I tried to rest today. But there are woods, rivers, creeks, and wildlife to see. Of course I got work done, but with lovely mountains out the window. Not too shabby.
I also got through another temperature blanket row. It’s going to have hot pink tomorrow —over 105 in Cameron.
This morning I did a nice 2-mile walk along the Blue River and the adjacent woods. I certainly enjoyed all the birds and flowers. It is hard to hear the birds for all the water, but that’s okay.
Look, a Downy Woodpecker!Golden bumblebee The trailsFremont’s squirrel So many mushrooms RobinCanada GeeseFremont’s squirrel Blue RiverFirst Hike
After work I intended to do a short walk and stay off trails. Nope, I went up the mountain behind us, alongside the beautiful Sawmill Creek. I enjoyed some white-crowned sparrows and looked for beavers.
Another Magpie. White-crowned SparrowSawmill Reservoir
Before I knew it I was at the reservoir I intended to hike to later. It’s still beautiful as you can see above.
There were more flowers, of course. These are poppies.
I hiked back home down my favorite snow trail from last visit, and was lucky to hear a Western Flycatcher and a Red Crossbill. The latter sounds very interesting.
Delphiniums are beautiful
At the condo I crashed and listened to a lot of speeches. It’s all good, but I’m tired.
Yeah, it’s sappy, and awe came in a close second, but I am positive that the positive emotion I feel most often is love. I’m always feeling love for something or someone. Not romantic hormonal love, but more the enduring emotional attachment kind of love.
Apache feels great love for his food dish, most days.
Today was farrier day, so I spent a long time with the horses again. I feel so much love for each of them (and Fifi), and it’s different for each, like a mother’s love for her children. Tarrin said she liked how I speak kindly to my horses…and I do get sorta blubbery around them. They may not understand my words, but they can discern my feelings.
Fiona wants you to know I laughed at her for stepping in her food bucket. She’d been picking it up and banging it against the gate like a prisoner asking out of jail.
Mabel got lots of love today, because she was the calmest she’s ever been getting her feet done, and she was able to stretch her legs out and put them on the stand, which means she looked pretty darned good for her by the time he was finished!
Brava!This is her bad hoof! Almost normal!A calm lady horse.
Of course, I don’t spend all my love on horses. I get all gooey over my favorite plants and birds, and of course, the dogs. They each hear how much I love them ALL the time. It just comes out. I even love Alfred at his most shedding time, which is now.
Clouded Skipper on a clump of Alfred hair that wafted across the lawn.
There’s just so much joy that the dogs bring! And they love us back, too.
Vlassic loves horse hoof trimmings.
And of course, I feel love for so many people, most of whom may not realize it. I feel all warm and fuzzy at friends’ Facebook posts and Instagrams. I just beam inside when listening to friends talk. They are all so special to me! What a sap.
Then there’s my spouse, who loves to take photos of me chewing. I love him anyway.
I know Lee loves me, because he drove me to the Austin airport today and dealt with the dreaded “Austin traffic.” But we got a cool upgraded room with a couch in it, so he’s happy (he sleeps better in couches or recliners than beds). The Hilton at the airport used to be the HQ building at Bergstrom Air Force Base, and is circular. I always enjoy staying here.
A nice place to stay before flying.
Bonus: I felt more love when I looked over at the bar after dinner and saw my former Austin hairdresser and his husband! That was such a happy moment. We got all caught up on each other’s lives and travels. It makes me feel like a native when I run into people like that!
Off to sleep so I can zip back to another time zone tomorrow! I’ll make sure to check for typos in the post title before publishing, unlike yesterday.
What, like “very unique” or something? I find this question difficult, because it didn’t ask for a word that’s used too often, but rather for a word too many people use. In this case, I’m going to suggest “woke” as a word the wrong people are using for inappropriate reasons. People try to use this positive word as an insult and it doesn’t come across well outside their in-group.
Hi. I’m woke AF. Hmm, maybe too many people use “AF” after everything.
That’s not unique, of course. Humans have been changing words with positive connotations to negative ones for centuries. There are many articles on how neutral words have become negative words pertaining to women (like spinster, once a person who spun). As well, people have been misappropriating words from one group and using it in odd new ways for a long time, like white folks trying to be gangsta.
I do believe I’m not gangsta. This is fine. Other people can be if it’s fun for them.
If there’s one thing my misspent youth as a linguist taught me, though, is that languages constantly change, and that words mean what the speaker thinks they mean and the listener interprets them as. So who am I to say something is used “wrong?”
Each of us birds means “chirp” different.
I think I’m allowed to be triggered by some words being used in new ways. I don’t like “Nazi” being applied haphazardly. No, I’m not a grammar Nazi and never was a breastfeeding one either. That offends me. I was hoping our society was beyond that kind of thinking, though apparently it isn’t. Sigh.
