March 2023 Full Moon Over Okinawa

 It's Been A While

Finally a decent image of the Full Moon in Okinawa.

Amen

Holy Mackerel! Lookit What I'm Doin' Now

 March Is Sneaking Up

It's almost the end of February and the blog hasn't been touched.  It's time to update.

Not much outdoor activity has been going on due to poor health and the weather.

The health is improving and the weather almost seemed like spring for a few days.

Then winter came once again.

So Let's Get On A Health Kick

Pretty much hanging around the house and not exercising fattens folks up.

One day fumbling around on Google I discovered the benefits of canned fish.

Yeah, I consume a couple of cans of tuna each week but, here's something new.

A can of Saba Misoni is Mackerel simmered in Miso.

What the heck is Miso?  It's a paste made by fermenting soybeans in Japan.

Between mackerel and miso, there are all sorts of health benefits.

Like lowering blood pressure and cholesterol while boosting the body's immune system.

Supposedly, canned mackerel is more powerful than tuna.

During warm weather, I BBQ mackerel and think it tastes better than canned fish.

The canned stuff is like the first time you tasted beer. An acquired taste is required.

Part II Nothing to See Here

There won't be any images or videos posted, just use some imagination.

Since early September, I've had to take things easy. No lifting and no long walks.

A broken disk in the back makes life kind of miserable.  Things are slowly improving.

For the first few months, a back brace had to be worn, all day long.

No long walks and no heavy lifting were the doctor's orders.

Weekly rehabilitation visits and all sorts of therapy took place.

They even microwaved my bones!

Now that the broken disk has healed, muscles and nerves need some fine-tuning.

The painkillers I was taking (opiates) are no longer required. Amen.

Slowly getting back into an exercise routine, I still have to take it easy.

The left hip seems to malfunction frequently. Sometimes, it locks up.

Range of motion stretches and massage, along with heat therapy seems to help.

The Funny Part

Sometimes it's difficult for a therapist to determine what a patient needs to do.

Last Friday the guy says, "Mike walk on your fingers."

That seemed odd but, I bent over and started to kick my feet in the air, to do a handstand.

"No, your foot fingers."  He's Japanese. He meant to step with my toes down before my heels.

If he would have said, "Ashi no yubi," I would have understood. Now he knows, "toes."

Can you imagine what an old bearded guy looks like walking on his tip toes?

Well, I like to walk early in the morning. Before sunup, there are not a lot of people around.

Thinking I'd look like a fool, I only walked on the toes of the left foot.

That way, I'd only look like I was half crazy. Don't you think?

Whenever I spotted a car coming or someone walking their dog, I walked normally.

Tiptoes on both feet. Can you picture a ballerina in yellow flip-flops?

Anyhow, this therapy might be working. Let's wait and see.

End of January Special Things

 A Few Photos Plus A Video

Cherry Blossoms with Different Background Colors

Sometimes you'll see blue skies in the Winter.

Occasionally dark backgrounds highlight the scene.

A white building always helps that pink flower pop!

But, nothing beats surprising a Special Someone on their 77th birthday:

DIY All Natural Fruit Fly Killer

 Just A Drop of Dish Soap

There has been way too much rain this month for my usual Full Moon photography.

It did make some short appearances but, avoided my fooling around with the camera.

Spending plenty of time indoors I noticed fruit flies hanging around the kitchen.

 

In Japan, this is what Apple Cider Vinegar in a bottle looks like.

It's been a while since I searched the internet for a natural way to eliminate these bugs.

So, you might want to Google it yourself for recipes.

Here's how it all started. Just put one drop of dish soap in a container.

If you like feeling silly, sing a Mary Poppins song, the pesty insects might like it, too!

The Bottle of Vinegar May Last a Whole Year!

Sometimes I'll put a splash of vinegar on my salad but, not even a teaspoon full.

For the month of December, I'm posting a photo of how many fruit flies have drowned.

 Not bad, considering I spilled the thing once after the first week, trying to count the bugs.

There aren't any more fruit flies buzzing around my apples, bananas, and pears.

Some folks would probably suggest keeping fruits in the refrigerator.

But, that would put way too much restriction on how many beers could fit in there!

Here's a Pioneer Woman's Recipe, I found for you to try.

Have Safe and Happy Holidays!

Horrible Blood Moon November 2022

 Wind and Clouds with Camera Shake

Normally I wouldn't post terrible photography like this or, even process the images.

But, I got thinking. "Why not show the world how it really gets sometimes?"

The clouds blocked out the moon many times and the wind was blowing, shaking my camera.

This is how the moon looks sometimes after 10 too many beers.

About a dozen times I tried (unsuccessfully) to get a nice sharp image.

It Never Happened

The photo I would have liked to publish never got taken.

But, I was out there and got to witness the Full Blood Moon of November 2022.

Some photo editing was done to attempt to clear the blurred image.

But, shaky hands don't do the best job of patching things up.

If you all don't mind now, I'll go back to bed.