Bookmarque’s Padded Cell 2020 - The straightjacket is off (part 1)

Because it's hard to read with your hands tied behind your back.

I need to dispense with my usual first post to catch you up on all the drama.

So the New Year is starting out in an interesting way.

I had a thrombo (Austin Powers voice).

Maybe not on the exact day, but I went to three hospitals the day before yesterday and will go to a fourth tomorrow.

In a nutshell (this is me in a nutshell - more Austin Powers) my iliac stent got clogged and caused massive deep vein thrombosis in my left leg. The leg bigger than ever now and that was my tip off after the surgery that was supposed to make it smaller. During the Christmas days I started to get worried. Early morning on the 30th I knew something was seriously wrong.

It was a nightmare. After calling the covering staff at my surgeon’s office (he’s on vacation as is everyone else it seems) I went to our local emergency room I was told their mobile ultrasound unit had just left at 11:00. It was like, noon. So hubby had to drive another half hour to their sister hospital which had a proper radiology unit. We did that and I was seen relatively quickly and a vein study was done. A technician can’t diagnose so I was sent back to the first hospital to the doctor who saw me there.

In a snowstorm.

Yup. A major one had moved in the night before and was still going on. So back we went where I was told that I had a major blood clot in my leg and would need a heparin drip ASAP. So we started that. But, the local hospital is a stabilize and move ‘em facility so I’d have to go to one with a vascular surgery unit. We weren’t thinking straight and should have told them to send us to a different one, but it was late, we were starving and stressed and I let it go. Bad move.

So now it’s like 5:30 and hubby goes to get us some dinner while we wait for the transportation ambulance to arrive at 8:45. Everything is slow because of the snow. Dinner is secured, we eat and then the ride shows. I don’t get to the other hospital for 2 ½ hours.

I don’t recommend an ambulance ride for 2 ½ hours in any weather, but a snow storm takes the prize. At one point he used the lights and sirens because only the left lane of the road was plowed and he needed it. We got to the hospital at just before 12:00.

Then I become the new exhibit at the zoo. Dozens of little bands of doctors and nurses file in and out for the next two hours. I should have done a voice recording of my stories on my phone so I could have gotten some sleep. The same thing over and over and over.

In addition to my two IVs, they added a heart monitor. They thought me a fall risk so I couldn’t get up to pee without ringing for a nurse. Awful beds. Terrible pillows. Misery all around. I was alone because it made no sense for my husband to risk the storm just to be a witness to this circus.

And at 6:00 am it starts all over. When I finally understand what they want to do I call it off.

Not because it’s the wrong procedure or I don’t like the surgeon, but because it’s December 31st and at midnight my Blue Cross coverage goes away and Aspirus coverage starts. Aspirus is the major hospital system in WI. I’m not in an Aspirus facility, but a competitor who is out of network.

That means something like a $50,000 bill to fix what isn’t going to kill me immediately. (or really ever, the surgeon said I didn’t NEED the procedure - that my body would and I love her for saying this, that my body would recanulate the area given time and anticoagulants, that even if I already had a pulmonary embolism I was on the treatment already - anti-coags). So my husband and I made the decision to discharge and readmit at an Aspirus hospital. They agreed it was safe.

And being the obtuse way things are I have to go through the ER process all over again to do it. I couldn’t just make an appointment with the vascular surgery department at Aspirus. Oh no. That wouldn’t waste enough resources on a New Years’ holiday. Joy.

So I’m home today and have the extra fun of having to give myself injections of anti-coagulants every 12 hours. The nurse in the hospital had me do the first one while she watched. I did it fine, but it’s a very unsettling thing to stick yourself with a needle.

Tomorrow we’ll toddle off for what will probably be a 3-day stay. They will use a catheter or two to go into the vein and stent and break down the clots. I will stay for observation with the catheters left in so that if they have to do more they won’t have to re-insert them.

My pain is manageable and I did sleep ok last night which was a relief. I’m told that I will have to take blood thinners for the rest of my life since I’m now susceptible to stent thrombosis and DVT. I likely have to wear the awful compression stocking (thigh high) forever, too. I don’t know how small my leg will ever get because until the clots are gone the swelling will remain. On the plus side, the surgery will affect an immediate cure of the clots and the thrombosis in the stent.

Well thanks for getting through the whole thing. It isn't the worst thing to happen to a person, but it's just about the worst that's happened to me. A perfect storm (literally) of bad.'

When I'm able I'll get to the usual start to my reading thread with charts and graphs, circles and arrows and a paragraph for each one.

Happy New Year!

>1 Bookmarque: oh good grief. You do have an interesting life, don’t you. Hope you’ll be all better soon, and that you have time and attention for lots of reading.

>1 Bookmarque: oh my goodness! What an experience! I hope it goes way smoother from here on out.

>1 Bookmarque: You sure rung in 2020 with some unexpected excitement! I hope this is the worst the new year has for you and it only gets better from here.

>1 Bookmarque: Wow. That is pretty much the epitome of how not to start the new year! I hope that you get some reasonable sleep, and that all goes well in your next foray into the system.

>1 Bookmarque: Sorry to hear that you've had such a difficult time of it, and I second Narilka's comment of hoping this is the worst of the year and it all gets better from here on out. Best wishes.

>1 Bookmarque:
My goodness! I am very sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations. Not only did you have the medical problems but you had to argue your case, and you had to do it in a snow storm. I hope this is the worst incident that ever affects you, not just in 2020.

Well that was a dramatic way to start the year! I hope the rest of it is much calmer, especially during your next few days of treatment.

Thanks everyone. It's been a rough season for sure. I'm off to hospital #4 shortly. Wish me luck that the ER staff there is reasonable and can use their heads about this case and not make me flail around in the system too long. I'm sacrificing all for them - black coffee this am and no breakfast just so they can do the procedure today if they have room in the schedule. The horror, the horror!

lol.

Anyway...I'll do some reading when I can and hopefully get this under control soon. And here's some snowy goodness to tide you over -

>9 Bookmarque: Great picture.

I hope things go well at hospital number 4.

We will be thinking of you and wishing you well.

Wow. Sending you healing vibes. I'm glad you had the presence of mind to make appropriate decisions for yourself, good for you!

Hope all goes well at the hospital today.

>12 Peace2: Crikey, no breakfast! Never mind, just get well. Best wishes!

Oh, I hope it goes well!

Good lord, woman. :o( Please keep us in the loop. Know that we are all rooting for you to mend quickly.

Just adding my wishes for quick healing and all good things for the New Year.

Thank you my LT family for your thoughts and good wishes.

I’m back home which is a relief. I knew it would be a 3-day deal and that I’d have to leave my dignity, privacy and autonomy at the door so I didn’t lose the rag with anyone except at the end and I apologized, but damn it gets tiring.

The treatment(s) to break up the clot in my iliac vein and stent worked - the stent is clear. I have a blood filter in my inferior vena cava (just below my heart) which won’t be permanent, but was inserted to prevent any large chunks of clot from getting into my heart or lungs. All good. I was fully conscious during each procedure - spread out over two OR visits and two different surgery teams. They had to go through my neck and down to place the filter and that was uncomfortable I can tell you. They also inserted a catheter into the back of my knee to deliver meds at the site of the clots and to run a sort of roto-rooter type tool in there for the heavy lifting.

