Toledo Perspectives

When A Couple Works From Home

2010-10-03T20:20:00.004-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Pictured on your left is my home office space, a place where I spend up to 10 hours per day in my role as an online instructor. The area might seem a bit cluttered to the casual observer, suggesting the need for a comprehensive document management system, but I find the space to be perfect.

Interestingly, my wife also started working from home this semester, and there has been a bit of an adjustment period for the two of us. We have always worked well together, so that is not the issue, but rather we are trying to get used to working on opposite sides of a 12'x12' room. I suspect that one day we might have to create separate office spaces, but for the moment we manage to share the space with little difficulty.

The most challenging times have been when we are both trying to conduct business over the phone or via a live chat with students, as the space is too small for multiple simultaneous conversations.

Chief Wawatam

2010-09-22T20:04:00.004-04:00

(Mackinaw City, MI) Pictured on your left is a wood carving of Wawatam, an Ojibwa chief whose base was at Michilimackinac. Unlike many tourist attractions, this carving possessed a decided lack of campiness, and I think the artist managed to create a work of art devoid of the sort of kitsch I normally associate with Native American representations.

Still, the chief looks like he could have benefited from learning how to treat eczema, or at least the finished product makes Wawatam look a bit scaly. Maybe the constant exposure to sun, wind, and water have resulted in a skin tone on the carved figure, but Wawatam looks like a thousand miles of bad road here.

Parasailor Landing on a Ship

2010-09-22T19:55:00.003-04:00

(Mackinac Island, MI) If you look closely in the photograph on your left you will see what appears to be a parasailor landing on a passenger ferry in the Straits of Mackinac. I would like to say that I had the presence of mind to have intended to take this picture, but this was really a happy accident: I was simply snapping away with the automatic settings when the boat and the parasailing aficionado happened to occupy the same frame.

I suspect that the parasailor - enthralled at the heights to which he ascended - was spending little of his airborne time pondering the best sources of supplement reviews. Then again, that parasailor might just have been thus engaged in thought.

Rocky Pier

2010-09-22T19:50:00.002-04:00

(Mackinaw City, MI) I recently took the accompanying photograph from the bridge of a Coast Guard cutter near the Mackinac Bridge. I was struck by the way the water to the right of the pier was quite choppy, while the water to the left remained still, almost glass-like in appearance.

One might be tempted to compare the contrasting waters with the gastrointestinal results derived after sampling the products recommended in colon cleanser reviews. This might not be applauded in polite company, but let's face facts: at times everyone needs to engage in bowel cleansing of one sort or another.

Buskers in the Sun

2010-09-22T19:43:00.002-04:00

(Montreal, QC) I came across the following musicians near the near the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal recently. The young men were engaged in the time-honored moneymaking tradition of busking, and the pair drew quite a crowd on the sunny Sunday afternoon.

None of the songs they crooned contained references to diet pill reviews, but admittedly my spoken French is quite poor. For all I know the men were singing tunes about Daffy Duck or King Leopold I, but it was the music that entranced me, not the lyrics.

Montreal Graffiti

2010-09-22T19:29:00.005-04:00

(Montreal, QC) I came across the following graffiti on a recent trip to Montreal. The graffiti artist chose a wall on an abandoned building near the Jean-Talon Market for the development of this mural-like work.

The artist seems to be making a statement about environmental pollution related to rail lines, but I do not know enough about local politics to make more than a passing guess as to the true intent of the artist. I suspect that it is safe to say that weight loss pills Australia – were among the items not on the artist's primary concerns, but even this product could be in the realm of possibilities.

Teddy Bear Sunflower

2010-09-22T19:20:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) This has been something of a banner year in my yard for the variety of sunflower known as the Teddy bear sunflower. I planted two packets of these seeds, perhaps totalling three dozen seeds in all, and the propagation rate was quite high: I suspect that 80 to 90 percent of these seeds germinated.

The delicate flowers of the Teddy bear sunflower are quite elegant, almost looking as though they would be appropriate for a formal occasion, like being worn on prom dresses. The flowers are also quite hardy, and they grow well in full sun to partial shade conditions.

These sunflowers, moreover, attract quite a variety of pollinating insects, and I saw quite a few interesting butterflies and moths lighting on the blossoms.

Helianthus Occidentalis Redux

2010-09-12T19:19:00.000-04:00

(Perrysburg, OH) Pictured are some yellow wildflowers near a quarry along Interstate 75 in Northwest Ohio. The scientific name for the plants is Helianthus occidentalis, though most folks know them as the Western sunflower.

You likely will not find many of these flowers in tropical regions, as they are typically found only in the most northern Florida counties. Rather, the Western sunflower is a staple of the Midwest and Upper South, the sort of traditional flower that has physical and historical roots in the middle of the North American continent.

Red Sunflower, Blue Sky

2010-09-01T16:39:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I was snapping a bunch of pictures of flowers and plants in my yard today, and most of the images I captured were quite dull. However, my eyes gravitated toward the image of the red sunflower on your left, which seemed to glow with an almost surreal quality.

I especially liked the ring of yellow hues right around the center of the flower, which served as a sort of halo effect. There are some imperfections on the flower, but they are not enough to detract from the overall aesthetics of the image.

Despite the bright mid-afternoon sun, I think the flash may have gone off during this image. This might account for some of the brilliance of the foreground image, especially the way the yellow tinges on the flower's petal seem to jump out at you.

Mackinac Bridge

2010-08-16T20:16:00.002-04:00

(St. Ignace, MI) I took the photograph on your left while sailing on a schooner in the Straits of Mackinac last weekend. The view is from the near northwest side of the bridge, perhaps two miles from the northern coast of the Upper Peninsula.

The schooner excursion was one of the most pleasant ways to spend a few hours on a summer evening that I can recall. My wife and I traveled with my brother, my sister, and their spouses (along with a handful of other guests), and these hours on the water were among the most peaceful in my entire life.

I vow to spend more time away from work and enjoying the company of my family.

Female Goldfinch

2010-08-04T11:55:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) There has been a flurry of activity among the American goldfinches that take up residence near my house. The female goldfinch pictured on your left is eating a piece of a sunflower head in a stand of sunflowers I have growing in my yard.

This has been a banner year for goldfinches, perhaps in no small part due to the quantity of sunflowers I planted. I think there are a dozen nesting pairs within 100 yards of my house, at least based on the traffic my sunflowers are attracting (I could provide greater accuracy in the count if there were avian accounting equivalents of POS systems). If I continue to provide thistle seed in the bird feeders this winter, they might stick around all year (they tend to migrate by November or so).

Honey Bee With Pollen Baskets

2010-08-03T18:11:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Pictured on your left is a honey bee visiting one of my sunflowers, and this particular bee is laden with a considerable amount of pollen in its pollen baskets. At first glance I thought this was some unusual variety of honey bee, but after I magnified the image I noticed that this was simply a bee with a very full load to bring back to the hive.

No thinking involved here: just work, work, and work.

Dressing Up Dead Spaces

2010-08-03T16:31:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I have been consciously re-evaluating some of the areas of my yard that I previously wrote off as "dead spaces. Pictured on your left is an area that is heavily shaded and that had been dominated by a rather unruly weigela bush. After cutting back the branches and sculpting the bush into a more tame state, I considered options to brighten up this otherwise dull area.

