Steven Helmer Publications

My lunchtime walk was somewhat uneventful today. I saw an interesting bird. But, it flew by too fast for me to get a good enough look at it (or a photo of it) so I could identify what it was and, other than the usual frogs and toads, I didn't see much else. I did have this dragonfly buzz by me, however, and, mostly because I thought it looked interesting, grabbed a photo of it when it stopped to take a break.

It was a bit foggy out when I went for my walk this morning and, because of that, it was kind of difficult to get good photos. As a result, I mostly just went on my walk so I could pick up cans. I did, however, spot this heron standing on the shoreline and was able to get a photo of it before it spotted me and flew off.

I haven't picked them in a couple of days and, since I took the day off from work, I decided to get caught up. I've been doing a good job keeping the cherry tomatoes eaten (I take them to the office with me as an all-day snack). But, this time around, I might have to share. A lot of these are really ripe and I just don't think I can get through them all by myself. In addition to the cherry tomatoes, I also managed to get about a half-quart of green beans, another bowl of Roma tomatoes (I've been giving those to my parents so they can include them when they are canning) and, for the first time ever, some potatoes (I'm not regretting not planting more hills). Sadly, I think the gardening season is going to end early this year. The plants are already turning brown so, before too long, I'm going to be forced to just pull everything up and prep the garden for winter.

It was a bit cloudy but warm when I went for my walk at lunch today and I was pleased to see plenty of garter snakes slithering around as I was walking. Unfortunately, however, I was not able to get a photo of any of them. This isn't really that unusual though because I've found there are only three ways I can get a decent shot of one: 1. I get the photo before the snake sees me. This considerably more difficult than it sounds. 2. The snake sees me but thinks I can't see it. This happens more often but, because they do get nervous easily, requires getting the photo as fast as possible. 3. The snake is eating/stalking prey. This is rare but, the one time I had it happen, I was able to stand right next to it and it just ignored me. Fortunately, even though I wasn't able to get a photo of a snake today, I did see plenty of frogs/toads and other signs of life and was still able to come away with something. Here are some of the photos I took: ...

It was raining a good chunk of the day yesterday and, other than a 5-minute stroll, without my camera (I didn't want to get it wet), early in the morning, I didn't get any walks in yesterday. It's much nicer today and I was able to make up for yesterday by going for a walk along the lake shore before coming into the office this morning. In addition to the usual subjects (herons, pelicans, etc), I was fortunate enough to get a photo of a muskrat as it swam in the lake toward me. It got pretty close before it realized I was standing there and went under the water.

Normally, when my wife and I make a Costco run (like we did this past Sunday), it's not unusual for me to see something interesting on the shelf and throw it into the cart as a spur-of-the-moment purchase. However, that was not the case with this particular product. Instead, I happened to see this in the monthly flyer we receive as part of our membership and, thinking it looked good, purposely looked for it when we were shopping. And, after I saw it was just $6.99 (it's normally $9.99), I decided to buy it for dinner. After having it last night, I have to say I was pleased with this decision. I'm always a little skeptical when it comes to pre-packaged meals like this one (which is found in the refrigerator section). Most offer relatively decent convenience but very few offer quality as well. This was one of the few that did offer both. When I first looked at the package, I wasn't sure if it would be as convenient as I hoped it would be because, at least from th...

Synopsis: A pair of siblings spend a week with the grandparents they have never met and make a documentary video about the event. However, when their grandparents begin acting strangely, especially at night, they begin to grow increasingly frightened and suspect there is more going on than originally revealed. Who's in it? The movie stars Olivia DeJonge , Ed Oxenbould , Deanna Dunagan , Peter McRobbie and Kathryn Hahn . Review: This movie has been on our "to watch" list ever since we first saw previews for it a couple years ago. So, when we were in the mood for a scary movie, we decided to get it on DVD through Netflix. We finally had an opportunity to watch it this weekend and, after finally seeing it, we were kind of disappointed by it. The premise is a good one. Two children visit a set of grandparents that are strangers to them and, despite being warmly welcomed, start to fear for their lives. The fact their mom (Hahn) ran away from home 15 years earlie...

Synopsis: An intelligent and rebellious high school student meets a death god and is given a note book that enables him to kill anyone he wants just by writing their name in it. After using the book to get revenge on the local bully and the man who killed his mom, he (along with his new girlfriend) decides to use the book to kill criminals. However, his efforts result in making him the center of an FBI agent's investigation. Who's in it? The movie stars Nat Wolff , Margaret Qualley , Willem Dafoe , Lakeith Stanfield and Shea Whigham. Review: After watching another Netflix original movie, What Happened to Monday , and enjoying it, I decided I wanted to see this new film as soon as it became available. My wife and I ended up doing that last night and, once again, were very impressed. This movie actually ended up surprising me a bit. From the description, I was a little concerned it would become either very predictable or end up being a bit dull. As it turns out, it w...