At one point my case doctor noticed that I might have a headache which I confirmed I did and I was whisked off to the CT people for a scan to make sure I didn’t have a brain bleed. Considering my dad had one when he had leg clots in 2017 made for a very harrowing 20 minutes or so. But no. It was just a headache.

Now the clots in my calf will have to work themselves out since they’re too small for the tools they used in the larger vein. I’m on blood thinners/anti-coagulants to help with that. I can get around better although standing or walking for more than 5-10 minutes is painful. My leg is still very big and I’m not sure if the debulking surgery I had will still have any effect. That is depressing. There are still issues pending with that procedure.

The winter is pretty much a bust in terms of photography or going outside. By the time I can again it will be frozen mud season and so I’m looking forward to spring (May up this way). I also don’t know when I can return to my jewelry bench so that’s another bummer. Mostly I’ll be sitting on my ass a whole lot which annoys me and is also painful since I’m not used to being so sedentary. I ache all over as a result.

But I’m here and things are going as well as can be expected. The doctor who handled my case was fabulous and I really liked him. I hope I improve quickly so I can get on with my life.

>17 Bookmarque: Glad to hear you're home and all procedures went well.

>17 Bookmarque: Hope your recovery is quick. Yes, sitting when you aren't used to it is awful.
At least you have books & ebooks stockpiled to read, I hope...

Glad to hear you have made it home and that all things proceeded well. May your recovery now be smooth. Best wishes.

I am sorry that you are having such a rough time, but it is good that you have a doctor, who you can trust, to help you through it.

What >21 -pilgrim-: said.

Thirding >21 -pilgrim-: and others

Thanks everyone. The leg feels better today, but I'm afraid the blood thinner meds give me a raging headache. I'm reluctant to take my next dose because right now my head feels good. Oy vey. It's always something, right?

>24 Bookmarque:
I am just seeing your post now. I am glad you have the procedures over you and wish you strength for the recovery process.

Get well soon. I hope the medication does not hinder your reading or viewing. You have a job to do now; recover. Try to focus on relaxing and letting the recovery take place. Don’t be bothering yourself with what you cannot do.

Wise words, Pete. I am trying not to focus on what I'm missing out on. Dove into my reading stats so here's a chart to start things off.



125 books - just a few more than last year.

I struggle to read 30 books a year and am envious of those that treble that number and more.

Not working full time or having TV service helps a lot.

Glad to hear you are recovering, I ohpe it is speedy!

>27 pgmcc: I'm with you, I don't read nearly as much as some folks here, wish I could get more in.

I'm glad you had such a good and attentive doctor taking care of you. As Peter said, I hope that you can now focus on getting better, and enjoying reading/viewing while you do so.

>28 Bookmarque: I second that wholeheartedly!

My book consumption tends to be in inverse proportion to my health too. (Not only do I have more time for reading when I'll, but I also veer towards lighter, shorter books, which require less concentration.)

He was a hospitalist, so unfortunately I can't use him for after care. Which is the pits because the pain has ramped up to extremely awful whenever I have to walk. My husband had to cancel his business trip because I can't be left alone. Maddening because yesterday was so good. I'm not sure who to turn to for answers now because I have no primary doctor because of above insurance situation. Joy. I just don't know if this level of pain is expected. I should call my dad. He'd know.

>32 Bookmarque: You must start to wonder what the “helping professions” are actually there for.

I don’t suppose we can get an answer any time soon. Strength to you both and I hope things improve very soon.

I’m slow today—must be the cold. Do you really mean that after your surgery they handed you your coat and assumed you’d be OK? In both the UK and Australia after surgery or a specialist consultation the surgeon or consultant writes to your GP/primary care physician setting out what happened and what has to happen now. Didn’t they find out who your PCP was? Oh. No they didn’t.

I have no PCP. She is out of network. That's why I had to be released and re-admitted to another hospital.

We have gotten in touch w/the surgery team and they aren't worried. So I will just suffer.

>35 Bookmarque: Wishing you rapid pain relief.

On a visit to the dentist some years ago he was preparing to perform a procedure on me. The conversation:

Me: Will this hurt?

Dentist: No! I won’t feel a thing.

Oh, bookmarque, I’m so sorry this has turned into such an awful thing! I hope the pain goes away quickly. Being sedentary sucks.

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear about this setback, and also about the complications caused by the different insurance/hospital systems. I hope the intense pain doesn't last long.

Well the horrific pain that came every minute or so is gone. I slept last night but I still feel exhausted. Hopefully I can shower later without too much pain. So hard to concentrate on anything...I'll probably just sleep.

Another chart -



Still didn't read a lot of non-fiction. As usual.

>40 Bookmarque: I don't think I read any non-fiction last year. I like my fantasy world.

Glad that at least the pain has eased! Sleep is a good answer.

Sleep well! May your pain stay away

Thanks everyone. Today seems like a better day. I slept downstairs in the guest room again since I didn't know how broken my sleep would be - no sense keeping husband awake, too. One of my kitties kept me company all night which is strange since she usually sleeps smooshed against him, switching to me only in the early morning. Funny.

On waking I sat up and saw that the snow, sky and ice were all blushing pink so I put my glasses on and just then, an eagle flew by up river, low and fast. I hope it's a good sign.

Yesterday I basically slept on the couch. Too enervated to even hold a book never mind pay attention to the story. Walking is a tiny bit less awful, but it isn't great. I got dizzy getting myself together downstairs and then coming up (darn those 9' ceilings!). But I feel ok today. Tired, but less so.

>44 Bookmarque: Looking hopeful then, at least. Sending more hugs.

I hope that the pain stays away and you mend swiftly!

Get well soon, or even better thoroughly and painlessly

>44 Bookmarque: Maybe the kitty knew you needed some special attention. They can be like that :) Glad you are feeling better.

Being able to see eagles from your room is a definite silver lining to being housebound! However, I hope you will be able to get out and about before too long.

Saw the eagle again just now. Or its mate. One pair per territory, you know. There is another pair further south by the other dam.

So I had a worse night for sleeping, but still got some and walking was better this am. I have an "emergency' appointment with a new Primary Care Person - not a doctor, but a PA / RN. What the heck to you call these people? Nurses? Assistants? It's weird. But she's getting me in because the blood thinner I've been prescribed of course isn't on the list for the health insurance, but needs a physician override and approval. I do NOT want to be on another commonly prescribed one because of how it probably caused my dad's brain bleed, scarring and subsequent seizures. Plus I don't need my blood clot factor levels checked all the time on this one. Why? Don't know. It's weird.

Yesterday after being told "No, we won't touch you" by everyone, including Wound Care, we took my medical drains out ourselves. Well I sat there and cringed and held the turkey baster and my husband took them out. A little coaching from Dr. Cao (from my hospital stay) and no kidding - You Tube videos - and it was done. I'm so relieved, but very disappointed in this health system. It was the plan all along to take them out at home, but they were in far longer than expected and I was worried. It was a weird feeling, but not too painful and now they're gone.

