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Talked about my old favorite mug Sunday. I'm drinking from that one as I type here this morning. I'd like to discuss the one that arrived at CrabAppleLane yesterday. :)

This one arrived yesterday courtesy of my cousin, Carol, and Snapfish. An unexpected and totally unnecessary gift. I was hoping to have it in time for her visit Sunday but it wasn't to be. She and Mom came up to CrabAppleLane Sunday afternoon. The mug came out much, much, much better than expected. It is now my favorite mug. Patsy and I really enjoyed the lovely visit and please come back any time. Thanks again, Carol. :)

Original photo - City Park - New Orleans, LA - November 23, 2007

Quote of the Day

Take me out to the black
Tell them I aint coming back

Joss Whedon & Sonny Rhodes, Firefly Theme

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I challenge ALL readers to describe your favorite mug. But make sure it's your favorite, not the one you think is the coolest, but the one you actually use the most."

Happy Easter

I offer three from the CrabAppleLane backyard this Easter Sunday.

Favorite Mug - Easter Sunday - March 23, 2008
Bought this mug at the Minneapolis airport on our way back to New Orleans 20 years ago. Probably paid too much for it but it has become my favorite mug. I think it was 5 or 6 bucks. What's a favorite mug worth these days?

CrabAppleLane Azaleas - March 23, 2008 - Easter Sunday
I was on an azalea planting mission a few years ago. I was determined to plant 30+ per year. I was buying the cheap ones from The Home Depot for $1.33/ea. I didn't care what color they were and I planted them randomly. They got a little scraggly on me because ... see next picture.

CrabAppleLane Azalea & Blackberries - March 23, 2008 - Easter Sunday
During my azalea planting mission, I planted two "cultivated blackberry" bushes. Cultivated blackberries have a bigger bush/vine, bigger berries, and much bigger thorns. Those two blackberry bushes and their offspring have taken over the azaleas. I was in there hacking away at them yesterday trying to bring them under control a tad. They defend themselves. I was wearing gloves but no eye protection. A vine brushed across my eyelid. It drew blood. Did I go get some eye protection before continuing? Of course not. Lightning may not be able to strike twice in the same spot but cultivated blackberries can. Yes, I am a recovering idiot.

Quote of the Day

The Dalai clique is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence.

People's Daily (China)

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "After leaving the snow in Minneapolis, I wore short sleeve tees and capris this weekend in the nearly 70F weather. I planted azaleas and trimmed my rose bushes."

Boston Street - Covington, LA - March 21, 2008
The forward slash seems to be stuck.

Quote of the Day

We're sitting on double shares

Jackie Scanlon, Sorcerer

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "There’s only one kind of slash in a URL! On most keyboards, it’s that key with the question mark."

March Madness starts today. Got your brackets ready? It says here the Georgetown Hoyas will be cutting down the nets in April. Bet any house you have to lose.

About today's QOTD: The story is here.

One of the coolest photos I've seen in a while. Only in Europe, I suppose. I think there's probably laws against it in the U.S. "Departing in style" is the title. Indeed. The photographer is tataAnne and her FlickR photos are fabulous.

Spent most of the day in the yard yesterday. First serious yard work of 2008 and also got down the tomato garden. Best sight of the day: One of the CrabAppleLane nesting bluebirds swooped down into my freshly tilled tomato garden and scooped himself a grub. Second best sight of the day: One CrabAppleLane hummingbird chasing off another from the mandevilla. I offer a few on this magnificent spring Sunday.

CrabAppleLane tomato garden - March 16, 2008 - From the worm’s view

CrabAppleLane Squirrel - March 16, 2008 - Squirrel: "Even though he is looking right at me with that camera, he can't see me when I stay perfectly still." He was about to jump to one of the bird feeders when he noticed me.

CrabAppleLane front yard - March 16, 2008 - Everything is blooming

CrabAppleLane bird feeder - March 16, 2008 - Favorite shot this morning. I liked the way the mirliton cables framed it and this is one of the best captures of a CrabAppleLane cardinal I’ve gotten. They are brilliant in the sunlight.

Quote of the Day

I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine
If you're into evil, you're a friend of mine

AC/DC, Hell's Bells

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "It nearly knocked itself out trying to escape but managed to find the open door eventually, not before I managed to take just one shot!"

For the record, I love daylight savings time. Starting tomorrow, I'll be getting home from work in daylight regularly for the first time in almost 15 years.

While working in the yard today, Patsy and I both heard the unmistakable sound of a hummingbird but we didn't see it. Fresh nectar awaits. Can't wait till they start their regular visits again. They're right on time. I was expecting them this weekend. Update 7PM: Saw him. First one back gets uncontested nectar.

I offer one from the CrabAppleLane courtyard today.

CrabAppleLane Mandevilla - March 9, 2008

Quote of the Day

The NFL got a little less interesting Tuesday. You watched Favre for what he did and what he tried to do. You marveled at his complete and utter fearlessness. You shook your head in amazement when he made great plays and when he made bonehead plays.

Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "This is one of my favorite songs sung by one of my favorite singers, Eva Cassidy, who tragically died of melanoma in 1996 at age 33 before she became famous world-wide."

