And then there was that one time Sara and I were at Lake Michigan last June 26, 2017. Another couple standing by the lake farther down from us in an oh so picturesque moment. I snapped their photo because the sunset, the lake, the lovebirds, it was all too beautiful not to.

Then Sara went over and asked if they’d like the picture. They agreed, somewhat suspiciously so then I sent them a text with the picture.

The phone number they gave never responded and frankly, I was a little disappointed that I didn’t even get a “thank you” response.

And that was the end of the story.

But then it wasn’t.

I saved the text message month over month and planned to message them again on June 26, 2018. I have a hard time remembering what the date is but on the 28th my duty called.

I took a screenshot of our original one-sided text conversation and sent them a little note.

I was pretty pleased with their response. 💛

I don’t like talking to strangers or people in general but sometimes life taps me on the shoulder and I’m always grateful when I pay attention.

And I’m even more grateful that Sara reached out to these two.

Because #lovewins

#photos #sunsets

By way of Elizabeth McG’s iPhone X. She wanted credit for the camera hardware. 😊

#photos #starbucks

Blue Goose got Viki’s Granola for 99 cents. Boom💥

#photos #bluegoose #goodeats

A chipmunk just cost me $258 for a chewed-threw wire replacement. At first I thought it was something I’d messed up when installing the ecobee thermostat but no, it was a dumb rodent.

Repair guy said they detect the heat in the wire and think it’s a food source of some kind. I guess with brains smaller than a walnut, they have to be pretty stupid.

#photos #chipmunks #homeimprovement

This is why I hate linking to 3rd party libraries. A website that’s been happily chugging along for years now has a broken contact form. Nobody has been able to submit contact requests for who knows how long because the captcha check fails.

See also: CAPTCHAs are stupid →

#devhell

I’m glad they’re redoing this building on the corner of Prairie St. and Second in St. Charles. The stucco look never appealed to me.

Plus, I was always worried that I’d be merrily walking one day, trip over some unseen obstacle, and wildly tumble into the building. Then I’d come away with a nasty abrasion on my right shoulder.

#photos #cityscapes

Hope your hump day has been…incomparable.

That sounds kind of dumb but I grew tired of playing the synonym game.

#photos #sunsets

It’s growing in my front yard and Googling is futile.

#photos #mysteryplants

An open letter to C. Elton, Civil Engineer I:

It was with great anticipation and suspense that I read your letter (Exhibit A) regarding the saw cutting about to commence in my neighborhood, dated June 25, 2018.

As you can see I’ve made little haste in responding via email. Even though you offered your local phone number I prefer not to talk on the phone as there were one too many times when I was younger that my mom handed me the phone while she was talking with some dear, distant relative. I had little interest in talking to the person on the other end but still my mother insisted I take the handset and carry on a conversation like I knew who Uncle Leroy and Aunt Loretta were.

However, when I write these words, they flow like a magical river thesaurus dinosaur as I press the delicate yet responsive keys on my iPad Pro’s external and official keyboard.

Read more →

The Trouble With Johnny Depp

“So are you here to hear the truth?” asks Depp as Russell brings him a glass of vintage red wine. “It’s full of betrayal.”

We move to the dining room for a three-course meal of pad thai, duck and gingerbread with berries. Depp sits at the head of the table and motions toward some rolling papers and two equal piles of tobacco and hash, and asks if I mind. I don’t. He pauses for a second. “Well, let’s drink some wine first.”

This goes on for 72 hours.

72 hours sounds like a Hunter S. Thompson escapade for sure.

#johnnydepp