Today I will try to walk a little more. Maybe get my own coffee or something adventurous like that. lol There's a wintry mix storm swirling around so we both stay comfy inside.

>50 Bookmarque: Hope you're up and around and feeling more human soon. And that you get your meds sorted out!

Our healthcare system in this country leaves so many to sink or swim. It's terrible. My husband supposedly had one of the "best" packages through his job at United Technologies, and yet I was left to do so much of his care myself. Drug company CEOs rake in the cash, and the common folk are doing medical procedures at home. 😡

Yeah I agree it can be obtuse to the point of inaction, but compared to what poor ~p~ is going through with her local NHS trust, I'll take it. I know I'm privileged and I don't take it for granted, but you're right, sometimes the cracks are big and we patients and patient's spouses/families fall into them. I wish it wasn't such a cash grab, but I don't think that will ever change.

I managed an almost normal shower and didn't feel like I was going to pass out. Yay. My husband has been great through this process and he'll continue to support and care for me. Another privilege - I married a good one!

>50 Bookmarque: >52 Bookmarque: Both systems are supposedly there for the patients’ benefit and in your case and -pilgrim-‘s aren’t doing that any too well. I still think that the NHS *when it works* does a decent job. And I’m still floored that you had to switch hospitals because of an insurance issue, and then got left without primary care. In Australia that simply could not happen. Even though you switched cover, the same hospital would have given you the same treatment and issued the same bill. There would have been a little extra paperwork for the hospital’s accounting department and that’s all.

Anyway, I hope the worst is over now. Hugs.

Thanks R. All systems have their flaws because they were designed by and are run by humans. I'm trying to put all my energy into healing and staying positive. Last night I got all emotional after dinner and started crying for no reason other than release valve. As wonderful as my husband is, he's like a rabbit in the headlights when that happens. He literally doesn't know what to do. Luckily it passed only to come back when we watched a whale program (Nature on PBS) and had to see whales almost mummified in fishing nets. Luckily the one in the show was freed by some amazing humans, but it suffered so greatly and I just bawled and bawled.

Anyway. Thanks everyone - I'll get past this eventually.

>54 Bookmarque: Tears are good healing. It's ok if your husband is uncomfortable for a few minutes, go ahead and let them flow!

>54 Bookmarque: Had to laugh at your reference to your husband being a deer in the headlights. I know exactly where he is coming from. And what >55 littlegeek: said.

I just caught up on your thread. Haven't had much time to read all the threads yet this year, but I'm working my way through them.

I am so sorry for these complications you are having, but so glad you have a terrific partner beside you. Be sure to let him know, and to assure him that it's okay that he can't fix everything when you have to cry. That is the hardest part of loving someone, we can't always make their pain go away. Hang in there.

Thanks everyone.

I visited my newest health care professional yesterday and while I'm sure she's competent, she also is one of the many mid-westerners who don't 'get' me or my husband. Sarcasm and irony just fly over her head and we get blank looks and eye blinks. Sigh. Our last doctor got us and had a sense of humor beyond Minnie Pearl. I hate to go along with stereotypes, but this one just keeps proving true. Easterners are weirdly different than most of the folks here.

Anyway...aside from that disappointment, things are ok. She suggested that I wrap the leg from the toes to the knee and it seems to have helped the swelling. Hopefully the pain subsides, but her experience says it's a month before the clots will be dissolved. So I wait.

Slept well last night - guest room again with Bella. Maybe today I can do some light upper body exercises just to keep from turning into a mass of jelly.

Reading The Swan Theives which is just the right kind of book I need. Well-written with lots of layers and time frames to get lost in. Little violence or cruelty or outrageous suffering. Just crazy artists and obsession.

I gave my husband the complete series of Fringe for Christmas and we've started that. We watched it in real time and now watching again we can catch little hints of the hard left turn it takes about season 3 or 4. So fun. I love Walter so much and not just because he reminds me of my dad at a certain age - but his character is so quirky and gentle and Noble plays it so pitch perfect. All the others are great, too. Lance Reddick!!!

Anyway...that's all from the sickbed for now. I'm going to have to turn some attention to my best and worst picks for 2019, but in the mean time, here's a chart!

Once again a lot of contemporary fiction got read last year. I didn't borrow as much from the library (I don't think, there's a chart on that later), but it still came up 21st century heavy.

>58 Bookmarque: I had some friends who were born and raised in California and moved to the upper midwest (can't remember the state, but it was full of Lutherans, think Lake Wobegon territory). They had a very difficult time fitting in (he was a pastor) due to the lack of humor connection. Still, they found the people warm and loving and willing to tolerate the weirdos from California. :)

My husband had a roommate from that area back in the day before we were married. I remember this man laughing until he cried over the Garfield cartoons. Um.

Yup, that's a fair assessment. Garfield v. The Far Side. Nice people. Friendly. Outgoing. Helpful. But literal. So, so literal.

Made a dent in the Best/Worst lists.

>1 Bookmarque: Following. Happy new year to you. Your New Year's drama was pretty major. I was relieved that you got through it and could get back to hauling around mountains of books and taking beautiful pictures. Now I see that you are still struggling for recovery, and I wish you all strength.

There are people that we have to learn not to joke with. I had to swear an explicit oath to myself not to practice my humor on anyone holding a scalpel or other dire instrument in my mouth or any other part of my body. Also not to laugh under those conditions or while having an MRI.

Thanks yeah, it's going to be slow, but today is the best day since I've been home. Much less pain and swelling. I can walk better, but still can't stand for long, but that will improve. My foot can nearly fit in a shoe now. With some careful management I think I can do it.

Gauging sense of humor is a delicate thing. I have to turn myself down or off quite a bit. Oh well. It's worth putting up with to live where there is no traffic.

>61 Meredy: & >62 Bookmarque:
My Wisconsinite son-in-law won brownie points on his first visit to our house. I had made some remark and he immediately asked, “Was that sarcasm?”

I knew then he might survive the selection process. To at least recognise that a comment was sarcasm showed he had the stuff necessary to survive in Ireland, and possibly even in our family.

After 5.5 years married to my daughter he is still surviving.

>58 Bookmarque: & sundry replies: I lived in the Midwest for 11 years. The weather extremes weren't the only things that chased me out. The people were very nice, but my twisted sense of humor was definitely a huge issue. So it goes.

I always thought my kids' maternal grandfather had a bent sense of humour, but then he was Australian, so I understood. We all have a bent sense of humour.

Y'all can practice your sarcasm on here anytime, as far as I'm concerned!

Thanks everyone. We still need to work out a sarcasm font, don't we?

My cloud of despair is lifting since I’m improving and can almost walk like a normal person.

The pain is better except for an all-over ache from doing nothing. I’m going to do some more exercises today to try to combat that. Flexibility is returning to my calf and standing is easier although I still can’t do it for long. Plus my leg is smaller and is remaining so. As it is now I don’t think anyone would notice the difference in normal pants. It’s been a while. Based on that, I think the debulking was a success as well.