My oldest daughter, Azalea, took her first ever Us Figure Skating test and passed pre-preliminary moves in the field. This, of course, was a pretty big deal for her. She's been working 3 days per week for more than a month to prepare for the test and, while there were a couple things she could improve on still, was good enough to get a passing grade. She's now pumped up to test again, likely in the spring, so she can try to move up another level.

It's a little cooler outside than I would prefer in August. But, the sun was out at lunch today so I was able to enjoy my walk. I didn't see as many critters as I normally see. I think most of them were hiding in the taller grass today or, in the case of the frogs, underwater. But, I still managed to get the photos shown below:

It was kind of cool out and there was a layer of fog over the lake (which I still haven't figured out how to photograph). As a result of this, it was a little difficult getting pictures this morning while out for my morning walk. Fortunately, however, I was able to find quite a few discarded aluminum cans as I was walking, which helped make up for that. I did manage to get some photos while I was out this morning. Here are the best of the few:

As we discovered last night, the older of our two cats, Echo (pictured in a pizza box above), may have a problem. We think he is addicted to catnip. This would be largely my fault. He tends to be very hyper in the middle of the night and, as a way of calming him down (so my wife and I can get some sleep), I've been rubbing catnip in his fur. Not a lot, just enough to help him relax a bit. Well, he ran out a couple days ago and I finally had a chance to pick up a new bag for him yesterday evening. He didn't even let us give it to him. The unopened bag was on the kitchen table for maybe three minutes before he was up there trying to open it. Then, when my wife tried to take it away from him, he wrapped his paws around it and fought her. After we finally gave him some of it, we learned it wasn't enough. I had placed the bag on top of our pantry out of reach (or so I thought) and he found a way to climb up on the refrigerator so he could try to get it. I chased him d...

I decided to change things up a little bit this morning and, even though I still took my walk by the lake, decided to go back to Waterworks Park again. This was, in part, because it looked like it would start raining at any moment and I wanted to stay as close to my car as possible. The park was surprisingly full of life this morning. Unfortunately, the cormorant I saw swimming in the lake was too far out to get a good photo. But, there were plenty of other subjects, including ducks, pelicans and a heron. Here are some of the photos I took:

The weather was pretty nice today while I was out for my walk. The sun was shining and it was warm enough to be comfortable without becoming overheated. At first, I didn't think I was going to see anything on my walk. I'm not sure why, but the park just seemed to be a bit deserted today. However, I ended up going down a path I haven't taken in a while (mostly because, up until today, it hadn't been mowed in a long time) and wound up seeing a few things. Here are some of the photos I took:

Synopsis: Due to overpopulation, the planet has enacted and strictly enforces a one-child law that requires illegal siblings to be taken from their parents and placed in a cryogenic state. A group of septuplet sisters (all named after days of the week) have managed to avoid detection for 30 years by pretending to be the same woman and only leaving their apartment on the day that they are named after. However, when the first-born septuplet, Monday, goes to work on Monday morning and doesn't return, they quickly learn their secret has been exposed and must fight for survival against a system that wants to exterminate all of them to avoid the embarrassment their deception could cause. Who's in it? The movie stars Noomi Rapace , Glenn Close , Willem Dafoe , Marwan Kenzari and Christian Rubeck . Review: I must confess, I don't watch too many "Netflix original" films, mostly because there haven't been that many that have really caught my eye. In fact, e...

I didn't see too much on my walk by the lake this morning. The water was calm (especially compared to yesterday) but pretty much deserted and, as a result of that, I ended up walking into the park a bit. Since the sun was still coming up, the park also was quiet. But, I did see this heron standing in the water some distance away and, despite the fact it was a little dark out still and a bit hazy, was able to get a photo of it before it flew away.

I am a soda addict and, even though I have pretty much given up being able to kick the habit completely, I've been making an effort to at least cut back on how much I drink. And, as part of this, I have been trying to take healthier alternatives with me to work. This included a drink box of Kirkland Signature Organic Apple Grape Juice. I purchased this product during a recent Costco trip because (bought in bulk), I thought it was a good deal and would be something my daughters could take with them to drink during skating or dance lessons. After trying it this morning, I probably will end up needing to buy more of them. One of my biggest concerns when trying this juice this morning was the flavor. Since it was still early, I wasn't in the mood for anything that was too sweet or too tart and I have had other discount juices that fit into that description. This juice, however, was what I was hoping it would be. There was enough sweetness in it to give me some of the sugar...

After having cloudy weather most of the past few days, it was great to go for a walk at lunch and have the sun be out. And, the best part was there was a slight breeze so it didn't get too hot walking. I saw quite a few signs of life today too. This included a couple snakes, including one that was very cooperative and stopped long enough for me to get a photo. Here are some of the photos I took: