I will be the first to admit that my eyesight sure isn't what it used to be. For the past ten years or so I have had to wear reading glasses. Then as the insurance people required, I had an eye exam and was told that I needed bifocals. Well, that was purely a waste of money! Not only could I not read with those glasses but I felt nauseous when I walked while wearing them. Nope. No way! I refused to wear the glasses. A year later, I was required to go to the eye doctor once again. This doctor said that my eyes were ok and I did not need prescription glasses. She took my reading glasses, wrote down the "prescription" and sent me back to the dollar store to get another pair just to keep on hand. Now, sitting in the desk drawer is a nigh on $300 pair of useless spectacles and I am back to wearing a $1 pair of reading glasses full time. Perhaps some day the others may come in handy but, for now, they are just clutter.
The eyes can, however, play tricks on the mind. You are always seeing the infamous "dress" or "shoes" on social media asking "What color do you see?" Or a weird photo of a cat looking upwards with the caption of "Is it a bird or cat?" In the real world, things are about the same. For instance, a few days ago, I was on the pier and photographed what appeared to be a jet-black dragonfly. This amazing find would have thrilled me had I not already known the identity of the critter. This was a Slaty Skimmer and is not actually all black! The male dragonfly is actually blue with a black head. The overcast skies made the critter appear black. It is a common mistake folks make when trying to find the identity of the Slaty. "I found a solid black dragonfly! What kind is it?" is a common question presented to entomologists. Then, it is often hard to convince the discoverers of the "black dragonfly" that they were merely being tricked by the lighting. On bright, sunshiny days, the male Slaty is a powdery blue and not even that dark! (Females are sort of brown with a dark stripe and black head.)
The Slaty Skimmer is one of the most common of all dragonflies and can often be seen sunning themselves in marshes, near ponds or even pastures. The male and female will mate in flight then she will lay her eggs in a nearby bit of fresh water by skimming and dotting the surface. Be on the lookout for Slaty Skimmers and try to view them in both sunshine and shade to get this crazy coloring effect! You eyes may deceive you!
Developing any malady is not fun. Let that malady be something that causes you not to be able to function as well as you once did and frustration adds insult to injury. Rcently, I noticed a swelling on the back of my leg just behind my knee. Yep, that thing started causing problems so now I have to limit my everyday activities. In view of the problems some folks endure, I should not complain and try not to whine to very much. It is only that I am accustomed to going nonstop from before sunrise until well after dark. This stupid pain (and swelling) puts a kink in the plans for the day occasionally. I have learned that ladders are not my friend anymore and that long hikes seem a lot longer nowadays. I am supposed to "rest" the leg for now. Ha!
As with all things, there is usually a silver lining to the darkest clouds. One positive thing came from all of this. Taking the dog all the way down the hill to do his business was starting to become a tad difficult. Since Mr. PJ has only been with us for a few weeks, he had not learned the routine too well. He was used to being in a fenced backyard instead of in the wide open space of the Bayou. There are too many exciting scents that egged the curious side of the dog to explore more than he should. Training him to go all the way down the hill and then promptly return took a few days. But the old dog is super smart. By the third day, Mr. PJ had even learned to open the gate by himself on his return. I go out with him, unlock the gate and then wait on the steps. When he is finished, he comes back, bumps the gate until it opens and happily comes inside. I think he is proud of himself for learning to do this and equally proud to be out on his own for a little while.
The day started with white out fog. There was not a thing to be seen at daybreak other than pea-soup thick fog. Once that "burned off", heavy clouds blocked out any sunshine. The day was dark and damp but oddly cheery. I am one of those weird folks that loves a dreary day! As the day wore on, the clouds grew thicker and thicker until the rains started just before nightfall. I did manage to find one bit of the sun through all of this, though! And what a big, ole sun it was!
It is funny how some photographers pride themselves in taking shots of the "huge" sun or moon. I have seen photographs that make the orbs look as if they are about to smack the earth with a vengeance! In these pictures, the sun (or moon) dwarfs buildings, trees or entire landscapes. I used to envy these shots and wish that I had the "know how" to recreate them. Well, it is not that hard....obviously! The sun (or moon) actually DOES dwarf these items! The art of giving the illusion all lies in the size lens that you attach to your camera and the distance with which you place yourself from the building or whatever is in front of the sun. Also, it helps tremendously if you can "crop" out a good bit of the surrounding area. Simply put, it is all in perspective.
The shot I took of the setting sun this evening was not that phenomenal. It was just the sun trying to break through the clouds. I do not have one of those super strong lens, so the sun was just being the sun. However, when I cut out a good bit of the background and left only the pine tree in the middle, the sun took on that gigantic look! But, then again, that orb is gigantic compared to anything else so my feeble attempt at trying to make it look massive should have just been avoided. Let the sun be its big, ole self and leave well enough alone!
