Fire Ant Flickers (#16)

Hi, folks! Welcome to another exciting, fun-filled, highly educational, and marginally entertaining edition of the Gazette (YMMV).

I’m writing this on Tuesday, December 9th, a date that I’m sure you remember as the birthday of William Edward Hanford (1908-1996), the chemist who discovered the process of making polyurethanes, which ultimately led to the misheard lyrics of the Beatles’ Polythene Pam.

Hanford’s discovery ultimately led to the culturally significant development of breast implants. December 9th is also the birthday of Tabitha Babbitt, who invented, among other things, a technique for improving false teeth. Do you sense a trend here?

Moving right along…

I don’t have OCD…I’m simply differently fixated

First, here’s the clinical definition of Obessive/Compulsive Disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disorder marked by uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), repetitive and excessive behaviors (compulsions), or both. OCD symptoms can begin any time but usually start between late childhood and young adulthood.

So…

I think a lot of us jokingly refer to the behaviors and thought patterns shown on the right side of that image as proof that we have OCD. I know I do. But I do have some, um, let’s call them quirks, that make me secondguess my lack of actual OCDness. Take for example the situation shown in this photo:

This is a pair of rocker light switches on the wall in our breakfast nook. Notice how one is down and the other is up (Or is it vice versa? Maybe I should say that one is on and the other is off. But that might not be totally accurate either. Uh oh…). I will go across the room or into the bedroom to find the other set of switches and turn one up or down (or on or off…yikes), so that I can return to these and put them both in the same position.

And don’t get me started on the willy-nilly orientation of the slots in the screw heads. What kind of deranged monkey did the electrician hire to install that switch plate, anyway?

OCD or no? I say no, because I don’t believe anything bad will happen if I leave them this way, other than I won’t be able to sleep thinking about the situation.

[I confess that I got overly wordy above in order to accommodate the background image. I’m still a design nerd at heart.]

But, really, those are about the only two areas where I exhibit borderline OCDish behavior. Well, OK, there is the subject of the proper way to load the dishwasher, but my philosophy is backed by science and has nothing to do with any personality peculiarities, although my wife might beg to differ.

Solar Bookends

Alert Gazette readers will recall this post from a couple of years ago wherein I showcased photos of sunrises and sunsets…the latter being provided by my good friend, Sam, from his home on South Padre Island, and the former emerging from my cameras here at Horseshoe Bay.

Sam’s home provides a clear view to the west, looking out over Laguna Madre, while our western skies are blocked by those pesky trees and hills. However, he can also wander a few blocks to the east and look out over the Gulf of America/Mexico/Whatever, SPI being very narrow, geographically speaking. Both perspectives routinely offer sublime scenes.

Yesterday, Sam texted a couple of photos to me. He took one in the morning and another about ten hours later, and he referred to the pair as bookends. I asked his permission to share them here because they’re stunning, and he graciously consented. I’ve posted them precisely as they came out of his phone, with no enhancements or retouching whatsoever.

See if you agree with my assessment.

I can’t decide which I like better. The sun’s rays puncturing the clouds at sunrise add to the dynamism of the waves. And the layered late afternoon clouds send those rays in multiple directions, putting a sheen on the relatively calm waters of the bay, and foretell a deep gold and orange sunset.

God does good work.

Closing Shots: 26 days and counting