View From The Porch: March 2025

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Fastballs and Fast Lenses

Yesterday was the twenty-fourth anniversary of an unfortunate dove's encounter with a Randy Johnson fastball.

For those who didn't know, since he's retired from the Major Leagues, Johnson has gone on to become a professional photographer, specializing in sports, concerts, and wildlife. Turns out the Big Unit was a photojournalism major in college and cameras were his first love. The logo for his business is dank af.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Precious memories, how they linger...

An FIE Targa Titan .25 was my very first handgun nearly forty years ago.

It's hard sometimes...

The urge to have an episode of celebrity amnesia* at unfamiliar local gun shops is nearly overwhelming.

Kid behind the counter, laying out a form 4473: "Now I don't know when the last time you filled one of these out was..."

Me: "Tuesday."

*Celebrity Amnesia is when you say "Do you know who I am?"

Friday, March 21, 2025

Seriously?

Me, Yesterday Morning: "Woo hoo! First day of spring!"

Mother Nature, Yesterday Afternoon: "Have some snow flurries. I hope you didn't put away your long johns, btw, because it's going to be below freezing tomorrow morning."

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Meme Dump...

Sprung

The equinox happened at 0901 GMT (2:01AM local) today, meaning it's now officially spring.

Thanks to former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels both adopting Daylight Savings Time and moving most of the state to the Eastern Time Zone in 2005 we're moving into the time of year when lack of sunshine is not a problem, since by high summer the sun won't be setting until quarter past nine. In fact on the summer solstice in Indy, Nautical Twilight lasts until 10:30.

The crocuses are popping up all over.

Monday, March 17, 2025

Memes Upon A Monday Morn...

Eewwwww!

I do a lot of my writing at the neighborhood watering hole. It's got a classic corner bar vibe that you don't often get in suburbia, so when I'm not writing there's a cast of local regulars with whom I can chat. You know, "where everybody knows your name", like the old TV theme song went.

For a fairly small joint, it is well-provisioned with restrooms, having three unisex one-holers.

The nicest and best-lit of the trio, which also has an old bar stool sitting in the corner that gives me a handy place to set my iPad and camera, is also the farthest from the water heater. Far enough away, in fact, that on brutally cold winter days I'll sometimes set the hot water tap running when I enter so that it'll be warm already by the time I've finished my business.

Yesterday, as I approached that bathroom door, I could see the light underneath it that usually indicates occupancy (although some people don't turn off the light when they leave) but a woman emerged just as I was arriving.

Perfect! The water would already be warm!

Except, of course, that when I finished up, I noticed that not only was the tap handle dry, the water was ice cold.

That nasty, nasty ho'. Ick.

I used the paper towel to dry my hands and to operate the doorknob.

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Crash! Boom!

That was some storm that blew through at about 0300.

Thunder woke me, and the lightning strobing through the window shade and the rattle of hail against the side of the house kept me awake. It was noisy enough to get the attention of the cats, but not so noisy as to send them looking for cover.

I haven't gotten out and about, but with the sustained wind speeds I heard the weatherfolk bandying about on the televisor this morning, I'm sure there are some downed limbs and trees in the neighborhood.

Clunk.

Lincoln's second attempt at a luxury pickup truck, the Mark LT, was less of a flop than its first one, but that's only because the first one was a flop of historic proportions.

(Ford sold 35 times as many Edsels as they did Lincoln Blackwoods.)