Insect Sightings – Page 12 – The Hermits' Rest

Little Miss Forest Bather

I read a lot. Apparently what I read sinks into my being and comes out unbidden, making me think I have original ideas. Or maybe I repeat other people’s ideas unbidden.

All creativity borrows from others. Um, this is a Clouded Skipper with an interesting wing. It’s just here because it’s pretty.

Anyway, I laughed at myself a lot this evening at our Master Naturalist meeting. The speaker was a very nice woman with whom I can tell I have much in common. The second she saw me she complimented my shoes, for example (I do highly recommend Converse high tops with the comfort insole—mmm comfy).

Comfortable and cute as heck. I designed them.

Anyway, the speaker is an accredited leader in shinrin-ryoku or forest bathing, which is a formalized way of doing what I do every dang day. I’ve read about it a lot since it was developed in Japan and love the fact that they’ve done research that shows the positive effects of hanging out in nature with intent. You know, what makes intuitive sense to folks like me. But now there’s science!

Apache says his favorite part of the formal forest walks would be the tea ceremony afterward. He is preparing tea from dried dove weed leaves. He wouldn’t touch a living plant.

What tickled me was that as she talked, every time she was at a loss for words or needed help with a concept, I just blurted out helpful information. Wow, is all that information easily accessible in my brain. I was either quite helpful or annoying. But, the information she provided was in essence a more formalized distillation of what I yammer on and on about in this blog and on Facebook every day. So I knew her talk, just not her reference material. I just stood/sat there smiling to myself through the whole thing.

I just kept laughing at myself whenever she suggested a practice, like sitting for 20 minutes or so in one place every day and just absorbing your surroundings. Yup. I do that in what Lee calls my Birding Chair. Before the chair, I just stood up, in any weather, except rain. Little did I know, that chair is my Sit Spot and there’s a whole book on it. I should have asked my friend Ann, who also does all this stuff but DID read the books.

Me and Ann being silly after the presentation.

I feel quite au courant with all my woodland wanderings and spot sitting. However, my urge to identify things as a naturalist means many of my walks aren’t forest bathing at all. But that’s okay with me. The Shinto/Zen side of me can coexist with my inner taxonomist. It all keeps me centered and happier.

If I were into more structured events, I’d consider taking the training to be one of the guides in this discipline. It must be very rewarding to see people experience nature washing over them for the first time. It can be so healing, and we all need that!

For further reading (I have permission to share)

Self-care-a-rama

Worrying about my sick dogs won’t help, so after getting them both to eat their medicine (Harvey eats anything and Goldie finally ate hers with chicken breast), I figured I’d better work on my own well being.

Work was a good distraction, especially if you enjoy rolling reorganizations. But I really leaned into (ooh, I finally used “lean in” on purpose) making a comfortable environment for myself. I haven’t been able to swim due to being on antibiotics and wanting to stay out of the sun, but I worked on making the pool area better by getting rid of two volunteer trees and more annoying nutsedge and spotted spurge. It was too windy to use herbicide, and besides, it doesn’t work on sedges.

The biggest improvement I made was to set up my outdoor workstation where I can keep my laptop and phone charged. My household member got us a bartered table with two chairs that’s perfect for my needs. The chairs are comfy and easy to clean.

Lee helped me get it perfectly in the middle of the back porch, where it’s always shady and there’s usually a pleasant breeze. It will get more sun in winter, I hope. At least I’ll be able to use it in three seasons.

Watching horses, birds, and cattle are really soothing for me and keep me centered. I’ll need that for the foreseeable future.

Apache points out that petting him is self care

Self care also means looking around and enjoying life around me. That was helped by discovering this beautiful new (to me) butterfly, the Common Mestra (Mestra amymone). It’s pretty on both sides. I got to watch it feeding on frog fruit for quite some time. I just found out from my friend Linda Jo that this butterfly hasn’t been recorded on iNaturalist since 2016!

There were also the usual flowers, fungi, and insects. I’m so glad there’s always something new.

One kind of self care I engaged in was getting the heck out of a potentially dangerous situation. I went to pick up a package from by the front gate, and heard a droning noise. Oh my gosh, it was another swarm of bees, only these weren’t all massed together. They were everywhere. I couldn’t tell what kind of bees they were nor if they were angry. I left after taking this picture. Zoom in and you’ll see all the insects!

Maybe Lee disturbed them when he mowed the roadside.