I’ve got my raptor friends looking out for totalitarian wannabes.
Warning: if you call me woke I’m going to take it as a compliment. I’d rather be open to new ideas, kind, loving, and peaceful than angry and fearful of anyone different from myself.
On the home front the horses finally got to see the dentist today, after a series of mishaps on previously scheduled dates. I’m very pleased that the delay caused no issues and that everyone is doing well for their age and physiology.
Getting their teeth floated, then sleeping off the drugs.
Everyone was very well behaved, too. The best part was seeing the surprise on the dentist’s face when she saw Mabel. At first she thought I had a different horse! She kept exclaiming that Mabel now has a butt! That you can’t see her spine anymore! Her eyes are big and kind! Yep, she’s improved a lot. It feels so good to realize I’ve helped her become a beautiful, happy animal.
If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?
I’d sell all my yarn stash, which would take quite a while, and offer knitting and crochet lessons. It would be a fun little pop-up store and I wouldn’t have to worry about maintaining inventory and paying sales taxes except once. I really have no interest in owning a shop. I enjoy interacting with people, organizing, and decorating, but not accounting.
Some nice, organized yarn. Photo from Pexels.
So, that’s not gonna happen but at least it gave me a topic, since much of my day was fairly full. At least I feel better. When I woke up I felt awful, but it must have been all those anti-shingles dispersing. I’m normal other than lingering arm soreness.
I managed a quick walk and saw this Spicebush Swallowtail.
It was very humid, so the heat felt hotter, and I decided to skip an activity in the blazing sun this morning. Instead, I went to the new bird station Master Naturalist project to take my August bird inventory there. At least I could do that in the shade.
Vantage point from new benches.
I had a pleasant time and saw or heard 17 birds. There is a new water feature there, with water coming down a chain into a bird bath. On the chain I got to watch a juvenile Painted Bunting having a nice drink. I didn’t figure out what it was until I got home and looked it up.
Cute little thing
There were also juvenile cardinals out and about, and one did some fine snacking right near me. Birds ignore you if you sit still long enough!
It’s at that awkward in-between stage.
In fact, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were bold enough to sit on the tree branch closest to me as if to inquire whether I had any gnats for them. They are so pretty.
No gnatcatcher photos, but here are the cool furniture pieces that got donated.
I’m not going to go on and on, since I already wrote a blog post for the Master Naturalist blog this afternoon. But I enjoyed seeing so many birds flitting around, plus the chickens, guineas, and turkeys are fun, too.
Old live oak tree near the birding stationTurkey feather. Big ole TomPretty hens
I’m glad I was feeling well enough to get horse supplies afterwards, since Dusty was out of his feed. Lifting 60-pound bags of food and salt got my weight-bearing exercise quota in, too. I’m sure the horses didn’t mind that I went swimming rather than riding, because I was I overheated!
Cattle were hot, too, but it didn’t phase the Great Blue Heron.
Dull but productive day, for sure, but since I’ll be traveling next Saturday, I enjoyed the chores and everyday duties! May tomorrow also be average!
What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
Duh! I’m a modern human! I must have my phone with me all the time! Sometimes I do t have it, but my watch is my backup phone. (My new watch tells me everything I cae about at a glance: time, date, weather, exercise, and heartbeat!) I’m sure the phone is a popular answer to this question.
What a smart watch.
The main reason I want the phone with me is because I’m always taking photos of plants, bugs, and birds. Or dogs, horses, and sunsets.
The other reason is that if I have a question, I can get it answered. Monopoly or not, I get a lot out of Google! When you’re curious, a search engine is a miracle product, as long as you maintain healthy skepticism.
So much knowledge, right there. But so far I haven’t needed AI to write anything.
I use the phone to text, message, and visit friends on social media, in addition to the occasional calls. I did a little of calling today when I found out the air conditioning was out on the Airbnb and I had to refund a guest and arrange for repairs.
I made AI draw this technician. Um. Great?
As for my day, it mostly involved vaccine side effects and feeling woozy. None of my intended errands got run, so tomorrow will be busy. But you have to listen to your body!
It clouded up and cooled off slightly by late afternoon so I was able to sit outside and enjoy the birds and dragonflies. To my delight, many hummingbirds and the bluebird family came to visit! The swimming pool is an important bird and insect watering hole.
My bird buddies.
Tomorrow I’m doing all the chores, whether I feel better or not! Horses gotta eat, you know!
Thankfully, I have some good habits. But I’ve been cultivating one for the past year or so that has enhanced my life greatly and consistently brings me joy. It’s listening.
We’re listening. (Black Vultures)
I’m not talking about listening in conversation (which I’m sometimes rather bad at—I’m working on it). I’ve been practicing listening to nature. I know I’ve written about this before, but it’s become increasingly valuable in my mindfulness practice.