Quite lovely. -Rob

Ryan Perrilloux, LSU quarterback, is a mystery to me. He has the keys to a Mazzeratti and a ticket to the NFL if he could just keep himself out of trouble. Apparently, that's too much to ask. He was going to start at QB next year for defending National Champion LSU. That's his Mazzeratti. The Tigers have a lot of talent on offense. He has a great arm and has good presence on the field. That's his ticket to the NFL. He also has a propensity for screwing up off of the field and for being at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. That's going to derail his career. I hope he straightens himself out and makes something of himself but I surely support Coach Les Miles handling of him. He has been suspended indefinitely.

Caught a glimpse of two horses on my long way home today. Thought I'd share.

Folsom, LA - March 8, 2008

Quote of the Day

So many people are doubting us coming into the season because we lost so many guys. But they haven't seen a lot of the other guys who've been waiting their turn. I have, and they're going to step up and make big-time plays for us, just like last year.

Demetrius Byrd, LSU Tigers

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The fledgling baseball league called Major League Baseball is trying to squeeze some money out of the juggernaut Cape Cod Baseball League."

I picked up lunch yesterday and we ate in Bogue Falaya Park. This time, I brought the camera AND I loaded the battery. Because of the spectacular thunderstorm we had last night, the river was higher than usual. White sand from our vantage point indicates that it gets quite a bit higher on occasion. The park is quite nice, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, and quite serene on weekdays. We'll probably be doing more of this.

Bogue Falaya - March 4, 2008

My friend, Andrea, is responsible for today's QOTD. She mentioned it the other day.

Quote of the Day

Little darlin'
It's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darlin'
It feels like years since it's been here

George Harrison (The Beatles) - Here Comes The Sun

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "If you did not stop reading this long winded post long ago, my point is that music did all of this, provided all of these wonderful memories and it just sucks that the kids as well as older people that missed out don’t have this kind of stuff anymore."

That sounds just like Lester Bangs. -Rob

Glorious spring Sunday here at CrabAppleLane. Excuse the short one but I have to get back out in it. I offer one from the CrabAppleLane front yard and one from the CrabAppleLane backyard.

CrabAppleLane Redbud - March 2, 2008

CrabAppleLane Backyard - March 2, 2008

Quote of the Day

Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

John Fogerty, Centerfield

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "We won’t have Dish or phone service until Friday, but the payoff is high-speed internet so Huzzah! H is hella excited because high-speed internet = XBOXLIVEOMIGOD. We may never see him again."

The CrabAppleLane Saturday afternoon matinée yesterday was Michael Clayton. It was on DirecTV Pay-Per-View and included a Maltin Minute. I like everything Maltin says about George Clooney. The movies he makes between Batman and the Ocean movies are superb. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Out of Sight, and Syriana are excellent. Add Michael Clayton to that list. Excellent performances all around, particularly Tom Wilkinson, who plays a suddenly conscientious attorney. Wilkinson has one scene with Clooney where he goes from just outside of reality's grip right back into the moment with sharp lawyerly focus (See today's QOTD). It was an amazing delivery and he is absolutely convincing. Wilkinson and Clooney both play attorneys who consider themselves "janitors", because they essentially clean up their client's messes. There's another janitor of sorts in the film called Mr Verne. He "deals in absolutes". He is a truly frightening character that I hope doesn't exist in the real world. The only criticism I can level at Michael Clayton is that the ending tailed off from the rest of the film and was a little too "Hollywood" for my tastes. Still, I highly recommend it. The BOTD has a different take.

I offer two from the CrabAppleLane yard on this overcast, somewhat dreary Sunday:

CrabAppleLane Rest Stop - February 24, 2008

Sign of spring - February 24, 2008

Quote of the Day

Michael, I have great affection for you and you live a very rich and interesting life, but you're a bag man not an attorney. If your intention was to have me committed you should have kept me in Wisconsin where the arrest report, the videotape, eyewitness reports of my inappropriate behavior would have had jurisdictional relevance. I have no criminal record in the state of New York, and the single determining criteria for involuntary commitment is danger. Is the defendant a danger to himself or to others. You think you got the horses for that? Well good luck and God bless, but I'll tell you this: the last place you want to see me is in court.

Arthur Edens, Michael Clayton

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Boring and contrived does not a good thriller make and the ordeal is certainly not helped by a George Clooney who seems to have mistaken weary for depth."

Upgraded the CrabAppleLane blogs to Movable Type 4.1 yesterday. I have one lingering issue to resolve on this blog only. The others seem to be working fine.

I offer one from the CrabAppleLane backyard today. It is a glorious day here. Sunshine, blue skies, and temps in the 60s. Looks like we have a tenant. If you're wondering, we're renting it for a song. :)

CrabAppleLane Bluebird - February 10, 2008

Quote of the Day

I thought I saw her at the late night restaurant
She would have sent blue shivers down the wall
But she didn't grace our table
In fact, she wasn't there at all

Jethro Tull, Budapest

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The next post will be my 300th on this blog, and I will have been going for absolutely yonks."