So I think a little optimism is warranted.

And charts.

This first one is pure numbers by count and by percentage.



It's getting a little crowded, but here are the #s of each format per year.



And for fun, a trend line look at the same period. 2019 was the most evenly I read across all types of books I read.



I think the audio was up because I was doing more work at the jewelry bench. I used to listen to audio when I hiked, but I don't do much of that anymore, preferring to listen to the sounds of nature. Still, I listened a lot more than I read physical books. Ebooks as a percentage were up, too. Maybe I should do a percentage comparison...chart overload!!

I tried doing "sarcasm" tags in the same way as "spoiler" tags, but of course the system doesn't recognise them. Maybe we could ask for it as a Site Improvement?

Oh and great news re your health! Keep up the good work!

I recall at one point, I think it was on LT, that we finished sarcastic sentences with a dobule full-stop..

Just short of an ellipsis.

>67 Bookmarque: I am very impressed with the charts.

On many internet sites these days, sarcasm is often denoted by ending a sentence with a forward slash and an ess, as in '/s'

More charts will be coming as I get through them.

In the meantime, here's a cover that I just love. Maybe it's the random teeth (they don't quite line up with a lower jaw, but that would have been cool) or the organs...a heart and what? Pituitary gland? Testes? I'm pretty good with anatomy, but I'm stumped. Cross section of spleen? Pancreas?

>73 Bookmarque: Great cover.

I also enjoy your analyses of your year's reading. I keep intending to do the same myself. Good intentions, good intentions...

>70 pgmcc: I'd be terrified of being misunderstood, were that convention to resume. With me, double dots mean that my strained eyes have simply misread my small screen. Either 1 or 3 were probably intended.

ETA: original version of this post demonstrated the problem that I mentioned: I was tired and completely failed to spot two Auto-correct bloopers.

Yeah, misreading is pretty common with internet fora. I think we all get each other pretty well here in the Dragon though.

Am doing better. Easier to walk and stand. I might venture out in the car next week to do a little rural exploration. Hiking or other longer treks are not feasible, but driving and getting in and out of the car to take pictures should be ok. I'm going stir crazy. Haven't left the house for anything but medical appointments in a month.

So more charts.

A few teams, but more women writers than men this year.



It isn't on purpose, but it is a trend for the last few years -

>77 Bookmarque: Good to hear that you are mobile again. Please don't overdo things though, you don't want to relapse.

I have been stuck in the house for much longer period than a month, without visitors - and it was nearly driving me crazy by the end!

Thanks. I know you have a worse time of it than I do and I try not to complain, honest.

On the bright side, I just put a deposit on a trip back to Louisiana to do a swamp tour in November. For a week. Going to some remote and basically untouched bald cypress swamps just in time for the color to change down there. I can't tell you how excited I am. All I have to do is get me and my gear down there. Ground transportation, accommodation and most of the food is included. Limited to 10 people.

Cypress swamps. For a week. In a kayak.



Swoons.

Lots of sunrise/sunset work. Remote locations. Gators! Sleeping in a cabin!

Yes, I'm nuts.

>79 Bookmarque: I certainly didn't intend any subtext of "Don't complain" - I am so sorry if it read to you that way.

What I meant was more along the lines of "for goodness' sake DO get outside of you can, before you go REALLY bananas" with a side helping of "but don't overdo it so that you get stuck indoors for a seriously long length of time, because that WOULD be hellish - as I know from experience"

Not feeling great myself, so not expressing myself too well at the moment, apparently.

ETA: And I like your sort of nuts.

I didn't feel as though you were telling me to shut up, I was telling myself. There are folks who have and have had it much worse. Being stuck inside sucks for most of us though I think. Whether it's going out into a city, a village or the woods, we need to.

Sorry you're at a low, too. I can't imagine facing what you are with the idiots that are supposed to help you.

And thanks. I love swamps.

I have never been near swamps. But woodland with water is my favourite environment.

There is some within what would normally be walking distance of where I am now. That is incredibly frustrating.

>79 Bookmarque: If you're nuts, then so am I. In spades. Your expedition sounds heavenly; but then I love mangrove swamps -- on foot!

>82 -pilgrim-: The bits of southern England that I’ve seen recently are starting to look like a swamp. Not enough trees though, and no crocodilians (yet).
ETA>79 Bookmarque: Looking forward to the pix.

As >84 haydninvienna: says, looking forward to the pix! I will leave the swamping to you though. :)

Glad to read that things are looking up, may they continue to do so.

This popped up on the cover module home page feature.

Any guesses what book it is?



I think it's a Hebrew edition, so no fair if you read that language, or whatever one it is.

>87 Bookmarque: My guess would have been something along the lines of “The Effect of Different Colors on Skin Tone”, but a Google Image Search helped me find me the correct answer and I wasn’t even close. ;)

I won’t post my not-a-guess since I cheated! Even though it’s a book I’ve heard of, I never would have guessed the right book from that cover.

>87 Bookmarque: Rita Hayworth? Eva Peron? I'm lost. LOL

So glad you're feeling human again!

>87 Bookmarque: Marilyn Monroe? I'm sure I've seen that picture.

>87 Bookmarque: My guess would be something like "The Spectrum of Beauty"

Since I can't read it, I'm not sure if it's right or not but it came up for Different Seasons by Stephen King. That's the one with Shawshank and The Body (Stand by Me). WTF man? So crazy.

So it is Rita. Because the full title of Shawshank is Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

I guess it could be. But oh how weird.

and I'm gonna be picky. It's Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. No the.

Here she is in all her glamour -

>94 Bookmarque: Is that the poster he used in the story?

I don’t think so. From what I recall it was a full body pin up type shot.

Had to DNF Home Safe yesterday. I've only read one other Elizabeth Berg novel and it was ok. I think I still have it. This one had a gaffe so stupid that I tossed the book down and couldn't go on.

My review -

I was willing to put up with Helen's deliberate ignorance and childish behavior until the money went 'missing'. A year later?! It took a year for someone to tell her it was gone? WTF? In what universe? Even if I were stupid enough to not have a joint brokerage account (which, ahem, I'm not) it would NOT TAKE A YEAR for some financial guy to tell me what happened. Even if I were like Helen, incompetent at being a functioning adult, money guys aren't and they don't keep things like this to themselves. Oy vey. So that killed it for me.

I'm not sad.

Your trip sounds like fun!

I hope it will be. I’m taking a bit of a chance since I’ve only spent part of one day with one guide, but it was good so I’ve put down a deposit with hopes that they get the number of participants they need.

So yesterday I went out and about with the camera. Not for long and I didn't take a lot of photos, but it was SO good to be out. I have hope for snowshoeing if not skiing, at least right away. My hip flexors are really strained from the funny way I had to walk for a while and my leg is still stiff, but I think I can manage it. There's so much snow that I want to get out and enjoy it. Maybe not today, but soon.

In the meantime, another chart!



Not much change here. I read what I read.

Glad you've been out and about! Don't overdo it. Slow & steady, yada yada...

