Life Lately (last 20ish months)

So, where do I even begin. First off, I’m doing this on my phone which seems very alien to me. I’ve never been one to be able to blog on my phone or tablet, I keep that strictly for my laptop. Since I’m currently at work without access to my computer, this will have to do for now. 

Una had to have two different surgeries last year, which is why I stopped blogging after March. The first one on April, the second one in August. She had to have another surgery in February of this year, then another in May. That’s all I’m going to say about my baby, it hurts too damn much and it’ll just make me cry even more than I already do. 

I don’t think anything significant happened last summer, so let’s jump to September of 2023. This was a monumental month, this was the month that we got our new car! New to us, anyways, but new all the same. She’s a 2019 Chevy Cruze Hatchback that only had 70,000 miles, which was decent for the price. It was really bittersweet saying goodbye to the Impala, but her time was well past being up. We just hit 200,000 miles and I’m fairly certain the engine or transmission was going out. Thankfully they still gave us a 2k trade in. I’ll add a pic below if I have one on my phone. 

September was also the month that I got horribly sick with an egregious head cold. It really, really effected my ears, mainly my right one. I have Eustachian tube dysfunction in that ear anyways, but it was mild and I was able to live with it. This cold basically destroyed my ear. My ETD is so much worse now. It’s muffled and feels full all the time. Plus, I have patulous ETD so my tube stays open all the time unless I manually close it or use saline nasal spray. Even then, it opens as soon as I yawn, talk, swallow or move my jaw. I have to go to an ENT soon, it’s inevitable. 

December of 2023 was a weird one. I feel like everyone had some type of illness, which really put a damper on the holidays. In the beginning of December we got to see the Way Of Lights show at Our Lady Of The Snow… absolutely breathtaking! My ear was really annoying at that time, so I was miserable the entire ride. We also hit up like 5 Dollar Trees while we were in the city, plus stopped by Five Below, Crumbl Cookies and then proceeded to pick up food for everyone from Steak n’ Shake, White Castle and then McDonald’s. I was freaking dead. It’s not like it was in a 50 mile radius, Our Lady Of The Snow is in Belleville, IL which is 88 miles one way from Perryville. That doesn’t include all our side missions. 

I felt the aftershock for like a week. 

Neither LaVaughn nor I got our flu shot last year and, lo and behold, I got some type of flu on the 22nd/23rd. We looked at Christmas lights with Jake and our extended Perryville family on the 23rd and I was miserable the entire time. I was so sick and rundown, it was just awful. We went home on Christmas Eve where I felt a little better, but Christmas Day was awful. I had no appetite and maybe ate like two or three bites of food. I also over salted my homemade stuffing and that just really pissed me off. Thankfully I started feeling better the next day. 

Let’s fast-forward to 2024. 

The beginning of the year my sister and I were introduced to Vikings, the tv show. We already loved The Last Kingdom, so we knew we would like that. Absolutely obsessed and still am. 

We did the garden like always, but I slacked so much this year. Our tomatoes, green beans and Italian zucchini did amazing, but everything else kinda sucked. I have to do better next year. 

We got the pool up and going pretty early and were able to swim by the end of May thanks to our solar cover. Unfortunately our pool cleaner tuckered out before we got a chance to close the pool this year, so there’s still lots of small debris on the bottom. That’ll be a big purchase next spring. Those things are ridiculously expensive, they should last longer than three summers. 

We got to witness the total solar eclipse in April, which was amazing. We had like 3ish minutes in totality here, so we got a nice long show. Much better than the 2017 eclipse that only lasted like 20 seconds. 

Then the following month we had an X class solar flair that allowed a lot of the southern states to see the northern lights. It was really difficult to see with the naked eye, considering we didn’t realize it was happening until after sunset. Still, it was awesome to witness and photograph. Still kicking myself for not having my camera on me. I won’t make that mistake if I ever go to Iceland or Alaska/Canada here in North America.

To conclude this very celestial year, we also got to witness the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet in October. I think out of everything I’ve witnessed space wise, this has to be one of the absolute best. Seeing a comet with your own eyes is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Pretty much everything else this year has just been meh. Summer was okay, but fall has been nothing short of depressing. I’m trying to get into the holiday spirit, but it’s nearly impossible. I’m pretty much sad and/or mildly depressed on the daily. It’s really taking everything I have to function normally. 

I believe I’m jabbered enough for now, so I’ll leave you with s few random pictures from the last year and a half. 

So sad to see our black beauty go. We had this car for over 8 years. Chevy Impalas are amazing cars.

Inside the Blackwell dealership in Poplar Bluff.

Here she is, our gorgeous 2019 Chevy Cruze Hatchback. She’s probably the cutest cat we’ve ever had.

This was around November of last year. We equipped our car with reindeer antlers.

We also put a big red nose on the front of our car.

Here’s the entrance to The Way Of Lights at Our Lady Of The Snow.

The Way Of Lights entrance sign.

Entrance to the awesome lighted tunnel.

Inside the lighted tunnel. Gorgeous.

My camera setup on the roof for the total solar eclipse.

The shadows are rendered in such a unique way during an eclipse.

The lighting just before 50% coverage of the eclipse.

Nearing totality… also nearing dusk.

My camera and tripod blazing towards the total solar eclipse.

Decent total solar eclipse shot on my iPhone, which is surprising.

Here’s the real star of the show… the 2024 total solar eclipse taken from my Nikon. Super happy with how it turned out.

Did some redecorating in the bedroom this summer.

