Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - September 13, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photographs I've taken along the way; This post is a year 'round "feature" on the blog. If you're looking for Big Brother posts, they can all be found at this link right here. If you're not interested in this particular post, please feel free to skip on by it. I'll be posting a Big Brother blog party post coinciding with the East Coast airing of the show and, late this evening, another live feeds post. Stay tuned.

Yes, I'm finally at staycation! This week I do have a lot of things I want to get done. I have to choose photos to enter in the photo contest. I have work I want to do on a few old computers to get the information (and photos!) off of the hard drives. I have to consult a lawyer over some issues (not criminal, mind you). I need to watch all of the TV shows I've recorded. I want to organize stuff here at home and get rid of unused items and clothes that will never fit me again. I'd like to go into the city, perhaps tomorrow, to photo stomp the Feast of San Genaro and parts of Chinatown. The last time I went was on a weekend and it was packed. Monday might be better! I also want one or two mornings at the park now that kids have returned to school. Oh, and so much more planned for the week!

But I will indeed take time to rest and relax, too.

This past week at work was work although severely shortened in the number of days. Labor Day is a paid holiday for me and I took a paid vacation day for yesterday. So, technically, I had a three day work week. However, things change. I ended up going in for about three hours on Monday at an exorbitant rate of pay. Hey, they wanted me. I certainly didn't ASK to work!

The week was record-breaking heat (and humidity) at its start, then rain and a return to more seasonable temperatures. Once we get by iffy weather today, it looks like clear sailing and more seasonable.

In home life, things have been back to their normal quiet since last week's excitement. About the most disruptive thing is that I've decided the guy upstairs needs a new vacuum cleaner. He has wall-to-wall carpet and vacuums rarely or when I'm not at home. He vacuumed yesterday and I swear it sounded like a helicopter trying to land and moving around his apartment! Here I have hardwood floors throughout and Swiffer does the trick. My handheld vacuum can deal with the few small area rugs I have. I do have a good working real vacuum, but I'll hang onto it. I don't want to have to buy another one if the day comes that I'll need it. I doubt I'll live here forever.

Enough ... onto this week's photos! Clicking on a photo will bring up a larger version.

Vincent

He's looking all sweet and innocent. But, give him some catnip and all heck can break loose! Oh, wait. He's not sweet and innocent ... he's checking out the bird in the photo below!

A mourning dove

Perhaps in mourning; I didn't see its mate. I swear this one has been zooming out of the underbrush so quickly every day that I wasn't sure what it was. But, I caught it zooming then sitting one day. Like a pigeon, but not.

Cool old Thunderbird

I saw this car on East 4th Street in Plainfield, fantastic condition. Its windows were down and I didn't see an owner around. If it were MY car, I wouldn't take those risks. But, I'd bet a lot of today's car thieves wouldn't know how to drive it anyway!

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

Begonias look better after a bit of rain

Where these begonias are is located in shade most of the day. Deprive them of both sunshine and rain and you get some sad little begonias. This week's rain perked them up some.

Ready to be stunning!

I think it is a double hibiscus

Someone mentioned last week that this flower might be a double hibiscus. It's in the planters with the regular hibiscus and its leaves look very similar.

There it is again!

These will soon be replaced with mums.

Waning sunflowers

I took this shot on the corner of East Second Street with the old Lincoln School on Berckman Street in the background.

Sometimes I feel this way.

After the rain poured down on a fading blossom.

Let it rain and you get ...

... various mushrooms and toadstools all over the place. I did see some very cool blinding white differently-shaped fungi, but they didn't photograph well. Naturally, they all shriveled up by the end of the day.

Not this season's nest

This nest is one I photographed either last year or the year before, built in a small pipe on the fence at the Bridgewater Train Station. I saw this on the ground, as well as that section of pipe. It would have served the vandal right had it been an active nest!

Plump pigeon

Under the bridge in Bridgewater. I used the flash which made his eyes look more brown than orange.

Pigeon-holed

Someone (workers, I assume) took out the plywood which used to sit in the frames under the bridge at the Bridgewater Train Station. Why there are pipes, I don't know. I'd guess they date back to when the Calco Chemical Plant sat on the grounds. Remember, this train station sits on the edge of a Superfund Pollution site. I know there's a sinkhole leading into the bridge at one point where the plywood has not been removed. All three of the bridges at the station have stalactites formed. It's creepy when they drip on you, summer and winter. The stalagmites on the walkway are mere lumps due to foot traffic over them.

After the rain

No photos! No photos!

Darn paparazzi woke me up! Let me get back to sleep!