I bet it felt great to get out. Do take it easy, though.

Your charts/graphs are impressive!

Thanks guys...when I say out and about I meant I drove around the countryside and took pictures of abandoned buildings. Basically. Not a lot of walking, but it was still great.

It's been snowing for 3 days or so and I will get out and see if snowshoeing is a thing I can do. We've got trails nearby so I won't have to go far to find out.

Thanks on the charts - I keep track of reading details in Google docs and make the graphs from those. Columns for the things I want to track. It's a little extra work, but I'm retired so I have time.



Still mixing new voices into the choir.

Frankenstein often has the best covers. Here's one that caught my eye -

>104 Bookmarque: I can beat that:



Seen in a bookshop in Leuven in Belgium. Sorry about the shine.

>105 haydninvienna: Wow. What was inside? Mary Shelley's actual text, or a modernised version?

I've seen that one and think I used it in one of my threads. It's fabulous. Like a cross between Frankenstein and The Wild One. Brando was much more handsome, of course!

>106 -pilgrim-: To be honest, I didn't look. I photo-ed the back cover as well but Imgur doesn't want me to upload it. The book is available from Amazon UK though, for £9.93. I should have bought it in Leuven for €6.95.

>104 Bookmarque: I owned that copy for decades!

How cool!

If anyone is interested, I put up a Best Photos of 2019 post on the blog - https://wickeddarkphotography.com/2020/01/26/the-best-of-2019/

Here's one of the 16 that made it -

>111 Bookmarque: Fair go, as we say in Oz, I couldn't not look. The "Best Of" are wonderful. I think we've seen most of them here already, but they're still wonderful.

Attack Of the Double Post.

Thanks much. Overall it was a good year.

I love the review of your pictures, and your commentary on what made them stand out for you! Thanks for sharing.

>111 Bookmarque: I admired that picture before. There is so much going on in it.

I cannot access your link from my work computer here so I will have to wait until I get home. I look forward to what I am sure will be a treat.

So many amazing photos. You are quite talented.

>111 Bookmarque: Amazing photographs as Narilka said.

Thanks peeps. I put some cool stuff in front of my camera last year.

And I think I'm at the end of my charts for 2019 as well. This is how new books came into my possession - it breaks down who got paid.

Vendor = used book
Author = new book (mostly audio)
No one = ARC or other freebie

I am SO GLAD January is behind me. It was a rough month.

Being laid up after surgery means I read a lot. It’s just like last August when I had my first leg procedure. So here’s the crowd of January!

16 books read
2 non-fiction
14 fiction (2 re-reads)

8 by women, 7 by men & 1 was a team
3 new authors, the rest familiar
5 ebooks, 4 audio, 7 physical books
I bought all of my books - 12 new (1 ER book), 4 used

...............

The oldest is from 1948, the newest 2019
The most popular on LT is The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zaphon with 6996
The least popular on LT is Fantastic Crimes: Four Bibliomysteries with only 4

The best was The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (review here)
The worst was Fantastic Crimes: Four Bibliomysteries - I bailed on the last story and the others were just meh.

>121 Bookmarque: I know what you mean: a high book tally can be a bad sign. Glad you made it through!

It can, but it's better than falling down the YouTube hole...not that I have the bandwidth to do that much, but I have.

Went to the library for the first time in a while and here's my pile (and my zuni bear carving)

>123 Bookmarque: You can get zuni bear carvings at the library? That is great service.

At the Wausau branch you can get artwork, but this guy didn’t come from there. I think they lend tools at that branch, too.

>123 Bookmarque: I've had my eye on Cold Storage. I hope it's good.

I hope so, too. I stopped reading Crichton-type stuff a while back, but I will give it a go & report back!

The Zuni bear is lovely!

Thanks. I've had it forever. I think it started off the stylized animal statue collection I have going.

Found another cool cover the other day -



I love that it's so abstractly scientific - unclear and opaque, just like the technology in the book. The unnamed narrator just has this gadget and off he goes.

More cover love -

>129 Bookmarque: & >130 Bookmarque: I really like those two as well. Especially the mystery novel, but the other one, I agree with you on every point.

Narilka, give Cold Storage a pass if you like plausible science thrillers that make sense! My spoiler-free review is here - https://www.librarything.com/work/22987182/reviews/178462892

Thanks MrsL. The cover module turns up some gems.

Thanks for the review. I think I'll pass. Time to get that off my wish list.

Glad to be of service. It was pretty dreadful.

Another bonkers cover!



Attack of the three-nippled monkey-squirrel-dogs!!

>111 Bookmarque: Spectacular, as usual. Cannot really pick a favorite, though I will always love that fox!

Thanks, clam. It was a good year despite how it ended. But I'm back on my feet and hopefully it snows on Sunday for some fresh powder.

OMG this is too funny not to share!!!



It's for Hercule Poirot's Christmas. I've read it a couple of times and wow...I can't see how this has anything to do with Poirot, the story or Agatha Christie in general. Like, let's find any picture of a guy with a mustache, no wait a mannequin with a mustache...oh wait, a woman doing a fake mustache with her hair and a glass of cheap champagne, too!? Perfect?

It never stops! This is for After the Funeral in which the deceased emerges from her casket to gorge on the leftover food and stale coffee. All the while trying to dodge a giant hand wielding a knife, bent on killing her again!!

.>137 Bookmarque: You have outdone yourself. Wherever do you find these monstrosities?

There's a module you can add to your home page called Recent Member-uploaded Covers for Your Books - it shows exactly that - covers for books in your catalog. These gems are all on LT.

Lovely. I will explore...

Sometimes it's annoying in the fact that you can't dismiss cover suggestions from books you've already selected one for. My Read but Not Owned collection for example - I don't really care what the covers are for those and so mostly I don't want to see them. Also I don't love that it doesn't display the size of the cover you've chosen v. the one being displayed. That has been suggested, but you know the drill - nothing doing.

But it can be an amusing time waster and it does come up with some doozies. I hope you have fun with it.

---

So...new reading developments.

When it first hit the scene I tried Libby - the app that connects you to your library’s digital content, but I didn’t like it because things I could find on the library system’s website didn’t come up at all on Libby. I ditched it. Recently though I wanted to check out an ebook and notice Libby advertised prominently on the web page. Hm. I dodged it and just used Kindle. Then I got to thinking about audiobooks and wondered how that would work with my phone.

Enter Libby redux. I loaded the app and connected it to my local library network. I plan to use it for audio only and impulse audio at that - no wait lists since I still have audible. Shuffle search preferences a bit and voila - a book from my long library TBR list is available so I get it and start in. The app isn’t annoying for playback, but it lacks a wishlist of any kind (that I could find, maybe power Libby users can clue me in) so another book I found will have to stick in my memory for me to check out next. Since I am working at the bench today, I will probably listen to most of the one I have.

Funny isn’t it how sometimes circling back to something that failed can bring success!

Libby audio rental all done and a success! Yay for more options.

And another really stupid cover -



This book takes place in Dublin. A neighborhood of tightly-packed houses. No rural estates need apply. Hilarious.

