distortions.net Profile Photo

distortions.net

I'm Ryan Mikulovsky. Tech geek. GIS pro. Avgeek. California Native plant gardener. All photos on this blog, unless stated otherwise, are mine. Cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 and X100V. Views are my own.

Photos

    ∞

    Bullock’s Oriole in our backyard Ceanothus. This is our first backyard Oriole! Wow. #BullocksOriole #Birds #Fujifilm

    A medium Bullock’s Oriole bird with a bright orange chest, a reddish throat, and a black chin. It has a black back with whitish wings. Its orange head has a black stripe on top and a black stripe going from the rear corner of its eye to its back. The bird is perched in a Ceanothus shrub that’s loaded with tiny violet flowers and dark green leaves in between.
    ∞

    Ladybug larvas were later than normal this year but geez do they have a feast now!

    Several ladybug larvae, kind of a rectangular bug with mostly black with orange stripes, are gorging on aphids on a sage.
    ∞

    We planted our vegetable and herb seedlings today. Our home compost has turned out real nice. Took several years to build up enough for use. The worms do most of the work since we can’t get the compost hot enough for long. 🌱 Two planted crop rows with drip tape. In the background are stunningly violet flowers of Ceanothus bushes. To the right of the crop rows is patio with grapes leafing out below the awning. Gravel makes up paths between crop rows.A wheel burrow full of worm laden compost. It’s sunrise and the shadows are long.

    ∞

    Present me is very thankful that past me connected all the commons in our newer irrigation box. So I didn’t have to undo the common “water proof” wire nut but only connect up the green wire to move from an older, now broken valve in an older box.

    A irrigation valve box with wires tied together by wire nuts including the green wire. The small box sits atop some gravel and has a stainless steel braided hose providing input water. There are 20-25 GPH pressure regulators and adapters to drip irrigation hoses.
    ∞

    My #RaspberryShake caught the M 4.4 Cobb, CA earthquake early this morning. I did not feel it here in Orland.

    A seismograph showing the signal of the earthquake.
    ∞

    First Cedar Waxwing ever in our backyard! They have a creepy high pitched song.

    This Cedar Waxwing has a black mask that extends from its eyes to its chin, with a crest of feathers on its head. Its wings and tail are brown with yellow and white accents, and its tail has a bright yellow tip. The Cedar Waxwing's most distinctive feature is its red-tipped wings. It’s on a budding tree with a blue sky.
    ∞

    Spotted our first Marsh Wren today at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. That vertical tail is something else. #Birds #MarshWren #Fujifilm

    A brown Marsh Wren is perched along the top of a brown reed among a field of reeds. Its tail is pointing straight up! There are some Spring fresh green reeds amongst the brown reds and there’s a calm water pond behind the wren
    ∞

    It has been a week. Today, introvert me gets what it needs and now I’m alone for a bit. Always difficult balancing my needs with my assumed & expressed wishes of others, even loved ones.

    A black and white cat enjoying the sun at a sliding glass door. She’s so contented. This was her last day.
    ∞

    Annie the Cat taking in a big dose of sunlight (again, but cuter this time). I hope she shakes her sinus infection soon. A black and white cat laying against an open slider with her head cradled by the slider's rails. Her sunlit fur has a rust hue.

    ∞

    Photographed our first Downy woodpecker today. #Birds #BirdWatching #DownyWoodpecker #Fujifilm

    A petite Downy woodpecker with a black and white striped head and a black and white body that's kind of fluffy. It's foraging on a tree trunk. There's a twig in front of its face.
    ∞

    Here’s Annie the Cat enjoying some fresh air. She’s been sick but we’re fighting through it. #caturday

    A tuxedo cat laying on a hard floor in front of an open sloding glass door. The cat is enjoying the fresh air coming through a screen. it's bright outside with blurred grern foliage.
    ∞

    Our young “New Century” Asian Pear tree is in full bloom. Our “Hosui” Asian Pear isn’t mature enough to flower and cross pollinate. Maybe next year!

    Three open white flowers at the top of a very young thin leafing out tree. A stake is next to it, keeping it up right. The background is composed of blurred out gravel.
    ∞

    Not long from now is Summer. Better get our fresh baked sourdough fix while we can!

    a golden elongated loaf of sourdough with slightly blurred kitchen racks that have many implements upon it
    ∞

    I went to Shasta Dam today for a work thing. I think I overheard they may have opened a controlled spillway gate today? Gorgeous day. Water levels are as high as I’ve ever seen them.

    The massive shasta dam with snow capped mountains in the background. A spillway gate appears to be open, sending an enormous amount of water into the Sacramento River. It is an overcast day.
    ∞

    Just got some pea sized hail in Orland, CA. #CaWX

    Floating hail in a small pool of water at the bottom of a down spout.
    ∞

    First bloom of our a front yard Ceanothus today. So many more to come. So. Many.

    Bright small violet flowers with bokeh of green shrubs (coyote bush) in the background.
    ∞

    The iOS Parcel app doesn’t write expected delivery dates to an iCloud calendar but only to a local calendar. So I just created a Shortcut Automation that runs at 9am daily, copying Parcel created events to an iCloud calendar (shared with my wife). No way to share Personal Automations so here’s a screenshot.

    A screen capture of a shortcut that copies Parcel events to an iOS Shared Calendar.
    ∞

    The iOS Parcel app doesn’t write expected delivery dates to an iCloud calendar but only to a local calendar. So I just created a Shortcut Automation that runs at 9am daily, copying Parcel created events to an iCloud calendar (shared with my wife). No way to share Personal Automations so here’s a screenshot.

    a screen shot showing a shortcut that copies events from the Parcel Calendar to a iCloud Shipments calendar. It checks for duplicates, too.
    ∞

    And here’s a rabbit at the Northern California refuge. Normally they’re at a full run. #Rabbit

    A brown rabbit sits on the edge of a road. Brown grass lines the edge of the road. The rabbit's long ears are missing their very tips.
    ∞

    Northern Flickers have evaded my best efforts to photograph them. So this photo from today at a Northern California refuge will do for now. #Birds #NorthernFlicker

    Northern Flicker up in a tree, vertical against a vertical branch. The Flicker has red on its chin and its tail. It has black heart shaped markings on its gray chest.
Older Posts →