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Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/24/2026)

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I had hoped to get out with my camera a bit over the weekend, even if it was just in my backyard. However, I had other things to do and by the time I was done doing those, just never got around to it. I did manage to get out at lunch today though. Here are a few of the photos: I skipped the monarch butterflies and dragonflies today and instead got some photos of some other insects for a change. It was kind of difficult getting a photo of these turtles with the way the sun was reflecting off both the water and the rock, but they were patient and I ended up with this one. I walked along the outside of the park on my way back to the car and spotted the hint of yellow fluttering around. I was able to get the photo before it flew off. I didn't realize there was a small bee buzzing the flowers until I edited the photo and just took it because I liked how they were popping out of the water. _________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previ...

Book Review: The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery (2026)

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Synopsis: After spending time in prison, Stephen Pike is thrilled to be getting a second chance as a servant at the remote Tithe Hall, even after learning the Viscount, believing Halley's Comet will cause an apocalypse, seals his family and servants in their rooms for their safety.  The residents survive the night, except for the Viscount, who is found murdered inside his sealed room the next morning. With suspicion quickly turning on Stephen, his only hope to avoid being arrested for a crime he didn't commit is the elderly but still sharp Decima Stockingham helping him figure out both who killed the Viscount and how they did it. Review: I saw The Murder at World's End in my library's new book section when I went there to pick up a book I had on hold. It looked intriguing, so I decided to check it out as well. After finishing it last night, I can honestly say it was one of the best mysteries I've read in a while. Having the book set around the 1910 Halley's C...

Trail Camera Photos (8/23/2026)

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The weather has been a bit too inconvenient for me to put my trail cameras out but since we finally had a night with no rain or fog, I figured I'd set them up. There wasn't a ton of activity, but I still managed to get photos of rabbits and squirrels. Here are some of them: _______________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous trail camera photos and videos: Trail Camera Photos (7/23/2026-7/24/2026) Trail Camera Photos (7/30/2026-7/31/2026) Trail Camera Videos (1/3/2026-1/4/2026) Trail Camera Photos (11/10/2024-11/12/2024)

Thoughts from the Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (8/21/2026)

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 Here are my thoughts from the Green Bay Packers 33-13 win at the Denver Broncos last night: There was quite a bit of improvement versus last week. The offense was finding the endzone all night and the defense was making things difficult for the Broncos. Considering Denver was one game away from the Super Bowl last season, that was an impressive task. Jordan Love may finally have his weapons. Obviously, health remains a concern, especially with receiver Christian Watson, but he seems to have receivers he has full confidence in. I think the less-is-more approach Green Bay took this season, allowing Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks to leave, gave him more of an opportunity to build a rapport with the ones who stayed, especially second-year player Matthew Golden. I liked the aggressiveness on defense. It's something that could be high risk but also has the potential to keep opposing offenses off rhythm, something that becomes important when your secondary is still a work in progress a...

Book Review: There Goes the Bride by M. C. Beaton (2009)

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Synopsis: Even though she has convinced herself she no longer has feelings for her ex-husband, James Lacey, Agatha Raisin is not looking forward to attending his wedding, especially after learning he is having second thoughts about marrying the beautiful and much younger Felicity Bross-Tilkington. The wedding, however, doesn't happen because the bride-to-be is killed while getting ready. After initially being considered a suspect until a hat purchase helped clear her name, Agatha is hired by Felicity's mom to find the killer. She agrees and gets help from her protege/rival Toni but, as the case progresses self-doubt and multiple attempts on her life have Agatha considering retirement. Review: While I have never been a big fan of the Agatha Raisin/James Lacey saga, the past few books from this series had me optimistic about There Goes the Bride when I checked it out from the library. As it turns out, it was a book I would consider a let-down. On the surface, the book has an in...

My Thoughts - Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: Spoiler: Bert Gets Married (8/20/2026)

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Synopsis: Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ) and friends are transported to a primitive Pasadena, with huts, no technology and a peaceful civilization that shares everything. While Stuart tries to find a piece of red quartz for the machine, Bert ( Brian Posehn ) falls in love with a native (Zoe Cipres) and Barry ( John Ross Bowie ) quickly makes his own negative mark on their society. My Thoughts:  This was the first episode to fly without the cameo safety net.  A true test of a spin-off series is if it can survive without the references to the original series and for the most part, I thought this one did pretty well. Not having the cameos gave more time for the main characters to do their thing. I liked how this episode reversed things a bit. Usually, the gang arrives in a world that is already screwed up in some way. This time, they arrived in what could arguably be a perfect, peaceful world and were the ones responsible for messing it up. I especially liked how it was a combination ...

Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/20/2026)

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My walk today came with some sadness because I came across a deceased muskrat. I'm not sure what happened to it other than it possibly was attacked by a hawk or something that was then scared off before it could eat. It seemed fairly recent though because the fur looked like it was still wet. Anyway, despite that, it did turn out to be a decent walk. I wound up skipping some trails because I didn't want to scare some green herons that were perched in the way but still got quite a few photos. Here are some of them: This frog was a bit of a surprise because it was some distance away from any of the ponds. Hopefully, it hopped back before it dried out (or was eaten by a snake). I mentioned the green herons. There were multiple birds hanging out around the largest pond, giving me plenty of opportunities to get photos from far enough away to keep from scaring them. I still haven't been able to photograph the large snapping turtles that have been swimming near the shore but did g...