Added a couple different shelves with lights and greenery. Also candles… lots of candles.

Also moved the old 43” tv in the bedroom with a wall mount. Set this little shelf up that I bought like 3 or 4 years ago and loaded it with plants and led candles.

Here’s some of the northern lights from May.

This was one of the best shots that I got. So insane that we got to see an aurora borealis in southeast Missouri.

Another northern light shot.

And the last northern light shot with a farm light in the background.

I had to share this pic. It doesn’t signify anything, just an absolutely gorgeous sunset here in Perryville.

This also doesn’t really mean anything, but I heavily cleaned the bathroom and thought it looked pretty. Especially with the mushroom light and candle/plant.

Here’s one of the only decent pictures I got with my Nikon of the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet. It’s not the best, but I love it.

And here’s the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet via my iPhone that LaVaughn took from our yard when I had the telescope out. Love the way the trees outline the sky with the ancient comet in the background.

Southeast Missouri Bald Eagles

 I really couldn't think of a title for this blog. Something that pertains to the post, but also something that's catchy. I feel like I only accomplished the former. Anyways, my sister and I went to the same Eagle's nest yesterday in hopes of seeing the Eagles out of their nest. To our surprise, there they were... flying around in the sky!

I tried like hell to adjust the settings on my camera in time to catch one of the Eagles in flight. While I didn't get loads of actual in flight photos, I did manage to capture one of the Eagles landing on the tree next to their nest. I don't have many Eagle photos to compare these to, but I can without a doubt say that these are the best Bald Eagle pictures I've ever gotten. 

I won't bore you with too many more details, I'll just attach a few of the pictures that I edited and labeled for Facebook - hence why the tag is different.

Bald Eagle in flight!

Bald Eagle getting ready to land.

Bald Eagle landing with wings spread.

I'm done with the weird caption. Check out how magnificent these guys are!

The wingspan on Bald Eagles is insane!

This is probably my favorite picture of the Bald Eagle landing.

And lastly, both Bald Eagles perched on the branches above their nest.

Full Moon State Of Mind

 The moon was so bright last night. With it being 100% illumination, it's pretty obvious as to why. I love full moons on clear nights, especially in the wintertime. The sky always looks so much more crisp and clear. It's really too bad the Milky Way isn't visible in the winter months, it would make for some amazing photos.

Last night was the perfect opportunity for me to test out my new tripod on my telephoto lens. I can usually get hand held shots of the moon, but only with a high ISO. I prefer a slower shutter speeds when taking pictures of the sky, but shooting with a shutter of around 400 and an ISO around 1200 works just as well.

Of course, I took a couple dozen photos, but narrowed it down to just 4 clear shots. I also cropped them all as my tele only going to 300mm. Hope you enjoy!

PS... My uncles knee surgery was today and everything went great!

Here's the gorgeous full moon on March 5th, 2023.

I need a longer telephoto.

I should just get a mount for my telescope - way cheaper.

That stupid logo of mine is all over the place. I forgot that I cropped these pictures, so the resolution is different in each one. Classy.

Eagle's Nest

 I was turned on to a local Eagle's Nest by someone that came in the store I once worked at. It wasn't until I tried to find an Eagle last week that I remembered it. The details in my mind were very few, but I had a general idea as to where it was. Mind you, I did get terrified a time or two due to all the curves, turns and forks.

Luckily everything worked out and I was able to find the place. I took my telephoto lens with me in hopes of catching a shot, but there were no Eagles to be seen. It wasn't until LaVaughn noticed an Eagle head inside the next in one of her photos. I zoomed in on a couple of mine and, sure enough, there was an Eagle. These pictures are definitely not the best, but at least it was worth the drive. 

I'd like to go back next week or the week after on a warmer, sunnier evening to try and see them outside their next. Fingers crossed!

Here are the not so good pics:

Here's the Eagle's Nest and the tiny Eagle head popping.

Here's the Eagle's Nest from a distance. The picture doesn't do it justice, but this thing is gigantic.

There's a better shot of the Eagle's head.

I'm assuming this is mom and dad is off hunting for his family.

I never would have imagined that an Eagle would make a nest in such opened and exposed place.

I'm fairly certain this tree is dead as well.

But perhaps it's the strongest tree in the area.

I really have no knowledge when it comes to an Eagle's Nest.

I guess it just blows my mind that there's an actual, visual Eagle's Nest in Annapolis, MO.

Last Eagle's Nest picture for the week. Hopefully you can zoom in enough to see the Eagle's head.

Rainy Day Landscapes & Sunstars

 The weather has been really nasty today. It was dark, rainy and very cold. Then, out of nowhere, it cleared up and the sun started shining. I love nothing more than when the sun shines right after raining, especially in the evening hours. Since I had my Tokina near by, I took it outside to try and capture some decent shots of the yard and the way the sun casted such beautiful shadows. 

The execution wasn't as I expected, but they turned out nicely. I really should have edited them in Lightroom, but that's just too much work, lol.

Here are the pics from early today:

PS: Today is my little brothers 27th birthday! Like excuse me, it seems like he was just 12 last year. :(

This is the yard just before the sun popped out.

Our yard after the rain. I also managed a sunstar.

Smaller sunstar.

I couldn't up the aperture too much for the sunstar because it darkened the foreground too much.

The lighting was still beautiful. I love the Tokina lens.

This would've looked even better in the fall.

This is a great representation of how hilly and uneven our yard it.

Last landscape photo of the yard with a sunstar for the win!