My wife suggested a few guacamole hostas to contrast with both the shade and the dark leaves of the weigela bush. I also added some color and definition with the paving bricks you see in the picture. While this space will win no honors at a Better Homes and Gardens review, nonetheless the area is brighter and more eye-appealing.

Giant Marigold

2010-08-03T16:11:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) The seed packaged advertised these marigolds as "giant," and the superlative terminology accurately described the flowers that are now beginning to emerge in my yard. The flower heads of these yellow and orange beasts are about eight inches across, and they provide a burst of color in the late summer and early fall; this is akin to the effect of adding Casablanca fans to small bedrooms.

Some gardeners despise the lowly marigold, but I enjoy the colors they provide, their low maintenance, and the fact that you receive many months of beauty for a relatively inexpensive investment. Even better, marigolds sometimes re-seed themselves, meaning you can derive several years of horticultural enjoyment for a few dollars worth of seed.

Color Contrast in Gardens

2010-08-01T19:39:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I have been experimenting with colors in some of my gardens the past year, and in the accompanying photograph you can see an example of this approach. Previously this display around the base of a red maple tree contained lilies and decorative grass, but yesterday I relocated the lilies to another spot in my yard and replaced them with some chartreuse-hued hostas.

When the hostas fill in the space there will be an eye-appealing blend of colors, and I think these lighter hostas will brighten up this space considerably. The art of blending colors in a garden space does not require a great deal of skill, unlike the sort of knowledge one would gain at Forex training seminars, but with some practice and experimentation there is much enjoyment that can be derived from color contrasting.

Yellow Sunflower, Gray Skies

2010-07-25T10:14:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Even the overcast skies above could not dampen the radiance of this yellow sunflower on this dreary Sunday morning. In fact, up close this sunflower seemed to act like a substitute for the sun, yellow rays streaming outward like those of the plant's namesake.

As a wise man once said: "Rain....I don't mind. Shine....the weather's fine."

Backlit Yellow Daylily

2010-07-24T17:35:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) The evening sun shining through the center petals of this yellow daylily created an effect that reminded me of a fiery light, or perhaps even a small star. I think the yellow coloring magnified the radiance of the sunlight, making the plant glow with an unnatural brilliance.

The mid-90s heat of this sweltering Saturday also made the fluorescence of this yellow daylily seem more incendiary. The flower appeared to glow as if it possessed a fire of its own, an internal and infernal flame that could sear the picket fence behind it.

Pale Yellow Swallowtail

2010-07-22T20:36:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) When I first stepped outside this afternoon and saw the pale yellow swallowtail pictured on your left, I thought it was a piece of paper blowing in the wind. The butterfly was quite large, with a wingspan of perhaps seven inches, and it erratically flitted between some marigolds and roses in one of my gardens.

It finally settled down enough to get some decent pictures.

Though certainly not as beautiful as the yellow swallowtail, the website eBillme.com offers some useful coupons. At eBillme you get online access to over 800 major retailers, and you can choose from a variety of secure payment methods. Using eBillme also reduces the likelihood that your personal data will be stolen, and the company offers fraud protection and price guarantees.

The yellow swallowtail, though, probably spends little time with consumer issues more complex than the location of the next source of nectar.

Rain Soaked Daylilies

2010-07-22T16:47:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) We purchased some late-blooming daylilies last year, and these flowers continue to provide our gardens with extra color at a time when the hot summer sun is browning most of the yards around us. The lilies pictured on your left caught some raindrops from a brief passing storm system today, and the water on the plants made for a captivating image.

We also shopped around for outdoor fireplaces last year, and we were pleased with the nights we could spend listening to the crackle of logs after appreciating the beauty of the gardens during the day. I think there is something eternal and hardwired into us that makes us find a cozy fire so enjoyable.

More evenings in front of the fire!

Backlit Sunflower

2010-07-15T13:39:00.001-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I planted a section of yellow sunflowers this spring in a corner of my yard, and the plants are now approaching nine feet in height. The flower heads atop the sunflower stalks are bright yellow, though they are not of the massive two-foot variety I imagined.

However, these plants will be providing 3-4 flowers per stalk, which I suppose ranks them a bit higher in the Department of Color Quantity. This would be like receiving a dozen term life insurance quotes with a single query, I suppose.

Another interesting aspect of these particular sunflowers is that each of the flowers has its own heliotropic behavior. I initially thought that the first flower would dictate the direction the plant ultimately faced, but the mechanism than controls heliotropism is apparently just below the bud for each blossom.

Black Eyed Susans

2010-07-15T13:33:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Over the past few years I have been cultivating a few varieties of Rudbeckia hirta, which are better known by the common name Black-eyed Susan. I think that the reason why these members of the Aster family appeal to me so much is that I recall playing in a field filled with these bright yellow flowers as a child near my grandparents' house.

The arrival of Black-eyed Susans reminds me of a time in my life when I was unencumbered by the sorts of adult worries and concerns that occasionally weigh me down today. While I am not exactly searching for top rated diet pills these days, the summers I spent running through a field of Black-eyed Susans was a time when health and weight were a million miles away from my thoughts.

Birthday Cake Graffiti

2010-07-13T15:43:00.002-04:00

(Montreal, Quebec) While vacationing in Montreal a few weeks ago I cam across an unusual example of highway graffiti. Pictured on your left is an urban artist's rendition of a birthday cake, replete with candles.

It appears that the birthday cake was directed toward a specific person, in this case a 10-year-old child. The colorful birthday pastry was adorned with lots of gooey-looking blue frosting and red candies, leading me to hope that - if there was a real-life model upon which the graffiti cake was based - the recipient of the cake also took a daily multivitamin to balance the sugar overdose with some healthy nutritional supplements.

In most of the parts of the United States in which I have lived, graffiti is seen as a nuisance or even as a sign of urban blight. Yet in much of the rest of the world graffiti is considered to be a legitimate art form, and foreigners are often puzzled at the vehemence against graffiti that many Americans display.

Fuchsia-and-Yellow Daylily

2010-07-04T19:25:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) The sun in this image provides backlight to this daylily, and the effect of the sun's light is to brighten the colors on the petals. The flower's true colors could best be described as fuchsia-hued, and there are some interesting saffron hues in the center of the petals.

I think the image would have been improved had I waited another hour to take the photograph, as the 6:30 pm summer sun was still a bit too bright for capturing the essence of this flower. Yet I am pleased enough with the picture to post it on the blog, and being obsessed with perfection would mean that I would have little time left to simply enjoy the colors of summer.

Gotta do more of that, especially since I have more free time due to my stay-at-home work helping students pursue an online degree.

Crimson Daylily

2010-06-23T19:12:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I purchased a variety of daylilies from a local grower in Lambertville last year, and I am highly impressed with their quality. At the risk of hyperbole, this grower is to daylilies as Vacheron Constantin is to watches: high quality, stunning beauty, and unexcelled durability.

This particular crimson daylily created an eye-appealing contrast against the dark green of other plants in my garden when I took this image. There was also an interesting glistening effect after a late afternoon shower that made the daylily look like Italian gelato.

Time for a frozen treat break.

Ten Cent Marigolds

2010-06-23T19:06:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Last fall I purchased a bunch of seed packets at a local Rite Aid store. Now, I do not normally rely upon a chain pharmacy to supply my gardening needs, but at the closeout price of a dime a pack I could hardly pass up these flower and vegetable seeds. After all, even if they failed to germinate I would only be out two dollars or so.