Well I thought the winter would be a bust, but it hasn't been. I've been snowshoeing a couple times since my New Year's disaster. Perfect days.

This first one was yesterday and it was so warm - mid 40s and sunny. Just enough breeze to keep me cool since I was sweating a little. Read the map wrong and instead of a 4 mile loop I did 8. Am sore, but I got to know this lovely esker that I didn't know was there. Glaciers leave us such great presents.



This one is from earlier in the month. I was very surprised there were no critter tracks in the snow.



Wisconsin winter doesn't get more perfect than this.

Beautiful! I'm glad you're able to get out and about again, and share the sights with us.

Seconding >145 Sakerfalcon: . Welcome back!

Beautiful pictures. I love the esker.

I certainly wouldn't wish to pressure you into overdoing things, but I have missed your beautiful landscape photos.

Thanks peeps. I've been able to get out and about very well, so no worries about my activity. Here are a few more favorites -

>149 Bookmarque: Simply gorgeous.

Thanks so much. It has been a pretty winter with enough snow for everyone to play in.

I've been busy working on things for the shop and having a great time with borrowing audiobooks from my library. The Libby app works pretty great. Mostly I've been re-reading books that I have physical copies of and don't have time to get to now. I don't want audio copies of them as well so checking them out is great.

Beautiful photos!

Glad you’re enjoying having the Libby app - I got it from our library but (and this maybe down to our library not the app) too many of the audio books were abridged for my liking and then they haven’t added any new books in about 8 months so I got a bit fed up with it.

So far it's been great. The titles I've looked at that my library system has licensed are all unabridged so far - they're the same as the audible files so far as I can tell. Many of the 'iffy' ones from my audible wishlist have been put on the library list instead. If the wait time is too long on something I'll just use a credit and exchange it if I hate it. Did that last week actually.

And I'm reading ebooks from there as well and the experience has been equally good. I'm having fun and that's the important part.

Beautiful photos!

And I use Libby all of the time for borrowing ebooks and occasionally for listening. I have it on my phone and one of my tablets. My only complaint is that sometimes the time I'm given isn't sufficient if the book is exceptionally long. There might have been some glitch when you were using it at first that has since been ironed out.

Pretty sure I have wishlisted a bunch of things using Libby. I just looked and they call it tagging, not wishlisting. This might help you: https://help.libbyapp.com/categories/tags.htm

Thanks clam. I figured that tags was a way of making lists, so I have one for audio 're-reads', another for audio new books and another for new ebooks. I like that it's device specific in my search parameters.

>155 Bookmarque: Yeah, I was confused at first that everyone else using the app would see my tags, like it works here.

Wow I love this cover. It's so perfect.

Ooh, that is excellent!

Isn't it? Every time we stay at the Intercontinental in Monterey I swing by Doc's old lab which is right next to it and has some lovely little signs telling (admittedly very few) visitors what it was.

Here's another edition I would love to own -



I don't think the whole book is a graphic novel, but if it was I'd buy it!

More snowshoeing beauty -





And further north on another perfect day -

Beautiful photographs

>160 Bookmarque: So pretty, but now I have to go put socks on. My toes are cold.

Love the snowy pictures.

>159 Bookmarque: And that is a great cover! I love Tom Gauld's comics, he does one each week in the Guardian book review section.

Love that book cover, and those photos are spectacular. Especially since I haven't seen real snow for two years now.
(I don't miss it enough to move back to New England, though.)

>160 Bookmarque: So pretty!

>160 Bookmarque: Beautiful pictures, as always. What makes the tracks in the first and third images?

Thanks everyone. Winter can be amazing.

The first is a cross country ski groomer, the second is probably a roller - it packs the snow down for skis, fat tire bikes or snowshoes.

Am going to practice some social distancing today. Not quite like these guys, but I'm not that crazy.



That's last Sunday on Lake Superior. The ice is breaking up so I don't know how people can still go do that. They weren't the only ones either so I guess they're all ice whisperers who know where to walk and where to avoid.

A little view of the Plover River from today's ramble.

>168 Bookmarque: >169 Bookmarque: Absolutely gorgeous. Keep them coming!

>168 Bookmarque: >169 Bookmarque:

What >170 haydninvienna: said.

>169 Bookmarque: The ice is breaking up so I don't know how people can still go do that. They weren't the only ones either so I guess they're all ice whisperers who know where to walk and where to avoid....or they are idiots.

Thanks guys. Well yeah, there's that possibility, too, Pete. I think people get an ice sense though, especially if they live by the big waters. Plenty get in trouble, too, but fewer than you'd think.

Here's a couple shots from the Frog Bay Tribal National Park. It's the first NP in the country to be on Tribal land. The Red Cliff Band is the local tribe and while its only about 160 acres, those acres are gorgeous and include shoreline on Lake Superior. We somehow missed the trail to the beach this time out, but the ravine trails were fun!



I love the trail markers!

Lovely!

Beautiful photos as always, and balm to the eyes of those us stuck in less scenic spots! Thank you!

Thanks peeps.

I'm going through more pictures and playing with metal. Made some toggle clasps earlier this week. Today I'll try to make something with them - bracelets probably.

Wonderful photos, though I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around all that snow!

>175 Bookmarque: Please show us what you come up with.

Thanks clam. And it is Wisconsin! Relatively mild winter though. Here's more since it's almost gone now.





Same day, different parts of the trail. The first is a hemlock grove, the second is through a bog, something I don't think can be done in the summer months. Well not without losing your shoes and irreparably damaging the underlying peat.

A couple of bracelets for me. The clasps really aren't good enough to sell, so I'll keep working on it.

This one is Moonstone & Lepidolite


And this one is Jasper (the zuni bears), Turquoise & Onyx, copper accents.

Lovely photos - the snow is so dramatic.

Love the jewellery too.

Thanks! We had a really beautiful and mild winter. I did get out more when I could...now we have a Stay at Home order I've been working at the bench more. Glad I have something indoors to keep me occupied and happy.

Oh dear gawd, the moonstones... 😍
Are those gigantic moonstones or do you have really tiny wrists?

Both. The beads are about 20 mm.

It's gorgeous!

Those bracelets are beautiful!

Thanks. I guess maybe I should put them in the shop, lol.

Not sure why I didn’t do a February reading recap although I suspect laziness. So here is one for March.

16 books read
1 non-fiction
15 fiction



10 by women, 6 by men
6 new authors, the rest familiar
3 ebooks, 11 audio, 2 physical books
Only 4 books I actually own, the rest were all library loans

The oldest is from 1999, the newest 2020
The most popular on LT is Invisible Prey by John Sandford with 1880
The least popular on LT is Tell Me Lies by J.B. Pomare with 13

I won’t get into best and worst here because there were a lot of re-reads and a fair amount of duds. Luckily most of those were library books so no permanent damage!

I got through a ton of audio books because I started using Libby on my phone and borrowing from my local library system. A lot of those were books I own, but wanted to revisit. Since I can’t seem to sit still long these days, audio was perfect. I am spending more time at the bench making jewelry - both things for the shop and practice projects to learn new techniques. It’s been really fun, but sometimes I do find my attention to the book wandering and that’s why re-reads are good for that activity.

