Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - May 18, 2014

Good Sunday morning to you! As it is indeed Sunday morning, it's time for my off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. If you watch The Amazing Race, stop back later tonight for the season finale blog party. But, until then, it's off topic.

Since I have an abundance of photos this week -- baby squirrels, a day in the park -- I'm doing something a bit different. I'm posting three slideshows of related photos along with the links to look at the photos one by one. This probably isn't something I'll do every week. But I had just too many photos I wanted to post this week.

Not a heck of a lot is going on here. Thankfully, after this coming week, I'll be on a staycation. I wasted so much of my paid time off from work being in ill health this year that this is the first real ME time I've taken since last fall. Oy! I really need it.

My apartment hallway has been a bit quieter since my neighbors and I all said something about going to the landlord about too many people living in that one one-bedroom apartment. I'm sure the quiet won't last. But now we know that they know they could get the boot. I really can't imagine so many people in this place -- at least seven! Heck, I've got enough room for Vincent and me!

Oh, well ... onto the photos!

Hanging in there

The now adolescent squirrels are exploring and playing all over the bridge at the Bridgewater Train Station. A metal mesh covering attached over part of the bridge near their nest provides the perfect place for them to hone their climbing skills. One of the slideshows after the page break has more coverage of their antics. I've discovered there are three babies, not just the one I initially saw with Mom Squirrel. They're exploring their world, but aren't to the point of leaving the bridge itself on their own yet.

Tough love

Sink or swim, ducky boy! The mother duck at Mindowaskin Park in Westfield pushes her young into the pond. One of the slideshows included on the next page has many more ducking photos.

Early morning Presbyterian

The early sun catches to top of the local Presbyterian Church in my 'hood. The dogwood is blooming and a bush of red azaleas brightens the hedge. Some years back I wouldn't be able to see that red door from this angle due to all the trees. Storms, not only but including Sandy, have blown down more trees than those remaining on the property.

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

The first slideshow I'm posting is of the adolescent squirrels. If you want to look at the photos more in depth or the slideshow doesn't work for you, I've set up a separate album for the squirrel shots at this link on my Photobucket site.

Not on 8th Ave., not NY

This new deli is on Broad Street in Westfield, a few doors down from the Rialto Theater. I might stop in the next time I'm in that neighborhood.

The poison ivy is looking healthy!

Sure, it might not be healthy for some people who might come in contact with it. But, some years, the leaves get gall mites and looks really shabby. It's early in the season, of course.

Dandelion of the week

I don't think this is the common dandelion. However, it's GOT to be related!

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The following slideshow is of my day (okay, an hour or two) spent at Mindowaskin Park on Wednesday. Work has been very stressful as of late and I find the park on a day when the kids are in school blissfully relaxing. It's a shame that adjacent to the park on one side there's a day care or or something similar where the kids are outdoors SCREAMING on nice days. I don't recall being allowed to constantly scream at school recess. Yet, they scream. Nowadays, their indulgent parents probably allow them to scream at home, too. As with the squirrels, I created a Photobucket for this album. This link will take you to the album where you can check out the shots one by one or make the images larger.

What the ...?

I guess that this is maybe a huge inflatable dog (Scottish Terrier?) in front of the TD Ball Park in Bridgewater by the train station. I'm not sure of what their mascot is ... and I'm too lazy to look it up. Perhaps it's the giant union strike inflatable rat in disguise!

Shades of green

This is one of the shots I took at Mindowaskin Park. The brick building in the background is the Westfield Police Department. As I watched Fargo this past week, creepy killer Lorne Malvo posed the question, "Did you know the human eye can see more shades of green than any other color? My question for you, is why?" Molly, the only cop with an actual brain, said it's because it dates back to when humans were prey and predators. That's not too far off from reality -- not only is green in the middle of the color spectrum (thus drawing more derivative colors), but man's adaptation to nature has nurtured this visibility of more green shades.

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 Then there's the Flowers of the Week slideshow! As with the other two, I set up a Photobucket album specifically for them. To view the photos one by one or look at larger images (click on the magnifying glass lower photo corner of the image at Photobucket -- you can make the image large or REALLY large), the album is at this link.

Who let the cat out of the bag?

When I go to Trader Joe's, I usually take reusable bags. But I often end up with one or two of their brown paper grocery bags. Theoretically, I like to use them in my recyclables bin as they're the prefect size. More often than not, Vincent gets one. Normal cats would go inside the bag. Vincent attacks the bag, ripping off hunks of it with his teeth, spitting them out and hiding his toys under the bag, then attacking it.