It’s the eve of Mother’s Day as I’m beginning this and I’m more than a little frustrated. Things have not been so bad recently, but it’s a mixed bag of events and time is going by way too quickly. I’ve removed the post Alienated that listed many of the places I’ve been ostracized because it was an injustice to those who have been outstanding in good ways in many of those same places and because its not my intention to shame people while I pursue justice for myself. Across the board, people have been very nice to me recently and after writing to my job about a raise, I even started making more money. But then, I still make less than minimum wage much of the time and there are fluctuating expenses for the jeep and my home. Yesterday, I worked 12 hours for $100 and it cost me $25 in gas. Still, I love my job and the independence it provides affords me the flexibility to keep working on other projects, this server being one.

In server news, I have finally added a Photography page that will be dynamically updated as I sort through old photos and add new ones over time. Camas Ladybug Bee is the most recent, shot just couple of weeks ago – while out photographing an old road covered in Camas flowers, I spotted a Lady bug and while I was taking pictures, it got attacked by a bee and survived. I wish I had been recording video. The pictures are in reverse order and there’s no navigation off the page or any words in the albums at this time (so much more work to do) but this part of the project has finally begun. Live streaming is more than halfway done, too. I can already receive, record, and re-stream anything. I’m using Immich for photo management and although it’s under heavy development, its invaluable for streamlining the production and sharing of images without the use of Google Photos, and its handling a large library just fine. Jellyfin was the best choice for sorting IPTV and music. And for broadcasting, I have configured MediaMTX in a special way that allows me to use drop in files as channels so that new streams can be created on the fly in extremely dynamic ways. I’ll write more on this when I make a front page for The Skylight because there’s a lot of confusion online about how to use MediaMTX paths to begin with. For now, test screens are in place and the next step is to workout overlays and add some channels. Then, live broadcast. Otherwise, not much has changed with the website. I’ve made an outline for updating the site map and I’ll be removing comments from the blog soon since they only ever gather spam. Email is good, though I still plan to run a BlueSky data store for microblogging. And the legal section is about to be updated, too. I think I will be in full production and beginning promotion this Summer.

The drones, there are a few. The next to be launched is Greenhorn, the jeep reconnaissance drone, an all-weather tricopter equipped with a standard GoPro gimbal and an additional FPV infrared camera bottom mounted with a 120° tilt for front view or down view. Then, there’s NightDrop, the stealth hexacopter – all details top secret at this time 😉 – though I will probably work on the Pelican, a motor glider, after the tricopter. I love vehicles of all types, especially those that fly, and the combination of my love for photography, radio, and computers, converges nicely in this field. The list of projects is endless and the best part to come from this part of things will be the images, streamed live. I’ll post pictures of the drones, too, of course. So, there are no aerial videos yet, but liftoff is around the corner. And the jeep is gradually becoming a mobile ground station. There are a few pictures already in the Home collection, but I’ll still make a folder just for the jeep.

Also just posted are the Daffodil photos from Mother’s Day Past. The first set of photos are close-ups of a daffodil, and the second set are of the exact same flower one year later. I first posted these on a Mother’s Day many years ago and it seems fitting to publish them again now. It was to show how true beauty transcends time. I am still estranged from my mother with unresolved issues involving the legal situation where I live. I had thought that my pursuit of social justice would be served when enough information came out last year – the short version, I’m convinced I’m the victim of identity theft and fraud, and I think my mother is a victim of the same people but she took sides with them and conspired against me enabling a significant amount of deprivation in my life. I wish I could trust my mother, but she betrayed me. And at the crux of the issue are violations of privacy by my landlord which are ongoing. Law enforcement has been contacted many times but all parties involved in the legal situation where I live have refused to communicate with me about the eavesdropping, among other things, and I’ve requested that the Sheriffs in both relevant counties question her about information that may lead to the arrest of whoever is responsible for the identity theft. There is a demonstrable amount of evidence. But so far, nothing. So I stand my ground in my home, however long that may take, and know that there will be another year and there will always be flowers.

The situation with my landlord has gone on for a decade and a half and there is simply too much to cover in an update. Eventually, I plan to write a book about this. I’m going to call it, Vignettes of Indigo; Or, How to Defeat Jehovah’s Witnesses Using the Power of Your Mind. Recently, the harassment has subsided, though there is still no restitution for damages and it’s clear they’ve ripped me off. This, after yet another letter to law enforcement. I’m hardly their only victim, but I am specifically targeted on and off premises. And in my case, while the Sheriff insists that any violations are only Civil (which they won’t enforce), I believe there are criminal charges that may be brought for the amount of money and land they’ve taken from me, not to mention the possibility they may be hiding a child from me. They have framed me for serious crimes I didn’t commit to push an extremist religious agenda, doing what they can to keep me from succeeding in life or being treated with respect. I am succeeding, anyway.

So its a mixed bag of loneliness and work, social isolation and violations of privacy, many different kinds of frustration and a lot of patience. Tomorrow is supposed to rain and I’ll work all day. At least the endlessness preserves hope. Paying bills and self therapy leave few friends, but the satisfaction that comes from achieving goals keeps me going, as well as the infinite curiosity that makes me want to see what the day will bring. I’ll certainly write more, later.