sec instrumental autoplay audio that loops.) Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Bur Oak Acorn, Walnut-sized Nut

I spotted the curious-looking bur oak acorn just before Halloween. The acorn had a bushy cap, like a short-dreadlocks hairstyle. The acorn itself seemed about the size of a walnut. After I took it home, I found that the cap easily detached. The composite shows the acorn and cap with measuring stick. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Raking Leaves Ain't Hard to Do (widescreen)

My previous article about parodying "Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" included info about raking leaves chores and implements, and parts collection for the music videos. This article, besides pointing to the widescreen-version video, describes some of my processes and the lessons learned for picking, creating, and integrating items into both video versions. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Raking Leaves Ain't Hard to Do (with scrolling lyrics)

Early December, raking chores inspired me to parody "Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". I wrote and sang (not greatly) words to go with "Breaking Up" instrumental music. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

An Earl of Sandwich at a Blue Baker

Over several years of patronizing Blue Baker (Austin), I'd occasionally glanced at wall artwork—mostly food items and an Earl of Sandwich.

About a month ago, I took closer note of the card hand. He held the ace of diamonds, king of spades, queen of hearts, jack of clubs, and ten of hearts. I got to thinking about card hand ranks. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

2019 New Year's Day Buck

On January 1 about 4:30 PM, I spotted the buck during a neighborhood walk. Those antlers were the biggest I've seen in a residential area. Read the entire article and comment there, please.