a weblog of whereabouts & interests, since 2010
Enduring sightings of the sun, since spring had started here in Seattle, are still hard to come by, but we had 57°F (14 °C) today. The high might bump up to 67°F (19°C) tomorrow.
Late afternoon, I walked all the way down to the edge of South Lake Union, and back up to Capitol Hill.
Here are the three sets of South African revenue stamps that followed on to the two sets that I had posted about earlier in March.
The last of South Africa’s revenue stamps were issued in 2008.
The use of revenue stamps on contracts and other legal documents was discontinued in March of 2009.
Here’s a northern flicker (it’s a woodpecker), sitting on the power cables in the alley behind my house.
Happy Friday.
Here are a few (very ordinary) pictures of Westlake station in downtown Seattle.
I was waiting for the northbound train bound for Capitol Hill.
The southbound train bound for the airport and Angle Lake arrived first.
Then just a few minutes later, another single southbound train car arrived.
It stopped, but it seemed that passengers were not allowed to board.
Then as that car departed, my northbound train was just arriving.
Happy first day of spring.
Happy first day of autumn if you are in the southern hemisphere of our planet.
The camelia flower is from my front yard.
The central bank’s decision to hold interest rates at 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent extends a pause that has been in place since January, following a series of cuts in late 2024 that lowered borrowing costs by a percentage point.
When — and to some extent whether — the Fed ultimately follows through with cutting rates again this year remains dependent on Mr. Trump’s economic plans, including the sweeping tariffs he has threatened or imposed. Wednesday’s meeting marked the central bank’s most direct acknowledgment to date that the president’s policies are set to have a real impact on the economy.
Colby Smith reporting from Washington for the New York Times
So you’re going to pay more for your new home mortgage, you car loan, your student loan, your credit card loan, the eggs, the bread, the milk, whatever you buy at the grocery store. Oh! — and a lot more for just about everything else you buy. The United States has entered into a trade war with Canada, Mexico and China (see below what bankrate.com says).
A recession is coming, this year or next.
Has to, with all this going on, right? I hope I’m wrong.
Bankrate.com on Mar. 4:
Tariffs are a tax imposed on goods that the U.S. imports from other nations.
President Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, initially announced in February but delayed for a month, took effect Tuesday, along with an additional 10 percent tariff on goods from China. (In February, a 10 percent tariff went into effect on all imports from China.)
Economists, supply chain analysts and tax experts interviewed by Bankrate said that consumers often end up bearing the burden of tariffs, as companies pass along higher production costs to consumers.
Here’s a tangerine Tesla Model 3 from the Whole Foods parking lot. I love the giraffe in the space helmet.
100% ELECTRIC, ZERO EMISSIONS, says the lettering on the back of the car.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.
Here’s a Steller’s jay that visited my lawn this morning while it was still clear and sunny.
There was thunder, hail and lightning in the afternoon.
I took the G-line bus to Colman Dock (the ferry terminal) and the Waterfront late this afternoon, and walked up to Pike Place Market.
There is wind and rain in the city this weekend, and snow in the mountains.
This camelia with its petals on the ground is by Aloha Street here on Capitol Hill.
Happy Friday.
Happy Pi Day.
Here are my (totally amateur) pictures of tonight’s total lunar eclipse*.
I used my Canon EOD 7D Mk II digital camera and EF-S 18-135mm lens with image stabilizer.
I just cropped the full size of the pictures from 5472×3648 pixels down to 2000×1500 pixels but otherwise the photos are as recorded by the camera.
*A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align in space with Earth in the middle, leading it to cast a shadow on the moon. During that time, the moon appears to turn a reddish hue, which is why the event is sometimes referred to as a “blood moon.” – nbcnews.com
It was time to take my nifty blue car to the Brown Bear carwash today.
I bought the car in 2021, but now, in 2025, I see that some people like to call my car a swasticar.
(Why? On Jan. 20, while speaking at a rally celebrating U.S. president Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Tesla CEO Elon Musk twice made a salute interpreted by some as a Nazi or the fascist Roman salute.
As a result, flyers in San Francisco, and memes on X— by the so-called Tesla Takedown movement— now refer to Teslas as swasticars.)