Anyway...I should post here more, but I don’t have the energy. Can’t blame COVID-19 either in either physical or mental strain, but it might be. Such a strange situation we all find ourselves in. Not that countless books and movies haven’t told us the story of some awful plague, but reality doesn’t quite match up. In death toll, breakdown and violence it’s so much better than imaginations and past infections and for that I’m glad. I wish it brought out more of the best in people though instead of the inner idiot, but there it is.

I’ll stop now before I get all bent around the axle.

Currently listening to an audible purchase - The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. Historical tidbits all connected to the periodic table. Too early to give an opinion.

And here are two lovely covers for the same book -

>186 Bookmarque: Impressive
>187 Bookmarque: Oh, that first cover... *sigh*

Thanks, clam.

I love the script in the second cover.

You could laugh or cry about this depending. I’m not doing either, but it is kind of funny.

I’ve been an asthmatic since I was 4 or so and while it’s mostly controlled, I do occasionally have break-through symptoms that make me go for my albuterol (emergency) inhaler. I just had to, but the whole time I was wondering if I’m sick with the virus. At the same time I was pretty hot - could be a hot flash since I am of age, or it could be because I just finished a cup of coffee which always makes me feel warmer than usual. All normal, but damn if I didn’t sit here and wonder who the heck I got too close to, how I touch my face too much and whether I didn’t wash my hands enough (they’re already so dry I could get a paper cut on a two-by-four!) It’s insane, but sobering. We are all so vulnerable.

That is all.

>190 Bookmarque: I have had bad allergies this whole time, which means a wheezy cough, runny nose, etc. Yeah, not cool. Especially since I have to work with the public. Keep strong, stay home. :)

>190 Bookmarque: That is unnerving. Keep safe.

It's all about how we instantly go to the worst case scenario in our minds. No matter asthma and menopause are in my life...I was worried about COVID-19. Crazy.

Am staying home more. Not much reason to go out anyway. Lots to keep me occupied here.

Back in early March, husband and I went walking in one of my favorite places - the Plover River segment of the Ice Age Trail. Lucky we didn't wait a couple weeks because all the wonderful ice would have melted. Here are a few of my favorites from that outing -









And one more icy beauty

>194 Bookmarque: Amazing! The last one actually made me gasp.

ETA haave you ever thought of submitting photos to the "Earth Sciences Picture of the Day" website (https://epod.usra.edu/)?

>194 Bookmarque:

Wow!

Yes, that is a compliment.

Super shots.

Great images!

Those ice formations are incredible!

Thanks everyone. Photographing ice has been a favorite thing I do for a really long time. The forms are so fascinating.

It's sort of controversial whether going out in nature is irresponsible at this time, but I still do it although with distancing rules applied. Luckily there are several trails nearby that see almost no traffic at all so when the mood strikes (which I think will be soon), I'll go to one of those and avoid people. There won't be ice, but maybe early ephemerals and other small green things.

I have received notification that I should be"shielding" i.e. not going out at all, not even into the garden, or to put the rubbish out.

So enjoying nature vicariously through your photographs is a real pleasure. Thank you.

I'm happy to oblige. Here's a shot from early in the month. It's Copper Falls in northern Wisconsin. More coming, but it takes a while to go through all my shots and process them.

I love seeing your photos! Makes me want to visit Wisconsin and see the beauty in person.

>201 Bookmarque: Thank you for this. Beautiful.

Thanks guys. I'm glad you like them. Nothing like an over-zealous photographer to put everyone to sleep. Processing some new ones now so be warned!!! 😆

This is kinda funny and I suppose it happens all the time, but I don't catch it with places I'm not from. I'm listening to Darkness, take my hand by Dennis Lehane and like most of his books it takes place in and around Boston. Narrators should get local speech coaching when they do stuff like this because Jonathan Davis just said Pee-Body when referring to the city in Massachusetts.

Uh. Nope.

It's not the award and it's not the hotel; it's PEE-biddy.

Yeah it's weird, but it's how we say it. My former assistant who was in the US, but from Northern Ireland said it wrong and I sort of chuckled. She wasn't to know, but was flabbergasted when I told her. Ha.

Also Quincy is pronounced Quinzy.

That is all.

Although things did melt for a bit, it's snowing now. I went up north to do some long-exposure waterfall work in between, but the promised clouds didn't show up. Full sun. Not good for my plans, but look what I did instead. It's not ice, but it is frozen!!







This is the Potato river at the base of the upper falls.

>205 Bookmarque: WOW.

>204 Bookmarque: Not from Boston, never even been to the US, but even I knew the correct pronunciations there.

I think that the accent of a narrator matters a lot. I had to give up on the audiobook of The Dark Monk because hearing German place names mispronounced the American way (as opposed to either being pronounced the German way or mispronounced the British way) was just too jarring.

It set me thinking as to what accents would have been acceptable to my ears. (An American reader for an American translation was quite a logical choice.) A German accent from a German reader would be OK, but a faked German accent would be dire - since I was listening to a translation, a German accent was certainly not necessary. Perhaps a regional British accent, to correspond to rural Bavaria would be best. A neutral British accent would also have been fine. But why not rural American? (Bavaria is neither in the US nor in Great Britain, after all.) Because replacing foreign accent A with foreign accent B jars.

British accents are neutral to my ears. American accents are American. It is fine to hear an American read an American book, but to hear it for a translation feels fake. I was wondering whether the converse applies for American listeners?

>205 Bookmarque: Those are fantastic pictures. Thank you!

>205 Bookmarque:
I suppose with a book set in that century is an additional consideration - rural England of that period would have had some things in common with the Bavaria of the setting. America would not. So the transplantation of the accent is a translation into nowhere.

Fantastic photos! Wisconsin is rapidly moving up my "want to visit" list!

This is a shot from the 8th. It's a nameless brook that runs into the Wisconsin river.



And this is from this morning - a trail that runs along the Wisconsin very close to that brook, but on the other side of the river. April is unpredictable up this way.



When we get the all clear, head on over Sakerfalcon! I love where I live.

I am feeling the call too! Those photos are wonderful.

>210 Bookmarque: That is quite a contrast! I love the flowing water in the first shot.

Thanks much. April usually brings us at least one good snowstorm. Just how it is. Here's more from that lovely brook.



I didn't have my regular tripod with me - on purpose. Instead I had a Gorilla Pod which is a tripod, but a short one with flexible legs that can wrap around things. Like saplings. So all my photos are either really low to the ground -



or really high - a little above my eye level.



I like how it forced me to find new compositions and angles. Keeps things from being too much the same.

>210 Bookmarque: & >213 Bookmarque: Super!

Thanks Pete. I took a ton of shots that day and processed over 20 I think. Crazy.

And speaking of crazy.



Girliebooks??? WTF?

Lovely pics, once again.
Can't believe you got so much snow!

April is sure to dump a big snow storm on us in Northern Wisconsin. It has every year we've been here. It's lovely, but I'm kind of sick of it now.

