I had a plumber come in yesterday to unstop our kitchen sink. He was a nice enough young man and did a good job, but the cost to get him to snake out the drain gave me sticker shock. It was nearly twice what it was the last time I called them. I imagined being told in an Eastern European accent "the price is the price." The plumbing company is the one I normally call, but the next time I need the sink unplugged I might consider calling somebody else, or not I'll have to wait and see how I feel at the time.
We're supposed to walk this morning but I'm again getting a late start. We may just do a few laps around the property today. One lap is roughly a quarter mile so I can get a little exercise in that way and Charlie stays off the leash when we stay here so he can run and jump or just get inquisitive about all of the surrounding scents. I'll need to dig out my waterproof hiking shoes; there is dew in the morning.
After that, I may tend to the bird feeders, because they don't tend to themselves. I get to feeling a little bad when I look out and there are birds just hanging around empty feeders while staring at the backdoor. You'd think that I'm exaggerating, which I may be, but it sure seems like that's what they do.
āThe price is the price.ā ā Taken (film, 2008) ā sovereign utterance from the Ministry of Unyielding Transactions
āBut I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.ā ā E.B. White
āEvery morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.ā ā Henry David Thoreau
"A cluster of mandarin orangesāCitrus reticulataāhangs gracefully from a slender tree branch, their round bodies nestled among glossy green leaves. The fruits are in various stages of ripening, forming a natural gradient from deep green to golden yellow to rich, sunlit orange. Their skin is smooth and slightly dimpled, catching the morning light like polished lanterns suspended in a leafy canopy.
The sunlight filters through the foliage, casting soft shadows and illuminating the fruits with a warm, golden glow. Some oranges appear almost translucent at the edges, as if lit from within. The leaves curve protectively around the fruit, their veins visible and vibrant, adding texture to the scene. In the background, a blur of green suggests a lush orchard or garden, alive with quiet abundance.
This is not just a botanical momentāit feels like a ceremonial offering, a dispatch from the Ministry of Ripening, where each fruit is a sovereign orb of sweetness, suspended in the ritual of becoming." - Microsoft Copilot
āOur #citrus growers are resilient, but after fighting citrus greening for nearly two decades and having three major hurricanes in the past seven years devastate the heart of our growing region, growers are weary,ā he said in a statement Friday.
"Some British retailers and wholesalers have been forced to switch to sourcing #oranges from South Africa and South America early after last monthās catastrophic floods in eastern #Spain left farmers struggling to harvest and ship their crops."