Daily Photos

< April 2020 >

April 1, 2020
My first staff meeting conducted remotely. This is all I would need to get me to work and back. My favorite THING in front of my favorite HOUSE. Three of this car`s four tires were flat. Me, in a big blue ball.

April 2, 2020
My first butterfly of the season. My first roller skater of the season. My first dead fish of the season. Not my first daffodil of the season. That ol` man river, he don`t say nothing, but he must know something `cause he just keeps rolling, he keeps rolling along. OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II

April 3, 2020
Gone fishin`. It`s possible to do both. So much work to do! Today was a disaster, but if it had gone as planned I wouldn`t have been here at the right place and time. So many places to go!

April 4, 2020
Oh my stars. Quiet miracles are happening around us all the time. In the Oregon District, this isn`t unusual at all. Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it seems as though they`re here to stay. JOHN LENNON First quarter report:  oh well, I didn`t want to retire.

April 5, 2020
Manmade buildings are no match for nature. Wondering if I have any spare walnuts. Spring is springing. It will be soon. I was actually taller than this blooming tree.

April 6, 2020
They say that opposites attract.  Maybe that`s why I  like the vivid colors and extravagant contours of spring. Good bee!  Stay . . . staaaay. And then there`s the first butterfly of the season that isn`t a cabbage white (see April 2 above). Pompadours are coming back in style. Look at this and tell me why anyone would ever prefer fall or winter.

April 7, 2020
How about some spring flowers for a change? Look -- flowers in the sky this time! This innocent tulip was cruelly torn from a flower bed and given to a small child for an Easter photo shoot, and then heartlessly tossed on the grass afterward. There was a distinct lack of trust between Mrs. Mallard and myself. It feels good to get out of quarantine for a while.

April 8, 2020
When I go to work at 5:30am, I observe things I normally don`t, like the Sea of Tranquility. The swinging benches have been removed to prevent people from getting close (see August 11, 2017, and June 9, 2010). Ever seen two herons together?  Me neither. If you ever mess up, I`ll be there to take a picture of it. People who exercise make me tired (see April 7 above).

April 9, 2020
My radio station works hard to keep Beethoven alive. I hope everything is fine at your house. Don`t lose it. The beautiful, bountiful gifts of springtime. I have no prejudice against dandelions.

April 10, 2020
It`s ironic that the only toilet paper I could find will be shipped from China. After weeks of isolation, only today did I finally resort to cleaning.  It`s extremely low on my priority list. The whole world has turned upside down. Hmm, that can`t be right. I`ve been taking a lot of pictures of words lately, but they signify the state of the world right now.

April 11, 2020
ALL.  DAY.  LONG.  This crow was in a noisy panic over something in this tree.  Whatever it was, it didn`t budge. Miles away, there was another battle for air superiority between an angry woodpecker and a squatting starling. Meanwhile, the nuthatches were getting along fine.  One would tweet a question and another sing back a reply. This robin was very relaxed and let me get close enough to smell worms on its breath. Apparently photo shoots are essential.  They were going on all over the park today.

April 12, 2020
The best things in life are temporary and I need to make an effort to appreciate them before they disappear. Now when I remember spring, and every little lovely thing, I will be remembering the shadow of your smile. PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER My head`s all right, an` my heart`s meller, but I`m a easy-goin` feller. PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR Mischief. There`s very little traffic these days, so going through a red light is understandable.  I did lots of jaywalking today.

April 13, 2020
Quarantine will make me fat (see March 31, 2020). My friend, the author (see December 28, 2019). I`m not going out today or tomorrow.  Germs out there. My office is a cave within a cave, but when I work from home I can look out the window. I heard church bells ringing and I wondered, `Is it twelve o`clock already?`  Uh, no.  It`s easy to lose track of time.

April 14, 2020
I love watching the sunset.  [Alternate caption:  When the day`s first photo is taken at 7:15pm, there`s a problem.] I do not share my living space. Working from home, I have learned which of my neighbors clean up after their dog. April 14, 2020:  when the highlight of my day was eating a brownie (see April 13 above). Desperate times call for desperate measures.

April 15, 2020
Mr. Mallard viewed me not with distrust but perhaps mild irritation (see April 7 above). Quick:  what country am I in?  I`ll give you three guesses. Update:  it`s not working (see April 8 above). It was bright and sunny this afternoon . . .  . . . but then the governor canceled spring.