More from my snowy walk a week ago. The snow is basically gone now, but there was a lot of it at first.

Benches like this are in place all along the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. They're usually at the most impressive or scenic parts and this is no exception. The river is the Wisconsin just a few miles dowstream from my backyard.



And I found that there is a lot of boardwalk on this trail. I'm a sucker for these things and so glad I have more to explore when the snow melts. I love the blanketed almost cozy feeling of the snow that surrounds all sides of the trail.



It's no wonder the boardwalks are necessary since the banks get steep and the drainage to the river probably constant.

I'm catching up on your thread and enjoying all your photos from the last couple of weeks.

Thanks NS. I can't believe how gorgeous it was this year. It was like a present just for me after my surgery and thrombosis crapola.

Here's a shot of Tyler Forks Falls. This river feeds into the Bad River which is Copper Falls in the shot above. It was in March when there wasn't much snow.



The state park is heavily barricaded in terms of getting to the rivers themselves. For pretty good reasons since most of the cliffs look like this -



Those two red specks are people on the trail opposite. Those are full sized trees caught at the bottom of the canyon. Growing on the cliffs are mainly white cedar (my second favorite tree!). The bedrock is sandstone which is why the river was able to make such 'short work' of it. It's red because of iron ore deposits. Oh and a rainbow in the mist! Ah Copper Falls SP, even if you do make me walk with the herd, you are beautiful.

Those falls are stunning! I love the red sandstone and how it contrasts with the green trees.

Beautiful! I’m getting cabin fever right now. I’d love to be there to cure it.

Amazing photos yet again.

I'm chuckling at "walk with the herd." :o)
Well worth the risk, I'd say.

Thanks peeps.

I respect the safety measures, clam. I do. I just don't think they need to be absolutely everywhere they are. On the lower slopes and flat entry points, they're still blocked off. I guess it's for the best since assholes abound, but intrepid photographers want to get close and find different views & compositions.

This is another view that is about the only way to get this and not just because there are fences - the cliffs are wicked high here, too. But it's better than not having access at all.



It's just downstream from the Tyler Forks falls above.

>224 Bookmarque: Well that's the thing about assholes, they ruin things for everyone. Glad you're still able to get some wonderful photos.

Still loving the photos. I really, really wish I could be outdoors at this time. The views from the ambulance yesterday were wonderful.

Ambulance rides are never fun. I'm sorry you had to have one. Glad the pics do some good though. More to come.

>227 Bookmarque: Since trips to hospital are the only time that I am going to get to leave the house for the next 3 months, actually I genuinely enjoyed the ambulance ride.

And I do get a lot of vicarious enjoyment from your photos.

The stay at home thing is worse for some and I'm sorry you're one. Hopefully things change for the better soon. So hard to tell what to do at this point. Even if our Governor lifts the order, husband and I will proceed with caution. I worry about him more than me since travel is a big part of his job and his hours have been way down since this began.

In the mean time, I'm getting out into the yard. This is from yesterday. A hepatica bud is dressed for the weather.

I understand the "no unnecessary trips out" concept. I do not understand why I am forbidden to go out in my own garden and told that the furthest I can go is the doorstep.

Sounds a bit overzealous to me.

My first, and favorite, William Boyd novel. What a great cover. I have it as an audio, but I would be tempted to buy this edition if I came across it.

That is an awesome cover!

Here's another one that caught my attention -

A bold, but subtly connected cover for The Big Sleep

And those little hepatica blossoms are open!!



Yay, spring!

Love the hepatica!

>236 Bookmarque: Beautiful.

>236 Bookmarque: Beautiful. "Hepatica" sounds like it ought to have something to do with liver, and turns out it does! "The word hepatica derives from the Greek ἡπατικός hēpatikós, from ἧπαρ hêpar 'liver', because the three-lobed leaf was thought to resemble the human liver." (Wikipedia). The reference to "three-lobed leaf" was a bit puzzling because the leaves in your photo don't seem to have any lobes, but there is an American species that has long, narrow leaves exactly like those in your picture. (Not trying to steal your thunder, Hugh, I just got curious about the plant's name.)

>236 Bookmarque: & >239 haydninvienna:
I love the things I learn from LT posts. Firstly, I love these little flowers but never knew what they were called. Now I even know the derivation of their name.

>239 haydninvienna: Thank you! I would never have had the patience to look for a Greek alphabet. The only thing I can add is to note that according to the (thank goodness!) long since discredited Doctrine of Signatures, both Hepatica and liverworts, aka Hepaticae should be cures for liver complaints. Don't try this at home.

Beautiful! They are so delicate and such a lovely blue.

Good morning lovely peeps. I'm glad you were intrigued enough to do some research. The leaves above are spring beauty leaves actually. They'll bloom next. Hepatica leaves are often buried under leaf litter, but sometimes they come out. Here's the rounded lobed variety in all it's liver-y glory -



They aren't always this lovely red which is produced as a protection for hard frost if my memory serves. Normally they are green, starting off light in the spring and darkening through the winter. Here is the pointed-lobed variety -



And round-lobed



I'm off to shoot waterfalls today. Hopefully it stays cloudy this time!!

Oh and we have liverwort in the yard, too. Here are the leaves -



The round flat leaves are liverwort, (the blade-like ones are moss) and here are the sporophytes it makes. OMG!!!



so cute.

Awesome photos of some interesting specimens. I'm partial to the delicate blooms, I must say.

Bookmarque, those are beyond amazing. Thank toy for the pleasure of looking at them.

>243 Bookmarque: I was wondering if I had the crust to pollute your beautiful thread with my pictures of a liverwort, but yours are much better. Loved the others, too.

I love how alien these plants look. We really don't need to go to outer space to explore, just take a closer look at our own planet.

Thank you SO MUCH for the lovely photography. I miss the woods.

Awww, thanks guys. I love finding the overlooked in nature. The liverwort was a treat. Here are more cute little sporophytes -

They look like little trees. So cute!

Your pictures are always so beautiful! I need to get to the wetter side of my state and experience its lushness, and soon!

Thanks so much.

Pretty much all of Wisconsin is wet. Yesterday I went up to the Bad River watershed and spent some time on the Tyler Forks River. This is a shot from a brand new bridge over the water -



And Wren Falls further upstream -



It was a little tricky to get to that vantage point, so I spent a little time there. This is my favorite image, you can see the bridge in the background.



This is the same river as in post 220. This is miles upstream.

I love how you get the water to look like that!

Thanks. I was looking to do longer exposure work, but realized that shutter speeds around 1 second worked best.

This is 8 seconds -

>254 Bookmarque:

* seconds? Wow! How come the trees are not blurry; was there no wind?

There was wind and the trees aren't tack sharp, they just move in smaller measures than the water. Here's one with a dancing tree (and some slightly fanciful processing) at 2 1/2 seconds.

>256 Bookmarque: I think that's my favorite of your river series. Such a beautiful capture.

Thanks so much. It's a little divergent from reality, but not too much. I love cedar trees!!

Continuing the thread because this one is getting a little long.