Interestingly, the marigolds pictured on your left are from a single 10-cent pack of seeds. I have several large plant containers around the yard that feature some of these ridiculously inexpensive displays, and I would have paid ten dollars or more to get this many flowers if I purchased them by the flat.

Marigolds provide season-long color that screams at you, the kind of colorful brilliance you would expect from a Samsung HDTV, except in real life.

Go figure.

Early Summer Dahlia

2010-06-23T18:58:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) The exceptionally warm spring we experienced in Northwest Ohio has translated into some unusually early blossoms. Pictured on your left is a red-and-pink Dahlia that emerged the other morning a few weeks ahead of schedule.

Dahlias in this area are fickle and delicate plants, and the rhizomes of most will not survive a winter underground in this region. If these were underwater plants, they probably would not need aquatic weed control beyond a quick chopping with a scythe.

Still, Dahlias bring color several months of the year, carrying well into autumn around these parts. I suppose this makes the digging up and storage of rhizomes worth the effort.

Raspberry Daylily

2010-06-17T13:35:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Pictured on your left is a daylily I noticed in my neighbor's yard the other day. There was a sense of raspberry that entered my mind when I first noticed this flower, though in the image the pink hues seem stronger than I remembered.

I briefly thought about raspberry sherbet (in a moment when apidexin and weight loss were not top-of-mind) and then the word "raspberry" reminded me of the Prince song "Raspberry Beret," one of my favorite tunes by the Minneapolis songwriter.

Stopping to photograph the flowers sometimes does this to me.

Downtown Montreal

2010-06-05T15:24:00.004-04:00

(Montreal, QC) I took the accompanying photograph from atop Mont Royal, the small mountain that to the north of the city of Montreal's central business district. My wife and I made the mistake of climbing Mont Royal via a direct route to the top, and we were a bit chagrined that we did not take the time to learn that an STM bus route regularly deposits sightseers at the top of the mountain.

It took my calves and ankles a few days to forget the surprisingly strenuous effort required to ascend Mont Royal. We are yet at the age where wrinkle creams are of concern to us, but these 46-year-old legs definitely ached in response to our vigorous exercise.

My advice: either take the bus or walk the paved paths, which trade distance for elevation.

Mentor Marsh: Aerial View

2010-06-04T21:30:00.003-04:00

(Lake, OH) While flying from Cleveland to Montreal last week I noticed the distinctive feature in the image on your left. I had to consult Google Maps in order to figure out exactly what it was I was looking at, and it turned out to be the Mentor Marsh state park.

Scenic aerial views like this meant that any quest for the best sleep aids was pointless, as I was too wired to worry about matters somnolent.

Table Dresses

2010-06-01T20:50:00.003-04:00

(Montréal, QC) I just caught the depicted women out of the corner of my eye while walking in Montréal the other day. Their colorful table dresses looked like they would be a lot of fun to wear, though admittedly I would probably need to be plastered before I donned a dress.

At least as far as anyone on this blog knows. :-)

And with the pep in their steps, I think that these women were a million miles away from the somnolent effects of sleeping pills, though these days anything is possible.

Habitat 67

2010-06-01T20:10:00.004-04:00

(Montréal, QC) This is a view of the housing complex known as Habitat 67, which is located on the Marc-Drouin Quay on the Saint Lawrence River. I took this image while on a tour boat in the Old Port of Montréal, and it was on the boat that I learned of the history of the complex (you can read more by following the above Wikipedia link).

At first glance the structures seemed unnecessarily boxy, but the aesthetic beauty of the buildings eventually grew on me the more I viewed them from across the water in the days I spent in Montréal. At first the buildings looked like a bunch of cardboard boxes stacked upon each other, like those cartons you might find multivitamins or aspirin inside, but after a period of time there is a synergy with the interlocked structures that is eye-appealing.

Pale Pink Poppy

2010-05-28T08:54:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Yesterday I was rewarded with the appearance of a brilliant red poppy in one of my gardens, but I was doubly blessed when I walked outside this morning and saw another poppy in the same garden. This specimen is quite pale and pinkish in hue, and I do not recall planting this flower last year.

Not that I am complaining, mind you.

Interestingly, for those of you in the market for acne products, a few alternative health care practitioners recommend poppy oil as a facial cleanser. I am not going out on a limb here to make any health advice, but this might be an option for some folks to investigate.

As for me? I'll just enjoy the colors the poppies bring my garden.

Papaver rhoeas

2010-05-26T10:30:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) It always amazes me when I see folks refer to the common red poppy (Papaver rhoeas) as a "weed." I went outdoors this morning to cut the grass and one of these beautiful flowers had bloomed overnight. The sun passing through the petals of this perennial flower produced a brilliant red flame-like effect, and I doubt that a "weed" could bring such beauty to the world.

The term "weed" is of course quite subjective, and I have any number of flowering plants in my gardens toward which other gardeners might turn up their noses. Yet the red poppies in my yard bring me a great deal of pleasure, and anyone who objects to the simple beauty of the red poppy likely also has some interpersonal issues.

The red poppy also symbolized the specter of death in European battlefields during World War I. While this might be an odd time to reference term life insurance, I am doing so anyways, as death is unpredictable, unlike the predictable return of the red poppy each year.

Blue Delphinium

2010-05-25T20:49:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I knew very little about the perennial flowers known as Delphinium before I picked up a wilted-looking potted plant at the closeout bin at a local nursery last year. However, I was pleasantly surprised when my Delphinium plant not only rebounded from neglect, but when this year the plant rewarded me with several new stalks of brilliant azure-hued flowers.

One need not leave the comfort of contemporary sofas to view Delphinium, as the Internet provides plenty of images of this flower. Yet closeup I am amazed at the simple beauty of these flowers, which are in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. An added bonus to gardeners who plant Delphinium is that they produce several waves of blossoms throughout the summer, bringing color to a garden most of the spring and summer.

Homeland Security Zone

2010-05-15T16:14:00.003-04:00

(Sault Ste. Marie, MI)While spending a few days in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I was surprised to see anti-terrorism mania in full bloom in this otherwise sleepy region. Many areas around the city of Sault Ste. Marie feature prominent signs like the one in the image on the left announcing the heavy presence of the federal government.

The quasi-militarization of the Soo region is almost surreal to me, growing up as I did in Michigan and making many trips to the Soo to watch freighters. While admittedly the Soo Locks and the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge serve important national transportation purposes, it still strike me as strange to see all the Border Patrol and Homeland Security vehicles deployed in the area.

This is seemingly like calling out the military to chase after people purchasing natural fat burner products and not declaring them at the border: administrative and legal overkill.

St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Sault Ste. Marie

2010-05-15T16:03:00.003-04:00

(Sault Ste. Marie, MI) Among the most beautiful of buildings in the Upper Peninsula's Sault Ste. Marie is St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, a church originally built in 1881. However, the tradition of work by Jesuit missionaries in the area extends back to the seventeenth century with Father Jacques Marquette, a man who would be wholly uninterested in apidexin reviews were he walking around today.

St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic Church in Michigan, and only two parishes in the United States are older. I started to delete this image, given its slightly askew angle and an annoying rain spot that appeared, but something about the picture called to me to create a blog post.

Cross in the Woods

2010-05-15T15:45:00.003-04:00

(Indian River, MI) It was with a bit of skepticism that I visited the Catholic shrine known as Cross in the Woods, though admittedly my reluctance to visit the site had much to do with my own prior ignorance. I wrongly assumed that any religious icon billed as "the world's largest" in some category must therefore only appeal to certain tourist types for whom size equates with quality.

