I went back to work this week after my very relaxing staycation the previous week. Sigh. Sometimes I think I should never take time off. I'm not keen on drama in my life as I get older. Sure, I like challenges. But ... sheesh ... why do I always seem to come in to major technical glitches, systems down and dealing with the company's Helpless Desk? Both Monday and Tuesday had their share of technical woes. Woe is me.
On the home front, the new landlord is still gung-ho on the place. Tree trimming, replacing boards in the stockade fencing on one side of the property, installing a fortified locked door with a mail slot for us to leave service requests and rent checks and even vacuuming daily (not just when it looks bad). While talking to the office, I found out they're planning on putting in security cameras in various places as well as changing trash removal companies. No more PMUA for here.
Maybe they can catch whomever stole the front page and second section of my newspaper last Sunday -- the first time ever delivered -- if they do it again. Grr. I never had delivery because I figured it would be stolen. And, sure enough ... my paper last week started with the real estate section.
I'm only getting the Sunday paper due to the paywall now in effect for the Courier News. I used to buy it daily and read online. Then, as the price of the paper went up and the paper got so flimsy, I just read online. Now, you can only read ten articles in 30 days without being shut down and asked to subscribe.
As I really like and want to support the reporter (Mark Spivey) who covers this area, I decided I'd go for the subscription. It's $12 for total online access including a mock-up of the physical paper which I couldn't access before. However, it's only $8 a month for all online and Sunday actual paper delivery. Hmm ... four dollars less and you get an actual Sunday paper. Well, duh. Even if it does get stolen (or parts thereof), it makes more sense.
Yeah, I'm cheap.
This week I made sure to get dressed and go down to get the paper by 6:10am. While I'm usually up at that hour, if I'm not going to work, I'm not ready to face the world. Yep, the paper was intact and there. What's weird was that I heard a TV across the hall at Crazy Joe's (and he's retired, not necessarily a morning person) and, upon returning to my apartment with the paper, both neighbors on either side of me were coming out of their apartments. Wow, It must be early bird day!
On another building note, I noticed a package sitting atop the mailboxes the other day. I usually check them out just in case someone is sending me something. If it's a package for someone I know, I'll snag it and deliver it to their apartment. Others do the same for me. Oh my. This one was addressed to Carlos Santana. I didn't know he lived here!
;-)
Onto the photos for this week. Clicking on an image will open it in a new window, another click will make it larger and closing that window will land you right back here on the blog.
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| Colorful weed |
These blossoms are quite small and seem very short-lived. But, aren't they cool?
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| Um. It's New Jersey, what can I say? |
Okay ... this trio got off the NJ Transit train in Bound Brook yesterday. I just don't know. It's not Halloween and it's not time for an evening costume party. So I can only assume it's something in the water here.
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| Bee staredown |
The bees here are still very small and tend not to sit still for long. But I got this one close up and personal!
***CLICK ON THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS***
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| Pretty little weeds |
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| A bit closer |
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| In black and white |
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| How does your garden grow? |
That house at the corner of Richmond and East Front Street in Plainfield has such a lovely array of flowers!
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| With pretty pink flowers |
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| Plainfield Train Station berries |
I see these every year at the Watchung and North Avenue corner of the train station. I really think they could be blackberries. However, I'm not going to eat any!
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| Bike parking? |
Cheap! Cheap! I saw this small motorcycle parked in the bike rack nightly as I returned from work. Now, I do believe that's not the kind of bike which is meant for the rack. It has a license plate and should be paying for an actual parking spot.
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| Eek. A bug. |
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| Fuzzy fungi |
This fungus is growing on a tree in Bridgewater. Very fuzzy!
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| Keeper of the light |
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| Vibrant! |
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| Berry nice fence |
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| Raindrops |
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| Plainfield Train Station |
I had to go to this side of the station to buy my monthly train pass Monday morning. The ticket agent and ticket vending machines are only on the eastbound side. I go westbound to work. Usually I pick up my monthly from the vending machine my last return from work prior to a new month. This time the month changed while I was on vacation, necessitating the trip to the far side.
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| Everybody must get stoned |
What are those specks on my otherwise clean floor? CATNIP! Of course, Vincent doesn't need catnip to lie on his back. He's the most back-sleeping cat I've ever known in my life!
How was your week?
7 comments:
If the train station berries are on a tree with smooth bark, they're mulberries. They're ready to eat if they come off easily. They are delicious fresh and warm off the tree, but lose their flavor quickly when stored. (Go ahead and eat the stem. It comes with the berries.)
(Blackberries are on an arching prickly cane.)
P.S. Don't touch those red berries! If they're what I think they are, they'll give you the mother of all bellyaches.
The new landlord's attentions would worry me. Landlords don't do more than they have to just for their love of tenants. Either there's a quick turnover in the future, or a rent increase. They DO love higher paying tenants. I hope I'm just being cynical.
The birds and deer don't even eat the red berries in that fence shot. I can't recall what they are, but I do remember from childhood summer camp that they're poisonous.
As for higher paying tenants, alas ... I already am one due to the last scheming (now federally charged facing millions in fines and up to 20 years jail time). In the six years he had the building, he jacked my rent up each year. Yet, towards the end, new tenants were paying $400 or more less than I was for completely refurbished apartments.
Any of those tenants remaining are still paying much less than I am. Plus, although some renovation has been done here, if I move major renovation would probably be a must -- new kitchen cabinets, new bathtub, new toilet, new tiling on the bathroom walls.
I'll know within the month of any increase. I think they're probably going to want to keep me.
Even if the "mulberries" are normally edible, I would not eat them, since I would have no knowledge of what herbicides and pesticides they might have been exposed to. You're not out in the woods there!
The yellow flower with purple fuzzy things in the middle is Moth Mullein. The flowers grow on a stalk and open in sequence. It is a fantastic sight close up - one of my favorite wild flowers. Even the buds are exquisite. They look like fancy little packages in lovely shadings of color.
Russ - Not to worry. I only get my berries from supermarkets and farmers markets these days.
Bernice - Thank you! It is a beautiful little wildflower. They're growing (along with tons of poison ivy) throughout the approach to the Bridgewater Train Station.
Hi Jackie,
Thank for your sunday photo's
Joey want to know, do you have any clue about this new glass house show that CBS sue ABC about and if you think it is really like big brother?
Joey said Hi to all AND HOPE ALL IS WELL AND SAFE.
We love you, Jackie and hope you are having a good weekend.
JULIE AND JOEY
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