April 16, 2020
Why did he have to wake me up at the crack of noon? I`ve been studying, but I can`t seem to score a 100 (see March 16, 2020). The best picture I`ve ever taken through the window. There was no brownie today to give my life meaning. I shouldn`t even be here!

April 17, 2020
I`ll be occupied until June. They also serve who only stand and wait.  I have nowhere to go for five days. What`s happening outside the OTHER window. If it`s good enough for rabbits, it`s good enough for me. Make yourself comfortable.

April 18, 2020
It felt good to get outside today and breathe fresh air. I enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of springtime -- and yes, I still have my sense of smell, so that`s good. Next week, you`ll be gone, but I appreciate you today. The finest in avian portraiture. Blossoming trees are the sweetest thing about spring.

April 19, 2020
My best voting experience ever is inside this envelope. Thomas Edison would be disappointed to learn we`re still using his inefficient invention 140 years later. Sometimes, too much is just about right. Sunday afternoon diversions. Surf Dayton!

April 20, 2020
It`s nest building time. I photographed this tree on April 18 and was worried because there were no bees.  Today, it was all abuzz. Fluid Dynamics by Jon Barlow Hudson, and a perfectly blue sky. Do you feel like your emotions are all turned around? The secret chalice.

April 21, 2020
Oh, now that really can`t be right (see April 10 above). I was chasing after a mourning dove, but got upgraded. The entire sidewalk was marked with activity instructions (which I did not follow). Japanese maples don`t know what season it is. Are you bringing my toilet paper (see April 10 above)?

April 22, 2020
The custodian where I work said he`d use something called Hot Shot on the ants.  Sounds bad for the ants. When starting a family and choosing a new home, it`s all about location, location, location. Shouldn`t they be six feet apart? For these bountiful gifts, I am truly grateful. Kateri Tekakwitha was a seventeenth-century Mohawk who lived in what is now New York. The first Native American saint, she is patron saint of the environment.

April 23, 2020
Ants march in, but they don`t march out (see April 22 above). Where I used to spend a lot of my time. If I`m unable to work, this machine is ready to take over. It`s organized, in its own chaotic way. At least I have time to back up and organize my photos.

April 24, 2020
Quarantine mood. Only 10 people are supposed to be in the park at a time, but none of the other 17 people left when I walked in. A robin sits pluming his ruddy breast and a madrigal sings to his love in her nest: `Oh the skies they are blue, the fields are green, and the birds in your nest will soon be seen!` PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR Look down and see the treasures near your ankles. SPLASH!

April 25, 2020
When she skates, it`s like a samba that swings so cool and sways so gently that when she passes each one she passes goes `Aaah.` You probably shouldn`t build up there.  It isn`t stable. WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU? The litter of springtime. I saw them from a block away and started walking fast.

April 26, 2020
I am loved most dearly when someone wants my money. There`s one tree in the neighborhood that I keep a close eye on at this time of year (see April 29, 2016). Some things that happen for the first time seem to be happening again.  LORENZ HART (See March 27, 2020) The daffodils have come and gone, the tulips had their moment, and now the irises are ready to take over. Was Charlie Brown here?

April 27, 2020
Did you see that movie `Top Gun`?. Some kinds of birds are easier to hear than see. A queen on her throne. Reports of the end of tulip season have been greatly exaggerated (see April 26 above). Prom pictures for the prom that was canceled.

April 28, 2020
You`re very smart to be very cautious around a goose. I had to duck for the ducks. Turns out the goose is gluten-free. Starlings are a widely hated bird, and for good reason -- but they`re so SHINY! Oh don`t drink that.

April 29, 2020
I took the scenic route home from work. Abraham is my co-pilot. I drive past two Kroger locations to get to a third where they bring groceries to my car.  This is important to me. After picking up groceries, I had about 38 seconds . . .  . . . before it started to rain.

April 30, 2020
Somehow, my hand made it into three of today`s photos. Another day of being essential. There`ll be swinging, swaying, and records playing, dancing in the street! WILLIAM `MICKEY` STEVENSON Coming to the end of Jane Austen`s `Emma.` I`m working, getting paid and feeling healthy, but I`m eager to put this month behind me.