Instead, the shrine is a peaceful place where a person can quietly reflect on life issues and religious dilemmas. Yes, there is the 55-foot tall crucifix in the center of the grounds, but somehow the gargantuan depiction of the crucified Christ does not seem gaudy or extravagant: it is a relatively unadorned and deceptively simple structure that adds to (rather than subtracts from) the sacred ambiance. Visitors can set aside everyday minutiae such as weight loss drinks and experience a pastoral spiritual moment.

Multicolor Bearded Iris

2010-05-11T12:53:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) The first of our bearded irises opened on Mother's Day, and the timing could not have been better. The last blossoms on our late-blooming tulips are about to lose their petals, and this time in early May is a bit light in the number of colorful perennials that bloom.

One of the reasons I enjoy the flowers known as Iris pumila is that they are quite hardy, standing up to dog traffic and thriving in even shaded areas of my yard. You could do worse for bridesmaid gifts than the beautiful bearded iris, provided your wedding party members have a place to keep the flowers until after the wedding.

And a yard in which to plant the lovely bearded iris.

Tree-Based Activism

2010-05-04T17:49:00.000-04:00

(Stony Ridge, OH) While talking with the supporters of Keith Sadler and the Toledo Foreclosure Defense League, I noticed that one of the protesters chose a loftier perch from which to take a break. This 100-foot maple tree seemed perfectly designed for the human form, and it made me long for the days of my misspent youth when building a tree fort was the ultimate in coolness.

As a dedicated acrophobe, I also found the tree's main limbs to be close enough to the ground as to remain within the realm of my ability to climb, though of course I did not dislodge the tree's inhabitant.

That sort of activity would be more in keeping with the duties of the Wood County Sheriff or the bank that demanded the foreclosure on Keith's former home.

New Life for an Abused Dog

2010-05-03T16:37:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Pictured on your left is Missy, an eight-year old Terrier mix that we adopted last year. Missy was in an abusive home before being rescued by Planned Pethood, and we fostered her for six months until we finally decided that our house was destined to be her forever home.

When Missy first came to our house, she was emaciated and hairless, weighing in at only 12 pounds. In the past year all of her hair grew back, she put on ten pounds, and Missy is beginning to be socialized again. She often seeks out affection, which is a far cry from the frightened and skittish creature who was almost unable to walk after being neglected for many months.

Missy, of course, does not mind that most of our carpets and rugs have seen their better days. In fact, she probably prefers a well-worn rug to a brand new floor covering, truth be told. This is part of what what "home" is all about to a dog.

Pensive Puggle

2010-04-26T20:15:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Pictured on your left is Eddie Haskell, one of our Puggles and the undisputed king of Château Brooks. Eddie is quite the lovable young dog, though he has a moody side. At the time of this photo he was looking at me with an element of skepticism.

Eddie has dark markings around his eyes, something that a human might want to address with a quality night eye cream. This adds to the seriousness with which Eddie sometimes seems to gaze.

Of course, Eddie is just a dog, right?

Advertising Bozart's Gallery

2010-04-25T11:37:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) The car on your left is parked in front of Bozart's Fine Art and Music Gallery in Toledo's Warehouse District. Jerry Gray, the owner of Bozart's Gallery, painted the vehicle to help advertise the community of artists whose works can be found at Bozart's.

As busy as Jerry is, he has no use for fat burner products, but someone like me (a person in possession of an extra 20 pounds or so) could benefit from caloric and lipid reduction.

Tulip Time!

2010-04-25T11:29:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Nothing announces the arrival of spring as colorfully as the bursts of bright hues that accompany the blooming of tulips. The orange-red tulips on the left increased significantly in number from 2009 to 2010, moving from seven to sixteen bulbs over the course of one year.

If only my weight loss could be so impressive!

Of course, considering the results posted by people with their Alli reviews, perhaps I could benefit from the use of such a product. Certainly the amount of fat I eat would be mitigated by a fat-blocker like Alli.

Canine in Flight

2010-04-17T19:41:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) Well, almost a canine in flight.

Pictured on your left is a stray dog we found yesterday, and which we were successfully able to reunite with her owner. I thought she was a Westie mix, but it turns out that this little cutie is a Miniature Schnauzer. Her feistiness was endearing, as was her rambunctiousness, but in the end the doggie was happiest with her mama.

And frankly our own dogs do enough damage to our outdoor furniture without adding another rowdy canine to the mix.

Clean Water, Dirty Air

2010-04-13T09:19:00.004-04:00

(Monroe, MI) There is a certain irony in this image, which was taken while traveling northbound on I-75 in southeastern Michigan. In the foreground is the Monroe Wastewater Treatment Plant, which ostensibly serves to mitigate the effects of human habitation on the environment.

In the background are smokestacks of the coal-powered Edison generating plant, long a contributor to local pollution (though admittedly scrubbers were added in the last few years to reduce sulphur-based emissions).

Perhaps one day there will be special lines of urban clothing to compensate for the toxins we regularly ingest. I am thinking, though, that such outfits would have more in common with biohazard suits than with the baggy pants so beloved by today's trendy fashionistas.

Gas Station at Dusk

2010-04-13T09:08:00.003-04:00

(Allen Park, MI) Yes, this is only a Clark gas station in a suburb of a city in the middle of the American Rust Belt, but the colors in this sunset both contrasted with and complemented the facility's neon in an eye-appealing way.

The station is located on Allen Road, and I viewed the sunset while eating ice cream, pausing to snap a few images by placing my camera on the dashboard and using one of the pre-programmed sunset settings. If you look closely you can see a few windshield smudges, the most egregious of which I PhotoShopped out.

Clogging up my hard drive with images like this (and the dozen more I took) means that I need to consider to buy memory components pretty soon.

Striped Purple Crocus

2010-03-30T19:56:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I also blogged about this beautiful flower on my main blog, but the image continues to fascinate me. I especially liked the contrast between the dark purple hues of the crocus petals with the almost fluorescent yellow of the plant's stamen.

Of course, many folks cannot be bothered by wandering around among the flowers, and they spend more time shopping for insurance deals on sites like estatecarinsurance.com. Don't get me wrong: saving money is important, but I would rather walk barefoot through the crocuses any day of the week.

Then again, I am far from the typical American consumer, as my idea of "great deal" usually involves a shirt or pair of pants I picked up at a resale shop.

Early Spring Crocus

2010-03-30T12:35:00.003-04:00

(Toledo, OH) The arrival of crocus blossoms might not signal the end of springtime frosts, but they are certainly a sign of warmer weather ahead. Over the past day the crocuses in my yard have begun to bloom, and the sight of natural bright colors from plant life in my yard is long overdue.

We are hopeful that the crocus plants will be able to survive the pounding that they will undoubtedly take from our dogs. So far the canine residents have not been interested in digging up the crocus bulbs, though I think we lost a few over the winter to hungry rabbits and squirrels. Unfortunately, there are no provisions for funeral costs after the untimely demise of such plants, but such is the gardening life.

:-)

Venetian Blind Snafu

2010-03-24T15:26:00.002-04:00

(Bowling Green, OH) In yesterday's warm early spring sunshine my university office became insufferably hot, and I needed to open the blinds and the window to let in some fresh air. The building in which I work is still programmed for winter weather, and of course there is nothing better than a blast of spring air to clear the mind.