Listening attentively takes your mind off other things. Just noticing sounds when you’re doing yoga breathing is nice for meditation.
I have good hearing, for which I’m very grateful. Now that I’ve been practicing using Merlin Bird ID so much, I can sit in my birding chair with my eyes closed and know what’s going on all around me. I can hear many birds the app can’t, which makes me very happy.
I know the Scissortail sound!
But spending so much time walking and standing in various spots around the ranch has helped me identify much more than bird calls. I can tell what’s flying by from wing flapping. Watch a Cardinal fly sometime: you’ll see a pattern. That pattern is easy to hear because they are the loudest flyers (second are house sparrows). Vulture wings are also easy to hear. I love that sound. And of course hummingbirds and mourning doves have distinctive wing sounds.
I found this hummingbird by sound this morning.
When I listen to birds, I hear other life forms. I can tell my favorite bees and bee flies from each other, and I know some of the frogs (bullfrog and cricket frog croaks are easiest). There are always cicadas and crickets in summer. I wish I had an app for those. And the grasshoppers that fly (only females) make loud noises, too.
Can you hear me chewing leaves? (spur-throated grasshopper)
Whoever said it’s quiet in the country has never been there. Especially when there are cows around. I can identify them chewing (as opposed to horses) and can tell whether I’m hearing them pee or poop. I could do without that.
You listen to us chew every day!
A listening skill I finally have down is the squirrel. I’ve stopped thinking they are birds. When a squirrel and hawk got into an argument this afternoon, I didn’t try to figure out if it was a Cuckoo or Green Heron. It was a small triumph.
Keep that hawk away from me.
It occurred to me one day that the sounds people make are probably identified by animals. I’ve amused myself lately by not trying to parse the words I hear in restaurants or other busy places, and just hear the sounds people make as noises. I wonder if we’re as annoying as a flock of grackles?
Flock of humans (from Pexel)
Listening is an important skill to develop. I spent many years developing listening skills in music and languages. But the nature sounds bring me much joy. It’s like the whole world is communicating. Yes, the whole world IS communicating. That’s the Big Picture I need to remind myself about often.
Now, here’s a question I can answer! I’m curious about everything. I probably could have gone to college my whole life getting degrees in different subjects. Since I couldn’t do that, I’ve tried to keep asking questions and trying to see how things work my whole life. And oh, how happy I am when I figure something out (examples to follow).
Dusty is always curious about what I’m doing. I couldn’t get a picture of all 4 horses lined up in their stall, because he had to come check me out. He’s so sweet and I can’t fault him for being curious!
It’s always seemed to me that people who are curious and want to expand their knowledge are happy. Closed-minded people seem either sad or grumpy. I don’t have scientific evidence for this, so maybe I should look that up…
Or I could pet this dog. Petting won.
There’s lots of evidence that lifelong learners stay sharper (on average) than people who are fine without getting new insights or ideas. To me these folks seem to live longer, but maybe not. In any case, curiosity makes any life feel rich and long.
Look! I was curious as to what this is. It’s a bluish-green cuckoo wasp. I found out it’s a parasite on mud dauber nests. Hmmm.
There are things I’m not all that curious about. For certain I don’t want to know what other people are thinking. Nope. I’ve tried, but I can’t get interested in learning war strategies, types of firearms, ways to cheat “the system,” or gambling. I’m not all that curious about how political systems work, but since Lee is, I’m learning about it anyway. It just soaks in.
Lee loves CNN. He took this awkward anchor person photo.
I like solving little local mysteries that my curiosity brings out. I gather my mental evidence and look for more. Like today, my hunch that there was a Green Heron nest in the pond behind the house was borne out. I finally saw the whole family, including squabbling adolescents. That was fun!
SquabblingTwo flying back to the nest. MomZipping across the pond. Its wings hit the water. Green Heron family
In Other News
I made more cardigan progress today. It fits! Now I’m working on the sleeves, which require a delicate calculation of how much of the main yarn color is left. The sleeves need to be even!
Yep, it’s bright. At least I smoked today.
And I have also finished updating the Sightings section on this blog website. I found it interesting that the numbers of plant and insect species are very close, over 350 each (I say from memory, since I’m not curious enough to check). I don’t think I’d ever have imagined I’d find that many if I hadn’t have been curious enough to start recording them.
They are pretty, too.
I’m glad this week is over. There certainly have been lots of ups and downs in my personal stuff, my friends’ lives, the US, and the world. Maybe there can be a little break?
Hello! I’m here, just without much to say. There’s so much going on around me, both good and challenging, that it’s hard to focus on a topic. Honestly, I want to meditate all day to get away from the competing distractions, but I know meditation shouldn’t be an escape. So, I’m crocheting.
Cardigan progress.
