Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in humor

Yes, there’s a website for that?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When I pulled up along side this truck, I did a double take. I’m glad we were at a red light so I could get a picture of the website. A lot of people want to build pools. A lot of people want better gastrointestinal health, too. It’s a win either way.

The drug store shelves are filled with products to slow you down or speed you up. I swabbed a few floaters to send off to the lab, so my doctor would know how things were down there. One side effect of medications advertised on my streaming services is “oily stool.” Sensitivity to every kind of food plagues countless folks with digestive challenges. If that’s you, you might want to contact the website on the door of that truck.

I wonder if someone doctored up the decal on purpose. Or that precious letter “L” might have worn off over time.

Yes, I typed in that web address. I got nothing. This is an opportunity. I’ll bet I could get that domain for cheap. I’ll bet many would type it into their browser. How much fun would it be to give them unprofessional advice, everything from prunes to cheese?

Posted in color, memories

Glowing orange skies

Posted on by William Douthwaite

After yesterday’s post, the evening sky called and demanded equal time.

I’ve written about the colors of dusk before, awed as the sun painted the bottom of the clouds one final time before retiring for the night. No shade of orange was left behind at the end of this day.

While pink greets me at the beginning a new day, orange won’t let go when that day comes to a close. It hangs on like the embers in the fire pit that glow long after everyone has closed their eyes for the night.

Once again, before I passed two utility poles, the colors had faded, stars appeared, and darkness punched in for the overnight shift.

This picture reminds me of a moment twenty-seven years ago when wild fires burned out of control in our county. A day before we were told to evacuate, we could see the glow on the horizon, wondering if the flames would consume our home. Thankfully, the fire came no closer than half a mile. But the memory is seared into my mind, reawakened when the day ends drenched in every shade of orange you can imagine.

Posted in color

Another unique pink dawn sky

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The rays of pink penetrating the dawn sky took away my breath. I took a picture, knowing they would last but a few moments.

For some reason, two-thirds of the way through summer, the sun, clouds, and sky collaborate to create living works of art.

Thick air greeted me as I stepped out of the house. Even though the sky was clear, no humidity had escaped overnight. The moon and a couple of planets hadn’t yet retired for the night. The birds had just begun to sing. The longer red and pink wavelengths stretched up from behind the trees, rewarding early morning walkers with a beautiful pallet of colors.

I’ve seen lots of pink dawn skies, but I’ve never seen this one. And I’ll never see it again.

Posted in noticing, outdoors

Around and around

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We were almost home from a morning walk when I noticed a large circular contrail in the sky. I’m used to seeing the contrails of early morning flights crisscross the sky. I don’t remember ever seeing one that circled back on itself.

I took this photo facing east, so the jet would have been out over the ocean. We guessed the plane was in a holding pattern, waiting for clearance to land. As we looked, we could just see the plane at the front of the contrail, heading back north, most likely into Jacksonville.

When I looked up circular contrails, a conspiracy website said they were actually chemtrails. According to them, some sinister group was spraying toxins into the air to poison a population. That’s an imaginative idea to be sure.

Another person suggested it was a flight pattern for training. That’s possible. We’ve seen a lot of air national guard planes and helicopters overhead the past few weeks.

Anyway, it was a beautiful part of this morning’s sky.

Posted in animals, dogs

Turtling

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We’ve got a turtle in our neighborhood. Sometimes he camps out in our driveway, driving our little dog nuts. Other times we find him in the middle of the street, just daring the traffic to drive by. This morning, our big dog encountered the turtle!

Yeah, he quickly shut himself up tight as a drum when that big nose came in for a sniff. The big girl was fascinated by this elusive playmate who wouldn’t come out to play. It wasn’t until we were thirty feet away that the turtle poked his head out to see what was going on. We watched from a distance as he moved surprisingly fast into the wooded lot just up the street.

Why are turtles so fascinating to dogs and to people? They are easy to catch, but hard to get to know. They are both secluded and right there in the middle of the street. They are always at home, their houses on their back. But they withdraw when you try to get to know them.

Who else carries their home with them? Snails, hermit crabs (borrowed homes), and full time RV-ers. Backpackers on the Appalachian Trail? Cross-country bike riders? I find that self-sufficiency fascinating.

We used to have a hybrid camper trailer. The ends folded out into the tent-like sleeping areas. If we didn’t want to open up the ends because of a storm, we could just shut ourselves in safe and secure, a technique called “turtling.”

I’ll bet we all have moments when we want to “turtle.” Just pull our heads, hands, and feet in and shut ourselves off from the world.

Just for a moment.