As I prepared to leave, the blinds would not close, and it took me 10 minutes to figure out why. It turns out that a small piece of string became trapped in the window as I closed it, and no matter how hard I tugged, the blinds were not going to move.

I certainly did not find that a PhD was of much use in this snafu.

Ripped Jeans

2010-03-24T15:17:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I know that ripped jeans can be the height of fashion in some circles, but growing up ripped jeans meant one thing: you are poor. It was with significant sadness, then, that my favorite pair of jeans wore through and developed a hole.

Now, some of you are suggesting that a visit to the weight loss website http://www.weightlossprogram.net is in order for me, and perhaps you are right, but this particular hole is due to wear-and-tear, not my prodigious abdomen.

So there.

First Crocus Sprouts

2010-03-24T15:08:00.005-04:00

(Toledo, OH) I planted over a hundred crocus bulbs last fall, and I have been impatiently awaiting their arrival this spring. I feared that the heavy traffic from my canine friends might have disturbed their underground gestation, but today I witnessed the first shoots pop up from the ground.

Soon my yard will be fat with spring flowers, though not the type of obesity that would lead a person to seek out natural fat burners. More crocus pics are sure to come!

Waning Crescent Moon

2010-03-19T16:43:00.002-04:00

(Toledo, OH) When I first owned my Kodak digital camera I spent many nights taking pictures of the moon in its many phases, and after hundreds of photographs I managed to develop some techniques that produced images of respectable quality. I later grew bored with this photographic subject and moved on to other items to photograph.

I recently viewed the moon on a clear night in the countryside and I decided to set up my tripod for some moon pics. I liked this one the best, and with the help of adjusting the contrast via the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) I touched up my efforts.

The moon, of course, does not need to worry about covering its dark circles, though you can visit the http://www.darkcircle-s.com website if embarassing dark eye circles plague you. :-}

Heavenly Rays

2010-03-19T16:29:00.004-04:00

(Toledo, OH) My eyes drifted up to the skies yesterday to appreciate both the unseasonably warm weather and the arrival of a few aesthetically pleasing clouds. I enjoyed a few minutes of cloud-watching when the sun made one of those inspiring emerging-from-the-darkness appearances.

I did not experience any moments of heavenly insight, but the moment was extremely pleasurable nonetheless. No thoughts of fat burner reviews or tax form websites or the screechy kid down the block howling at his mother: just peaceful repose on a lazy spring afternoon.

More Spring Sprouts

2010-03-12T14:49:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The sudden turn from winter to spring here in Northwest Ohio created some interesting photographic opportunities. The sprouting plants in this image are lilies, and their appearance next to what remains of a five-foot high snow mound is striking. The effect is almost like looking at a receding glacier.

The warm weather almost makes me yearn for a couple of Nascar jackets to strut around in, except for the fact that I am pretty clueless about stock car racing.

Toledo Recycling Container

2010-03-12T14:36:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) On your left is an example of the heavy duty recycling containers the City of Toledo purchased for residents to deposit their recyclable items in. No longer do we have to separate the various cans, cardboard, and newspapers from each other, and this separation now takes place at a city facility.

I suppose the downside to the reduction in refuse workers will cause some folks to consider a Tampa job search in order to provide for their families, but with a projected $45 million deficit, I cannot fault the city for trying to cut costs.

First Spring Sprouts

2010-03-10T14:25:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) While walking around and surveying the backyard today I notice that the first plants have started to emerge in my gardens. I am not sure what these green shoots are, though, as I have a wide variety of perennials planted in this garden.

They could be irises, lilies, tulips, or daffodils, or perhaps even crocuses. All I know for certain is that this section of horticulture is not a significant source of certified diamonds.

I now have renewed hope that spring is well on its way, and I look forward to getting back outside and working in my gardens.

Rescue Dog

2010-03-09T17:29:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I also blogged on my main website about Shadow, a terrier mix that we are fostering. He is a handsome little guy between four and five years of age whose former owner had to turn him over to a local shelter after life circumstances forced her to relocate.

Shadow is a friendly fellow who doe not bark much, and he appears to be housebroken. He is a bit skittish when he fist meets people, and he wanted to hide under my kitchen sink when he first arrived. He is starting to warm up now, and he gets along well with the other dogs in the house.

To learn more about adopting Shadow, or if you want to financially contribute to Planned Pethood's mission to rescue dogs and cats in Northwest Ohio, visit the Planned Pethood website for more information.

Chorus of Grackles

2010-03-02T15:19:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I had to walk a mile to pick up a car from the repair shop this morning, and I was encouraged to hear the sound of songbirds in my neighborhood. Over the course of the winter many of the birds in my area migrate southward, and only the hardiest birds remain for the entire winter in Northwest Ohio.

I am not sure if the common grackle migrates much in this area - we are near the border of regions in which there is some migration among grackles. However, I can say that I have heard very few grackles this winter.

At least until this morning.

I passed a tree that was filled with grackles, and they engaged in a variety of calls. This ranged from the loud "gate-screech" call to some more tuneful whistles, and the result was an impressive cacophony of noises from the hundreds of grackles in the tree. I doubt that they were discussing motorhome towing, but you never know: I did not see what manner of travel they used when they arrived.

Engine Work

2010-03-02T04:09:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The sun paid a visit yesterday to Northwest Ohio, and I enjoyed a few minutes of warm rays as I engaged in some minor repairs on an old Toyota my kid drives. Unfortunately,
auto insurance typically does not cover such items as batteries and battery cables, though road service is usually a smart investment in an insurance policy.

At least the kid was thankful for my efforts to keep the car drivable. I ended up taking it to the repair shop for some additional repairs that were beyond my patience, like the rear window that fell off the roller guide.

Descending Icicles

2010-02-27T22:56:00.004-05:00

(Romulus, MI) While visiting my grandfather today my eyes caught sight of a group of icicles that formed an aesthetically pleasing array of frozen shapes. The way the icicles gradually descended in relatively arithmetic length reminded me of the bars on a xylophone, or maybe like a series of larger and larger bones, such as ribs or toes.

I did not have, however, the urge to eat these icicles like I might have as a child. As I look back I am amazed I never became sick eating icicles, especially the icicles that formed from roof runoff. We regularly chomped down on these "roof-cicles," and I shudder at the toxins and grime that I undoubtedly ingested.

Opossums in Toledo

2010-02-24T16:11:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I heard the opossum long before I saw it the other evening, and at first I thought my trash cans were being invaded by rats. No, instead another mammal had been feasting on our discarded items.

Our dogs have long despised these creatures, which sort of redefine the word "ugly." I know some folks find possums to be cute and cuddly, but to my eyes they are rather freakish. Of course, with the built-in marsupial pouch, they do not spend much time thinking about infant and child care items like the baby jogger city mini, but even their strong maternal nature cannot overcome their inherent creepiness.

Foster Doxie

2010-02-20T12:34:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I never paid much attention to Dachshunds before I started fostering with Planned Pethood, but in the past two years we have fostered about seven of these cool little dogs. Pictured on your left is Ashley, a mini Dachshund we have been fostering for about two months and who is leaving today for her forever home.

Doxies are loyal and affectionate, and they spend zero time worried about such everyday concerns as the best type of women's vitamin. Doxies just want your love, and they are happiest when they can curl up with a kind human being.