I was trying to make this bright and sparkly project out of only yarn in my stash, but I didn’t have any solids in the right weight (oh, I do, but in the shipping container). When I found the purple gradient, I was thrilled, since it’s the same brand.
It will fit! I look thrilled.
I tried it on this morning after I finished the bottom band and was happy to see it was the medium length I wanted.
Older person, rear view. It looks good other than lacking sleeves.
Today I got more than halfway through the collar band, so the sleeves will happen soon. It’s a yoked cardigan. I’ve knitted many but never crocheted one. I’m so impressed that I didn’t make it huge.
It’s good to have the crafts and the birds to distract me. There were lots of birds today, including the elusive Wild Turkey and Osprey. I didn’t see either but I heard them. I’d heard the Osprey arguing with a hawk earlier in the week. Of course, no photos of them, but the Cardinals and Mockingbirds will pose.
We’re posing
I’ve been letting the swimming pool distract me, too. It’s so nice after horse activity. I’m getting swimming muscles, I think. The Olympics are also great distractions. Just people who have incredible skills showing good sportsmanship. That’s encouraging.
Look at this interesting insect. I have no idea what it is, but look at that stinger!
What distracts you when the world threatens to overwhelm you?
If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?
Honestly, I have no idea where I’d go if I won two free plane tickets. I’d probably be pragmatic and use it to fly to Hilton Head in November, first class.
This is what you get when you ask AI to make a picture of plane tickets to Hilton Head. That gave me a laugh.
Also, honestly, today I got so frustrated with my moods, my isolation (sometimes a hermit doesn’t feel so hermit-like and needs someone), and my lack of options that I seriously considered booking a hotel room in Austin and hiding there all weekend watching the Olympics.
But why leave?? It’s beautiful here.
I got over myself and decided not to waste my Hilton Honors points on that. Better to stay where I am and deal with things. And I did. So there. I’m still a little short-tempered, which is how I get when the anxiety attacks attack.
These are not the kind of mushrooms that help with PTSD, but we have a lot of them after all the rain.
And thanks to making good decisions, I got to experience the relief of getting a new ($$$) swimming pool pump. Yes, the original one in our pool has already kicked the bucket. It was making so much noise that it was no fun sitting outside in the nice weather and I couldn’t hear birds very well.
The old pumpWe had to deal with wasps in the control panelUp and running
Lee and I got to sit by the pool and enjoy the silence this evening. That was healing silence. Maybe knowing I am free to flee if I need to makes me happy to just stay where I am.
Bee happy! Finally I got a GOOD bumblebee in a morning glory!
Tomorrow, gotta move some hay I didn’t move quickly enough. Then I’ll need to dry it out before storing it! Horses will enjoy this delicious hay grown right next door!
Hmm. Lately no food comforts me much. But I’d say I usually reach for something cheesy. These days it’s either those little red laughing cow rounds or cottage cheese (preferably full fat, large curd). Full fat yogurt with good fruit, like Noosa, also works. Creaminess seems to be a key. Naturally, creamy ole ice cream also does the trick. I guess I help finance the dairy industry.
Cheese. I like it (also bread—I can eat wheat and dairy just fine, being all European.
My anxiety has ticked down a notch, which I can tell because I’ve allowed myself to plan for the future (other than camping and condos; I do plan that). But today I figured out what I’d like to do with my volunteer time. Well, in addition to endless flower and insect photos.
Passion flowers Variegated fritillary Carpenter beeHalloween pennant dragonfly SunflowersBeetle on upright prairie coneflower Bumblebee on pickerel weedYet another Gulf fritillary.
I visited the new bird observation way station thing that’s been started by our Master Naturalist group today. I’m very impressed by how hard Gene at the Bird and Bee Farm has been working on it. He’s even obtained outside funding that is helping with fencing and future mulching.
New fencing, gate, and cleared trees
My friend Ann is the mastermind behind the project, but she can’t do most of the heavy work. She is the expert on birds, though.
The broken arm doesn’t help, either
I sat on a log out there for a long time and watched a little Downy Woodpecker digging a hole, maybe for a nest. Then I watched dung beetles rolling some poop quite industriously. I realized that this was A Good Place and that I’d like to help.
DiggingIt’s in the holeChecking the hole Rolling that dungMy inspiration
So, I told Ann I’d be the chronicler of the project. I’ll take pictures and record the bird species seen and heard there. I can blog about it on the Master Naturalist blog, too. I’m feeling brave for making a plan.
Logs mark the boundaries. They’ve already run water out here, too!
It will be a great reason to be outdoors in peace and quiet while contributing to something positive. And maybe I can take some cheese out there and have a comforting picnic.
Bonus piece of oddness. There’s a crawfish in our pool. It’s just going around eating stuff.
The Hermits' Rest 