Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - May 13, 2012

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. 

First, I'd like to wish all of the mothers out there a happy Mothers Day! May you be pampered, fussed over and fed all day long! Well, all day until the Survivor: One World season finale, that is. Yep, 8pm EDT I expect many of you right here for the big blog party!

Since I touched on television, I might as well run with it for the moment. Guess what? TNT sent me the first four episodes of Falling Skies (season premiere June 17) for review purposes. Woohoo! Now, I just need time to watch them! I'm looking forward to the return of that show. Once I get them watched, I'll post about them. (Yay!)

They also sent me seven hours of the new Dallas series, also premiering in June. Unfortunately, I just cannot watch seven hours of Dallas -- I never got into the original series. I gave them to a friend who's a huge fan of the show. He's going to report back to me.

On the home front, life in my apartment, building, and neighborhood is just fine. I do feel safe here, even at night. I have good neighbors and all is well. That said, just beyond my immediate neighborhood, on a route I walk daily ... there was a murder. It happened at about 4:15am, an hour when I might be up but I'm not walking to the train station! I generally leave a couple of hours later to catch the first westbound train. 

Nonetheless, this latest murder is unsettling. It doesn't seem to be gang or drug related. It was a hard working Hispanic man a few years younger than me just waiting for his ride to work. It appears to have been a robbery from the reports I read. 4:15am is not a time to be on the streets here. There's hardly anyone out and about at that hour. When I go through, there are several folks I see each day. A robbery isn't likely then. I hope someone saw something or knows something and comes forward. 

The police were still arriving to the scene as I passed through that morning. Thankfully, the body was covered and I didn't see any signs of blood, etc. Had there not been all the police around, I might not have even realized there was a body under the covering. As I passed by, I first thought it was a pedestrian struck as the body was adjacent to the crosswalk. I'm so leery of people running lights early in the mornings! But all the NYC news helicopters and the tons of Plainfield and Union County police seemed to indicate more than a hit and run accident. A victim of gunfire. Sigh.

Anyway ... onto this week's photos. Clicking on an image will open it in a new window, clicking again will make it larger. Closing the new window will land you right back here on the blog.    

Squirrel on duty

This squirrel was kind enough to pose for me Saturday morning in the sunshine. It rained and/or was windy for most of the week. East Front Street, Plainfield.

Help me! Help me!

Oh no! The fly (left) is stuck on the azalea! Bridgewater.

Damselfly on poison ivy

I had my first damselfly sighting Friday afternoon on my commute home. Yes, that was when the sun broke through! Like the squirrel, he was kind enough to pose for me. They are so hard to photograph with detail as they're not much larger than a big sewing needle ... in flight, they're impossible.

***CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS!***

Now arriving at the train station

Plainfield Train Station. These trees bear the coolest fruit/berries in the fall. Nothing you can eat, I don't think. But cool anyway.

Poison ivy berries

Aren't they pretty? Bridgewater Train Station

New blossoms this week

Bridgewater Train Station

HUGE mushroom

East Front Street, Plainfield

Small mushrooms

The rainfalls have brought the return of the 'shrooms to East Front Street in Plainfield.

The sun came out!

After a week of clouds and rain, the sun broke through just as I was arriving to work on Friday morning. Note the orange and black beetle in the upper left of this photo. I don't know what it is, but they're all over these bushes each season. Bridgewater, NJ

Oh you pansies!

Fenced in flowers

This is the lawn on the corner of Richmond and East Front which is decked out for each holiday throughout the year and flowering all summer. I've talked to the woman who lives there. She likes that I take photos of her flowers!

Rhododendron now in bloom

Berckman Street, Plainfield

More azaleas

The murder police

These two Union County police vehicles went screaming by me as I left my apartment Thursday morning ... my first indication that something was wrong somewhere. I caught up with them two blocks from home. Regular readers will recognize the Supremo Supermarket as I've often photographed this intersection in the blog photos. East Front and Roosevelt, Plainfield.

Donate blood now?

I didn't realize the taped flyer looking for blood donations was there when I took this shot of the homicide under investigation. In the newspaper photographs of the scene, this whole area was blocked off with crime scene tape and no one could get through. However, when I walked by, they just had a small area taped off. 

I hope someone comes forward

Please.

Um. Okay.

Not related to the homicide scene, I saw this on the ledge by the Plainfield Train Station. I don't know. Really. North Avenue, Plainfield.

Speed demon

I've noticed more and more skateboarders in the city the past few years. As long as they're careful in traffic and don't run over pedestrians, have fun kids! There are far worse things teenagers could be doing in town. Watchung Avenue and East Fourth Street, Plainfield. I edited the shot to leave only the skateboarder in color -- too many red cars in that lot drawing attention to the cars and not the kid!

Does this tail make my butt look big?

Heehee. A female mockingbird in Bridgewater, NJ.

Cat treats, please

Vincent thinks he should get cat treats for Mothers Day. I tried telling him he's not a mother, will never be a mother. I didn't remind him he'll never be a father either. I thought that would be too much of a crushing blow.

How was your week? Any big Mothers Day plans?