Goodbye, you pretty little baby!

Flying Jay

2010-02-20T12:11:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) MAny folks find blue jays to be annoying visitors to their bird feeders, and they focus on the loud screeching of agitated jays or their aggressiveness toward other songbirds as reasons for jay-disdain. I have personally quite fascinated with blue jays all my life, and I find their independence and seeming fearlessness to be endearing qualities.

If blue jays were people, I doubt that you would find them asking questions like "does Jenny Craig work"? No sir: blue jays would not be bothered with such mundane matters.

River in Mid-Melt

2010-02-19T21:52:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) This section of the Ottawa River near Point Place reached the point where it is no longer possible to cruise around with snowmobiles yesterday. In fact, anyone foolish enough to spend time in a mode of transportation other than a boat would be, well, pretty foolish.

Kind of like someone who paints dark circles under their eyes in order to achieve a look that can only be described as "sleep-deprived Goth." I am sure you have seen this fashion archetype.

Upside Down Squirrel

2010-02-17T18:55:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The squirrel pictured on your left is busy attacking one of my bird feeders in an effort to extract the sunflower seeds I stock for cardinals and blue jays. He is busier than a teenager getting ready on prom night with a bad case of nodule acne.

Ba-da-boom.

Yet despite my annoyance at having to restock my feeders more frequently, I bear no ill will toward the neighborhood squirrels. In fact, I kind of admire their tenacity and inventiveness in regularly defeating every method I use to keep them from the bird feeders.

February Sun

2010-02-14T17:06:00.004-05:00

(Toledo, OH) As singer Johnny Nash once said: "It seems like years since it's been clear," and I had to take a short break from grading to soak up a few chilly rays from the full February sun. Pictured on the left is one of my flower gardens, although you can only see the tips of my yucca plants sticking out from the four-foot snow banks that piled up from drifts and shoveling last week.

That storm - while it did not send me scurrying for anti aging products - nonetheless reminded me of my gradual decline from youthful energy. I have been bothered with a nagging backache since the waves of snowstorms started, and I have come to the realization that I either need to invest in a snow blower or a hardy snow shoveler from this point forward, especially if I am going to play Good Neighbor and clear the driveways of my elderly neighbors.

Emergency Lights at Night

2010-02-07T15:23:00.003-05:00

(Monroe, MI) A return trip from Detroit turned into a white-knuckle excursion down Interstate 75 the other night. The blizzard that dumped several feet of snow on Washington DC skirted the region, but Michigan road crews had not yet salted or plowed I-75 when we reached the edge of the storm.

In the 20 miles from Carlton to the Ohio border we saw at least a dozen vehicles off the side of the road, including several of what appeared to be injury accidents. Yet in spite of the obvious danger we also saw a fair number of FWD vehicles speeding in excess of 75 mph in the poor driving conditions.

Worn Laminate Floor

2010-02-03T15:40:00.004-05:00

(Toledo, OH) Pictured on the left is a section of a worn laminate wood grain floor in my kitchen. We made a few mistakes when we chose this flooring, not the least of which was the fact that my then-younger children were budding demolition experts.

We also chose an off-brand company instead of paying top dollar for the highest quality flooring, and we neglected to consider the damage a rolling office chair would make on the floor (this chair is at the community computer in the kitchen).

In hindsight, I would have been much better off by purchasing quality tile flooring from a reputable dealer. Tile handles abuse much more resiliently than wood laminate, and it is virtually indestructible under normal wear and tear.

Oak Leaf in Winter

2010-02-03T15:24:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The solitary leaf caught my eye, roiling as it did in the January wind that accompanied an approaching high pressure system. There was an element of stoicism that appealed to me in the leaf's seemingly defiant stance against a much more powerful force, although admittedly the features of a Canon camera can make even the ordinary take on spiritual or heroic qualities.

After all: it is just an oak leaf. Nothing more, nothing less, and my attempts to project meaning may ring hollow in winter's frigid indifference.

My Workspace

2010-01-26T18:17:00.005-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I am an example of the twenty-first century home-based worker these days, as my online teaching and occasional journalist employment mean that I spend quite a few hours working in this 12 foot by 10 foot space.

However, unlike folks cramped in small cubicles of similar sizes, I get to hang out with my dogs all day long, and if I want to sing or play loud music, I do not have to worry about whether the person in the next cubicle hears me, or whether my vocal exuberations about Orange NJ dental implants will pester my coworkers. Boo-yah!

Winter Hail

2010-01-25T13:34:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The weather in Northwest Ohio has been a bit unpredictable the last few days, and we experienced some winter thunder yesterday as the temperatures approached 50 degrees. Today I heard an odd sound and looked outside to find that it was hailing, a weather phenomenon not very common in January in these parts.

My dogs were unfazed by the appearance of this form of precipitation, and they went about their business without even looking skyward.

Ten Mile Creek

2010-01-23T15:58:00.002-05:00

(Sylvania, OH) This section of Ten Mile Creek looks rather desolate and remote in this enhanced image, though in reality expensive subdivisions are only a few hundred yards away. Deer, raccoons, and possums are among the creatures that can be found in and around the creek, which occasionally expands to river-like proportions during heavy rains and periods of snow melting.

Wintertime, however, is not a time when outdoors-oriented people are thinking much about allergy bedding, though I suppose allergy sufferers who spend a great deal of time indoors would indeed be concerned about such matters year round.

Cardinal in Snow

2010-01-21T18:54:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I enjoyed the way that the brilliant red hues of this male Northern cardinal contrasted against the white of the snow and the green of the plant life. Some folks consider cardinals to be pests, at least due to their nature as aggressive denizens of the areas around bird feeders, but I always enjoy the sights and sounds of cardinals in my backyard.

Of course, there are those who would also look with disdain upon the presence of a drug rehab center in a neighborhood, but these facilities also have their purposes. Such a center might not be "beautiful," but it certainly is "necessary."

And the only Cardinal I knew who might have needed a drug rehab center is Mark McGwire. Ba-da-boom.

Stark Trees

2010-01-20T15:36:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The effect of looking up into the leafless trees was creepy enough, what with the cold and the wind and the empty forest at Wildwood Metropark. Yet processing the image and removing the color made this photograph look doubly scary, and the effect is like something out of The Blair Witch Project (the first film, the one that didn't suck).

The last thing on my mind in this faux-horror moment was the consideration of prenatal vitamin reviews, but there it was, popping into my head like a random pop tune.

When Car Batteries Die

2010-01-19T15:24:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) As winter winds it way along, inevitably car repairs loom in my future, as was the recent case with an automobile battery. One day the car was chugging along, and the next it would not even hold a charge, so after an hour of screwing around with jumper cables I decided to spring (heh - season joke) for a new battery.

Unfortunately there is no comparable anti-aging product that a person can use on a battery, unless you consider the possibilities of working with lead and acid to recondition your own battery.

No thanks - I will shell out the necessary cash.

Road Slush

2010-01-19T15:06:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The flip side of of beautiful winter snowfalls occurs a week or two later, when warmer temperatures and road salt work to create acres of brownish road slush. Such is the case throughout Northwest Ohio over the past few days, and the pristine aesthetic of a fresh snowfall has given way to the inevitable brackish slush.

Too bad there is not a solution for road slush akin to the Quick Trim options available for weight loss. I might consider such an alternative to many weeks of staring at the fuscous mess in the streets.