Not a welcome situation for Tesla owners. Really not welcome at all— and as I was driving to the car wash, I told myself to just flatly ignore anyone yelling at me, or showing me a middle finger.
Just as I walked by St. Joseph Parish church here on Capitol Hill tonight just before 6 o’clock, a bald eagle landed on the bell tower.
It surveyed the surroundings from there for just a few minutes and then took off.
From Google Search Labs | AI Overview:
Washington state’s wintering bald eagle population, comprising resident breeders and seasonal migrants, is growing and is estimated to reach a steady state of around 6,000 birds.
Alaska boasts the largest bald eagle population in the United States, with an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 birds, surpassing all other states combined.
Revenue stamps are stamps used to designate collected taxes and fees. They are issued by governments, national and local, and by official bodies of various kinds. They take many forms and may be gummed and ungummed, perforated or imperforate, printed or embossed, and of any size.
[From Wikipedia]
A little background first:
South Africa was officially the Union of South Africa until May 31, 1961, when it gained independence from the United Kingdom and became the Republic of South Africa. The currency system for the Union of South Africa was changed a few months prior, on Feb. 14, 1961.
On this day, the South African pound was replaced by the rand at a rate of one £SA = two Rand.
My sets of revenue stamps from South Africa for the periods 1954-60 (when it was still the Union of South Africa) and 1961-68 (the Republic of South Africa) are almost complete.
(Several other sets of revenue stamps were issued, but South Africa stopped using revenue stamps altogether in 2009).
Revenue stamps are similar to the postage stamps issued in South Africa during this time: printed on watermarked and gummed paper sheets, perforated and with increasing denominations in the set.
A big difference:
the highest denomination for a postage stamp issued for the time was
10 shillings (1954-60) or
R1 (1961-68),
while the highest denomination of a revenue stamp issued for the same period was
£100 (1954-60)— 200 times more, or
R200 (1961-68)— also 200 times more !
Sunset is now at 7.10 pm, so a quick walk after dinner and before dark is possible.
We set all of our clocks forward by and hour, and now we’re on Daylight Saving Time again here in the United States.
I have to say: the older I get, the more annoyed I get at these ruptures in time, twice a year.
Also: I should really stop clambering up my kitchen counter top to mess with the battery-operated wall clock that is mounted way up there, almost by the ceiling.
That is not worth it.
Permanent Standard Time (NOT Daylight Time) is what scientists and sleep experts recommend. I asked ChatGPT why we are still changing the time twice a year here in the US.
I spotted this eye-catching powder blue Ford Bronco Sport on my walk today.
It’s a fossil-fuel vehicle, but it made me wonder how the sales numbers of Ford’s all-electric* F-150 Lightning trucks are looking.
The answer: not great.
According to Google Search Labs | AI Overview:
“As of the third quarter of 2024, Ford has sold 22,807 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks. This marks a significant increase from the same period in 2023, when 12,260 Lightnings were sold. However, demand remains lower than expected, and Ford has temporarily paused production.”
*Ford also offers a hybrid truck. According to the company, “the F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid is the best-selling full-size, full-hybrid pickup in the United States.” That statement certainly packs in the adjectives!
Happy Friday.
I’m watching tennis from the Indian Wells Open/ BNP Paribas Open.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner (23, 
) is not playing— he is serving out a controversial 3-month suspension from tennis for a failed doping test (it’s complicated).
On top of that, the men’s tournament has lost its top seeded player today. Dutch No 1 Tallon Griekspoor (28, 
) took out Alexander Zverev (27, 
) 4-6 7-6 7-6.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (21, 
) will play his first match tomorrow.
Dark horse and still-at-it Novak Djokovic (37, 
) is back and is probably the other favorite to win this year.
) from Bosnia-Herzegovina playing against Frances Tiafoe (27, 
). Tiafoe looked like he would lose the first set, but came from behind to take it 7-6. And after being behind 1-5 in the second set, he took that set in a tie-breaker as well. 
The daffodil (genus Narcissus) is the national flower of Wales and the symbol of cancer charities in many countries.
The appearance of wild flowers in spring is associated with festivals in many places.
-From Wikipedia