I also tried to take a nice walk in the woods to see the pond on the other side of the fence, but tiny and zippy mosquitoes chased me off. I understand why the cow that was glaring at me went swimming.

Between all the outdoor pampering and some great conversations with friends, I’m not too bad. At least the Covid symptoms are about gone.

Still Droopy

I’m still feeling worn out so I’ll just share some pretty and cute photos for the day and share weighty matters tomorrow. The cutest thing I saw today was this gorgeous new calf. It’s seal brown or gray.

Its mama loves it a lot. It has a tiny Snow White buddy. I hope they stay in the pasture behind us for a while.

I enjoyed the birds a lot, even the Loggerhead Shrikes, who are the current loud birds in the group. There was also a persistent Blue Grosbeak, so I’ve got that sound down now.

The late summer flowers are ramping up. I’m just waiting for the asters. And my traveling trick worked: it’s not so hot now and it’s raining!

The horses were happy to get their food and supplements today, too. And that’s enough for this worn out nature lover.

Small Packing Triumph

I had a relaxing day of laundry, packing, and watching the Paralympic Games. I really enjoyed wheelchair rugby and was thrilled when a Gold Medalist in swimming said she went off to breastfeed her baby before the medal ceremony. How admirable!

I’m happy to say I managed to get all my stuff in my luggage. It’s mostly knitting I think. Silly me. I did get a few more clothes but that’s about it. I just have so many more medications now…prescription and over the counter. I hope they fit in the carryon bag. The other good news is that I have seats way in the front so I know I’ll be able to get it in the overhead bin.

I am not fond of modern air travel.

I did get a final walk around the area in. I didn’t want to go into town because of crowds. I don’t want to get sick again though I guess I have some immunity. One thing is for sure, I’m not all better. It’s still hard going uphill or fast. I did enjoy the birds, squirrels, and flowers, though. The alpine wildflowers were just gorgeous, even though fading now.

A couple of squirrels got all in my face for intruding on their meteorological autumn nut gathering. Such varied types of chattering! I’ll miss the Fremont’s squirrels the most, though the incredibly tiny chipmunks are a strong second.

I have a tie for favorite bird. Both the Mountain Chickadees and the Pygmy Nuthatches were extra friendly and entertaining. They really are masters of the spruce trees.

Wish me luck tomorrow. More germ-filled crowded spaces. Wake me up at 4am!

Going Up and Finding Mountain Wonders

Cathy and I declared ourselves better, though I think she was more healed than me. Nonetheless I agreed to go over to Keystone, where they were celebrating Oktoberfest rather early. What’s a trip out of state without some lederhosen and oompah music?

We had a hard time getting from my condo to the Dillon/Keystone area, because it’s a holiday weekend and the gas stations were full. The one where we finally got gas had a big convoy of huge trucks towing big off-road vehicles. There were at least six of them at a small gas station. Most had Mexican license plates. Serious off-roaders!

We finally got to the resort area and plowed through the exhibits (luckily we were early and it wasn’t rocking too hard). Then we went up! The Keystone gondola goes way up. It’s fun watching mountain bikers snaking down below us.

The views at the top of the ski area were amazing. I can see why Cathy likes to ski here so much. The weather was beautiful, too, neither hot nor cold. And it wasn’t too windy.

The views of other ski resorts from Keystone.

I determined I was healthy enough to embark, so we headed out on the hiking trail, which I vowed to take slowly, and I did. It was a spectacular trail through huge trees with lots of vistas peaking through.

I enjoyed lots of the usual mountain birds, but there was one I’d never seen before. It was a big, solid gray bird with white along its tail. I couldn’t get really close to it or its friends, but I did manage to get clear enough photos that both Merlin and iNaturalist were able to ID them as a bird I’d never heard of: a Canada Jay. Yes, they live here and are birds of high mountains. I think the map of where they are found is interesting.

We rested and looked around the scenic overlook for a while and enjoyed chipmunks and scary ski slope entrances. People hike up here then ski down. It’s not my idea of a good time. Walking is good. In summer.

The walk back down was through some of the prettiest woodlands I ever saw. The wildflowers were almost done, but I found a couple of new ones.

As we headed back to the end of the trail I got tired and had to stop to breathe a lot. The only thing that motivated me was the fact that Cathy found a marmot, which we’d been looking for all day, at the top of the hill. Up up I went and I got my marmot sighting!