Hidden Neighbors

2010-01-19T08:42:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) During the warm months we see many of our neighbors at bird feeders, but their domiciles remain largely hidden from our scrutiny. I am always intrigued, though, when winter arrives and many of these structures become visible.

In a maple tree on my driveway there are no less than five visible nests at the moment, each representing some form of avian "family." Birds, of course, have no interest in learning how to build muscle fast, as their busy routines keep them in excellent shape year round.

Ever see an overweight bird? Perhaps this is a dietary insight.

Sparrow in the Snow

2010-01-17T12:00:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The brief appearance of a winter sun the other day brought out a wider variety of birds and wildlife than I have seen in the past few weeks. Among the creatures taking advantage of weather in the 30s under sunny skies was a sparrow, and the bird allowed me to get rather close before flying away.

Perhaps the bird thought I might provide some food, or perhaps it was too busy in other pursuits to notice me; surely it was unconcerned about such human matters as accutane reviews. Then the moment of inter-species hospitality passed, and the sparrow flew into a nearby pine tree to wait out my interruptive behavior.

Snowy Pine

2010-01-10T20:57:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The recent snow storm dumped about five inches of snow in my Northwest Ohio neighborhood, and the result was the creation some wintertime magic. Pictured on your left is a snow-covered pine tree, one of four on my property that offer shelter to small critters.

Some folks start packing the designer luggage sets once the snow starts falling, heading down Interstate 75 to warmer climes in places like Florida. We stay relatively homebound in the winter months, and even our recent vacations over the holidays have been to places like Chicago and New York.

It would pain me to be away from the seasons for very long.

Crushed Front End

2010-01-03T16:27:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) It appears that one of my neighbors suffered a significant property loss in the form of a damaged automobile. Given the fact that the car has not moved in a few weeks, I suspect that this person might have chosen the route of cheap auto insurance and passed up on collision insurance.

While the body damage was not extensive, it also appears that the engine was damaged in the accident. I heard the young man trying valiantly to get the car started a few days ago, but this vehicle will likely spend the rest of the winter in an inoperative state.

Yet I am a live-and-let-live person, and I do not spend time policing the neighborhood for abandoned vehicle to report to the City of Toledo. After all, some day I could be in the same unfortunate situation, and busting one's neighbors for petty zoning violations is bad karma.

Tree in Winter at Dusk

2010-01-03T16:03:00.005-05:00

(Toledo, OH)A recent sunset offered some brilliant colors to those hardy souls who were brave enough to stand in wind chills approaching zero degrees Fahrenheit. The backlit effect in this elm tree is interesting, and the positioning of the tree and the background colors reminded me a bit of The Scream, painted by by Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch.

Though cold and windy, the conditions around the tree were not nearly as terrifying as the imagined horrors that plagued the protagonist in Munch's painting. That being said, I should acknowledge that terror is relative and individualized, and that which frightens me might cause barely a ripple of fear in someone else. Conversely, the idea of RV towing seems mundane to me, but I have little doubt that someone, somewhere stays awake at nights on this subject.

Except a tree, that is. To my knowledge scientists have not demonstrated that trees are sentient beings, though it is true that trees can communicate with each other. I am not sure what this tree might be communicating, but my tendency to anthropomorphize leads me to believe that this tree should not be described as "happy."

Orion, Winter Constellation

2009-12-29T20:23:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The clear winter sky is the perfect opportunity to observe the constellation Orion. The best months to view this collection of stars in the Northern Hemisphere are between December and February.

Like now.

So take a few minutes in between holiday reruns and spiked egg nog to learn a bit more about the universe. I find stargazing to be a relaxing activity, one that helps me relieve stress and gain a greater sense of peace.

Passing a Roadside Cross

2009-12-25T18:02:00.004-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The presence of the roadside cross in the United States usually signifies the place where a traffic fatality occurred. I assume that this is the case in the memorial that I frequently pass on I-75 just south of the I-475 split in central Toledo.

I cannot imagine the pain of the family members as they drive past the site of a loved one's untimely death, especially if that accident victim was a young person. What do you do with the possessions of a young person who dies young? Imagine a house full of items like clothing, CDs, a plasma screen TV, and an elliptical - how empty such a house must seem in spite of the wealth of possessions that would no longer be used by their owner.

Incomprehensibly sad.

Winter Sunset in Toledo

2009-12-24T22:39:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) The evening colors were conducive to photography the other night, and I enjoyed the blast of pink and orange hues that accompanied my dinner. Unfortunately, my camera battery ran out after my ninth picture or so, in part because I stupidly had the flash on and burned down the remaining charge too quickly.

Then again, if I spent the entire sunset screwing around with my camera, I would have missed living in the colorful moment. I might as well have played in a cardboard shipping box instead on enjoying the natural beauty around me, at least if my principal goal in life was to capture the natural world around me.

DenTek Complete Clean Textured Easy Sliding Floss

2009-12-23T19:14:00.003-05:00

I received a sample of DenTek's high quality dental floss to try out, and I found the product to be quite effective at reaching some of the tight spaces between my teeth. Here is a short video I produced about the dental floss:

If you are concerned about oral health care, be sure to check out the complete clean floss that DenTek's braided PTFE fibers provide. The floss does not shred, slides easily between teeth, and thoroughly removes any residual food and plaque that can contribute to tooth decay and other health problems.

The suggested retail price for this excellent floss is $2.99, and you can purchase the floss online at the DenTek store.

This review is a result of a feedback campaign by DenTek Oral Care Inc. The recipients were asked to give their honest opinion about the product they received. Good reviews were not incentivized and poor reviews will not be censored for their opinion of the product.

Barren Tree in Winter

2009-12-20T17:49:00.003-05:00

(Lambertville, MI) The solitary oak reached up into the winter sky toward a sun that offered little warmth to the life forms below, the sun a cruel and tepid version of its summer self. I possessed no words of encouragement for the tree, not only because we speak different languages.

In a bleak winter sun, there are few sources of hope when standing in the arctic air.

The tree and I stood and faced one another, though I doubt the tree had much of an opinion of me. If I were in a more optimistic mood, I might conjure up some inspirational rhetoric about the tree's majesty or strength, but in my seasonal melancholia I preferred to join the tree in its winter gloom.

Toledo Band Ocean of Deceit

2009-12-18T18:43:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I had the opportunity to destroy a few of the remaining layers of my tympanic membrane while attending a show by Toledo-based band Ocean of Deceit. I am not sure whether to characterize the group as post-hardcore, post-screamo, or thrash-metal-meets-deathcore, but the tightly-rehearsed group played an energetic set in front of dozens of fans at Frankie's Inner City.

I am too old to be regularly abusing my external auditory meatus to such a sonic assault, but it is important to support local musicians, at least as much as one can before aggravating any existing conductive hearing loss.

Boo-yah.

Passing Flurries

2009-12-15T19:51:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) For a few minutes this morning the skies opened up and let loose a blast of light snowflakes, and it looked as though we might get some significant snow accumulation. Then, just as fast as they appeared, the flurries dissipated and the sun returned.

The limited amount of snow failed to do much more than lightly coat the driveway, and in 20 minutes all traces of the trace precipitation had disappeared.

Whoosh.

Frozen Log

2009-12-12T14:12:00.002-05:00

(Maumee, OH) The log pictured on your left was suspended atop the frozen Maumee River the other day, seemingly forever immobilized. The next journey into warmer temperatures, of course, will free and perhaps sink this decaying piece of wood, which may have traveled many miles down the Maumee to its current resting place.