Posted in Food

How did I ever live without a digital toaster?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’m a techie so this box on the curb next to my neighbor’s trash can caught my eye. My toaster is the cheapest one I could find on Amazon. But her’s is extra wide, digital, and smart.

I took a quick look at the user guide online. Twenty pages! The toaster may be smart, but some users may not be. The troubleshooting guide includes this instruction if the toaster won’t turn on: plug it in.

“Toasting tips” warns against putting buttered bread in the toaster. So noted.

There’s no more guess work. No dial to adjust the temperature. Perfect toast every time!

I like the shade option all the way to the right. You can choose to burn your toast if that’s your preference. That must be for the person who enjoys a well-done steak.

A long time ago, my college best friends and I all promised to buy each other toasters when we got married. In theory, we’d all receive at least four toasters as gifts. I think I was the only one who actually did it.

Posted in school

Flashback to high school biology

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The morning after torrential thunderstorms, the big dog and I ran across this froggie who brought back memories of high school biology. Just the night before, he was one of thousands croaking from flooded swales and culverts. But now he’s silent.

I took biology in 9th grade, freshman year of high school. I’m amazed I remember the name of our teacher, Mr. Hecksher. We dissected two creatures that year, a worm and a frog.

The worm was boring. One cut down the length, take note of a few organs, and that was it.

The frog was more exciting. Muscles, tendons, organs, and eyeballs. But not as fresh or colorful as the one laying on my street. You can see every part of this guy. And he wasn’t the only one. Dozens of his relatives hadn’t hopped fast enough to escape passing cars, either. Most of them were mush instead of a science fair project.

The deceased was four inches long. It would take quite a few like him for a frog leg appetizer. But the crows won’t let him go to waste. He’ll be gone before noon.

I don’t remember much about high school biology. I’m sure we prepared slides and looked at them through microscopes. I must have learned the parts of a cell. And we got to dissect a gray, formaldehyde-soaked frog.

Posted in positivity

A nudge

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Daily writing prompt
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
View all responses

I want my blog to be positive. I want my blog to highlight the positive things, the blessings, and the things that bring us joy.

It’s easy to rant, complain, kvetch, agonize, moan and groan, and scream at the world. But what if you can you be grateful, amazed, pleasantly surprised, impressed, encouraged, inspired, entertained, and delighted?

I want to bring the latter.

I want my stories to inspire gratefulness. I want you to see things that will made you say, “Wow, thanks!” I hope you’ll read my blog and notice examples of grace right in front of your nose. I want to write about things I notice that will make you smile and even laugh. I would love to delight you with everyday sights that should take your breath away.

I often fail to reach my goal. I fall into the all too common unhappy pattern of gloom and doom, conspiracy theories, apocalyptic predictions, nasty reactions, and ugly reactions to a world gone bad.

I think we can do better than that. I think I can do better than that.

Every morning I am blown away by the sunrise oranges on the horizon. Cloudless blue skies take my breath away as the planets vanish in the sky. I so grateful for a gentle breeze that blows the humidity away. I’m inspired by the tall scrub pines, waving palm branches, singing birds, cotton-ball clouds, screeching hawks, and brave bunnies on the edge of the woods.

So, I hope my blog will whisk you away from the negative to the hopeful, from nightmares to wonderful dreams, from gloom and doom to new possibilities, and from dark to light.

Words can do that. These musings can transform. A story can delight. And a reflection can brighten a day.

I want my blog to be a nudge in that direction.

Posted in Life, senses

Can you smell that smell

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by ali esfandiari on Unsplash

With about 15 minutes to go in our walk this morning, the big dog and I caught a powerful whiff of cannabis wafting into the street. Yes, at 7:00 am.

I know what you’re wondering. I’ve never partaken, but I did go to college, and became very familiar with the smell of weed. I remember the first time the residence advisor met with us in the common are of the dorm. He basically told us that no one would say anything as long as you kept it in your room with the door closed. That was in 1975, when there were few rules and plenty of beer available at the fraternities. (Yes, I had a few.)

Anyway, I never thought of smoking as a first thing in the morning activity. But every morning I pass certain houses whose residents are having a cigarette, a cigar, or a morning hit. It’s like their cup of coffee or energy drink, I suppose. I know tobacco is addictive, cannabis not so much. Caffeine is. I guess it’s what you’re used to.

Now what I really like to catch a whiff of is a brisket that’s been in the smoker all night. That’s a Saturday or Sunday morning treat. Along with someone cooking bacon in an outdoor kitchen. I slow down in front of those homes, enjoying that moment as I contemplate getting a smoker.