We made it back down on the gondola and wound our way past the German fun. We then went to Cathy and Ken’s house so I could meet Aspen the grand-dog. She is a real cutie, full of love and energy. Aspen joined us for a patio Mexican dinner and was very good. My carnitas were incredible, not like the ones at home. It was basically a delicious roast pork.

That was a long and fun day, and I’m glad I was able to relax and watch college football this evening. Tomorrow I have to get ready to leave. Oh boy, laundry and packing.

I’m Gonna Live!

It looks like I am not going to have to deal with Covid too much longer. Today I was still a bit congested and had a delicate tummy. The Pedialyte seems to have helped a lot.

This little dude was spinning that pine cone like a top.

I did have enough energy to go outside and breathe some nice fresh mountain air. I walked really slowly and enjoyed the flowers, both wild and cultivated.

There were plenty of birds to see and hear, too. Plus I found where moose had slept, which was cool.

Luckily, I found a few trails that weren’t full of people and were nice and quiet. One went gently up and up in an area I hadn’t walked before. I stopped often to look around and rest. the trail started narrow and got wider. It was so quiet.

Soon enough I found the familiar service road that leads to the horse ranch and found my way back. I wasn’t even tired and was able to complete my work for the day!

I took lots of photos of the mountains so I could remember them after I go home. It’s so pretty and the weather has been so pleasant here. I’ve had a good time despite the illness.

I guess so many Texans come here that they need the sign?

Maybe I can do stuff the next couple of days. It sure felt good to have cheerful feelings after a long week.

I even had energy to do my nails very bright, Heat Wave.

I Found Help Online

What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?

An easy one! The last thing I looked for was the tele-health service for my insurance. I rarely use such things, so I can’t remember their names.

Once I found it, I already had a login, so it was easy to get in queue and talk online to someone. I’ve done it twice now, and was very happy to give a $20 copay. Certainly, it was better than trying to get to an ER or urgent care in an unfamiliar location.

Yay, flowers. I can’t smell very well but I can see colors.

I don’t have many nature stories today. I only went on one short walk, where I didn’t run into anyone. It was nice to breathe fresh air. I also sat on the balcony some.

Much of the day I worked, but I fell asleep twice. The Paxlovid is helping, but it sure leaves a weird iron taste in your mouth. It also gave me strange dreams like where I kept finding really cool animals and birds, but couldn’t make my phone take pictures (because it needed film, lol). I remember the cutest bats with round smiling faces, and teeny tiny hummingbirds swarming around. Wherever I was had lots of wildlife! Thanks, brain.

I did get checked on by various friends and family members, so I didn’t feel lonely. I’m hoping my Covid symptoms are much better tomorrow. Lots of work is ahead and I’d sorta like to have some fun!

Too Sick to Be Excited

Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.

This has never happened to me. I don’t get sick often, but after sneezing and blowing my nose all day yesterday and thinking I had allergies, I realized I was actually ill during the night when I got that “feeling” you get when a virus has attacked. Argh. Being sick all alone away from home is pretty awful!

So rather than a nice hike, I took the condo van to the grocery store/drug store and got allergy tablets, cold/flu medicine and a Covid test. Plus fruit. That’s good for you. Thankfully, the Covid test was negative. I’ll do another one tomorrow.

I managed to work on a project, then dragged myself to the French bakery, because I was feeling sorry for myself. I got big ole croissants.

After napping, the DayQuil kicked in, and I went for a gentle, slow walk down some minor ski paths.

Nothing but beauty (and few loud vehicles)

It made me feel a bit better, but after that, I could do nothing but easy blogging and staring at Cesar Milan, who needs to come over and make our dogs calm and quiet.

Okay, I’ve gone far enough down the post to tell you the last thing that made me excited. It was Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. Even Anderson Cooper said it was the best speech he ever heard.

I was very excited by certain messages I heard at that convention. I liked that speakers encouraged us to all listen to each other, and that Harris promised to be President for all Americans. That was refreshing. There was some pointed comments, but there wasn’t name-calling, meanness, or blatant lying (I’m aware that both sides exaggerate).

We shall see what happens. In the meantime, remember our wild friends.

So yeah, I got excited and feel slightly less despondent about the future.

My Rest Day

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.

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.

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.

At the condo I crashed and listened to a lot of speeches. It’s all good, but I’m tired.

What a Sap

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

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!

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.

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.

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.