Winter days like this in Northwest Ohio do not immediately prompt me to think of Manhattan vacations, though my wife enjoys shopping in the Big Apple during the holiday season. Several years ago she traveled to New York City over Christmas break with our adult daughters, and they had a fine time shopping and seeing shows.

This log, however, is now well into a period of decline, and "enjoyment" is a state of being it will no longer experience.

Oily Garage Floor

2009-12-06T18:57:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) Pictured on your left are the rainbowed hues of my oily garage flooring, a stretch of pavement coated with a wide variety of noxious substances over the years. One day I would like to invest in a higher quality floor for this workspace, but I need to wait until all of my children have left our home.

The kids, God love them, have a knack for destruction that would impress the most pillage-minded Hun, and the thought of spending a thousand dollars or more on a new floor for the garage is too frightening to contemplate while certain teenaged hooligans remain ensconced in my house.

Late Fall Field

2009-12-06T18:45:00.003-05:00

(Temperance, MI) I spent a few minutes staring across an open field in extreme southeastern Michigan yesterday, feeling the bitter cold of the wind that accompanied the first true cold front of winter.

Or the last one of fall, since winter does not actually begin for another few weeks.

Yet there were still excellent fall colors to be enjoyed, and the deep rust color of the dead grasses would look good even in the no-frills camera of a low-cost unlocked phone. Missing from the scene, however, was the sound of wildlife, as I heard nary a bird in my five minutes of shivering in the 30-degree gusts of wind.

Jeep Chicks Rule

2009-11-28T17:40:00.002-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I tried to figure out the meaning of the message on the Jeep that was in front of me the other day. It could be that the owner was trying to say that women who drive Jeeps are cool, or that women who work at the local Jeep plant are extraordinary.

Or maybe that women who work at Jeep AND drive Jeeps are especially cool.

Of course, in this day of instantaneous media and ubiquitous self-broadcasting, I could simply wait for the inevitable Bluray version of the upcoming film Jeep Chicks Rule, a pirated copy of which will probably exist before the retail version hits the stores.

Black Squirrel, Green Grass

2009-11-24T19:10:00.003-05:00

(Bowling Green, OH) While I have certainly seen black squirrels before, I am a bit surprised at the large number of them to be found on the campus of Bowling Green State University. In my walks on campus I encounter black squirrels just about every day, and the dark coloring of these rodents seems to make them stand out a bit more as they scamper about in search of food.

I am not quite ready to suggest that these squirrels are so numerous that they might need to think about directory submissions in order to keep organized their territory and mating information, but they are indeed many in number. At times these squirrels seem to outnumber their red, gray, and brown co-Sciuridae collaborators in hijinks.

Scott Clemmensen

2009-11-22T23:25:00.002-05:00

(Detroit, MI) Pictured in the middle of the hockey players on your left is Scott Clemmensen, goaltender for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. I watched Clemmensen play one of the best games of his career Friday night as he turned away 39 of 40 shots en route to a 2-1 Panthers win over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

As much as I am a fan of the Red Wings, I still had to appreciate the fine play of the journeyman Clemmensen, who has played for three NHL teams in a 12-year pro career. He stopped slapshots, wristshots, and a ton of close range shots by the Wings, and I tip my proverbial cap to his goaltending.

Trying Out the DenTek Oral Mouth Guard

2009-11-17T20:05:00.003-05:00

I was recently selected to review a dental mouth guard product for DenTek Oral Care. The mouth guard is designed to reduce the wear and tear on teeth associated with bruxism, which is a tendency to grind one's teeth. I have long fit this category, and I thought that the opportunity might also help me extend the lifespan of my molars and incisors. Here is a short video I created while wearing the mouth guard:

In order to create the permanent mouth guard, you simply boil water and submerge the mouth guard for 45 seconds. After a 10-second cooling-off period, the mouth guard can be custom fitted to your teeth, and in a mere two minutes the mouth guard will have set.

I wore the mouth guard last night, and it did not take long for me to adjust to its presence. I think that regular use of the DenTek Oral mouth guard will be a significant benefit to anyone who experiences bruxism. Of course, be sure to consult your dentist about tooth and jaw pain, as these can be signs of serious problems that this product is not equipped to address. I should also add that this is a nighttime bruxism product, and the mouth guard should not be used as a sports device.

Anyways, be sure to consider this product if you - like me - suffer from bruxism.

This review is a result of a feedback campaign by DenTek Oral Care, Inc. The recipients were asked to give their honest opinion about the product they received. Good reviews were not incentivized and poor reviews will not be censored for their opinion of the product.

All the Trees are...Bare

2009-11-10T20:31:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) A walk around my yard confirmed my suspicions: all of the trees within 50 yards of my house have lost what remained of their leaves. My workload over the last few days has been heavy, and I spent little time outdoors, so the few minutes I spent outside seemed almost surreal.

After all, it seems like there was plenty of fall color just a few days ago.

If the temperatures were colder, I might begin dreaming of a cold weather getaway, and the idea of Orlando vacations might creep into my head. However, the warm weather over the last couple of fall afternoons precluded me from daydreaming about warmer locales.

The Mighty Maumee River

2009-11-07T16:44:00.003-05:00

(Maumee, OH) There is nothing especially eye-catching in this image of the Maumee River, which I captured while riding as a passenger in a moving vehicle this morning. The image is the view looking westward on the Maumee from the Michael V. DiSalle Bridge . Even the occasional construction marker seemed more like a sconce than roadside clutter on this warm Saturday afternoon, as folks like me in Northwest Ohio enjoyed temperatures that approached 70 degrees.

The Maumee River, of course, would not have been nearly so warm, and there were few boats visible in the late morning on its waters.

The Puggle and St. Francis

2009-11-07T16:32:00.003-05:00

(Toledo, OH) From this angle this Puggle - whose name is Eddie Haskell - appears to be gazing back at my statue of St. Francis of Assisi. The namesake of my backyard statuary, of course, is the patron saint of animals, though both of my Puggles frequently use the stone figure as a destination for their territorial marking.

Neither dog is particularly concerned about the health benefits of using water filters, as they also like to eagerly lap the water from the nearby birdbath. Their patron saint can merely watch over them with his stony gaze, but their own actions determine much of their fate.

Lazy Clouds and a Hidden Sun

2009-11-02T22:22:00.004-05:00

(Toledo, OH) I took a few minutes last week to engage in the time-honored tradition of cloud gazing. I tried to visualize shapes in the sky, but nothing seemed to jump out at me.

I did, however, enjoy the effects of the hidden sun as it seemed to bend around the clouds in an effort to make its presence felt. Even the thickest clouds could not completely blot out the sun, though some clouds were dense enough to prevent most of the sun's rays from passing through.

Millions of Pumpkins

2009-10-30T21:24:00.003-04:00

(Swanton, OH) It seemed as though there was a sea of persimmon in this pumpkin field I passed last week, and if you squinted your eyes you could only see the color orange. I was surprised that so many pumpkins remained unpicked by the 22nd of October, but I suppose many folks wait until the last few days to get their Halloween gourds.

After all, it's not as if you need to make an appointment or wait in a long line to pass through a barcode scanner to get a pumpkin. There are plenty of roadside stands outside of farms like this who will be happy to let you pick your own pumpkin for a couple of dollars.