It's Better, But...

 

"Birds know themselves not to be the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone's horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much."

~Gregory Maguire

Out Of Oz

 

It's Better, But...

 

I had to pick up a prescription the other day, and because I am a very lucky woman, Alan offered to get it for me, while I waited in the car. Fortunately, I  had my camera with me, which meant I got to play with a group of Cedar Waxwings floating just above my head. Cedar Waxwings travel in communities. This particular community had about 12 or so, which means there was a pretty good chance I would be hit by a bird bomb, or at least one of those juicy berries the birds were getting drunk on. That is the blessing and curse of owning a car with a sunroof, but I happily chanced it, and to my delight, they didn't hit me, or the interior of Bridget, once. The outside got some poop, but the only thing that made it's way inside the car was the berries that fell off the branch as they ate. I had the same trouble getting the wingtips and tails, but look how pretty they look in the sunshine! The photos are better than the last time I tried to photograph them, but practice will make perfect.

It's Better, But...

 

Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?

 

 

No cold, Flu or Covid-19 so far. Yep, you read that right, our most recent Covid-19 home test is negative, so could 2022 be the year that breaks the spell? Will this be, the first time since moving to the San Joaquin Valley, that Alan and I aren't sick on Christmas? To be clear, we have both been sick on Christmas in other years, but not with the consistency we have experienced since moving here. We have been sick, EVERY... SINGLE... YEAR since 2015! Life is an adventure, but last year was a little more than an adventure, and I would rather not repeat it. Sometimes it feels like Covid-19 is just waiting in the wings, like with the original Omicron, which was basically unavoidable. Shrug. The numbers are climbing here again. They are climbing everywhere, because folks are dumb as dirt, and don't take it seriously. Sigh. If you look at the stats, things are definitely better than last year, but, there is even more room to improve, and the problem is, I can do my part, but if the guy at the store next to me isn't, I am sunk. I guess that is pretty much true about most situations in life. 

Sigh. I guess the best we can hope for at this point it is,

 

 IT'S BETTER, BUT... .

 

 ~Me

Green-winged Teal

 

"Birds were created to record everything. They were not designed just to be beautiful jewels in the sky, but to serve as the eyes of heaven."

 

~Suzy Kassem

Rise Up and Salute The Sun: The Writings Of Suzy Kassem

 

Click To Enlarge
 

I was delighted to see a fairly large paddling of ducks at the Cosumnes River, the other day, and not just any duck, it was the small, yet mighty, Green-winged Teal. I had seen some in the waters off Desmond road, but at the Cosumnes River visitor's Center, I was able to walk right up to the waters edge. The Teal were being quite accommodating, in fact they were perfect little models! I wish all birds were that easy to photograph. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the Bullock's Oriole are probably the most difficult for me to photograph, both are even more difficult than the Cedar Waxwings, which have given me more than one headache while trying to get a photo. With the waxwings, it's the difficulty of getting a photo of the bird with it's wing and tail tips featured. It is universally believed that waxwings hide those special markings on purpose.LOL. They don't, of course, but it does seem at times that birds have a plot to make the photographer work as hard as possible to archive a photo good enough to enter the Audubon photo contest. I am not sure if I have ever gotten a photo good enough to win, but I might try to enter the contest next year anyway, just for the experience of it. Shrug. We'll see. Right now, I am just focused on Christmas, and New Year's, although, birds are always a welcome distraction.

 

 

 Tomorrow... the Cedar Waxwings

~Me

 

The Last Of The Leaves...

 

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

 

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

It's the longest and saddest day of the year. Autumn is gone again, and with it goes my heart, head, and pure existence. Winter is here, barely. It's warm and sunny, which has never been my favorite conditions for winter, as I like to celebrate dark days, with calm dark feelings of contentment. I love winter, but not when it delivers spring way before it's time, and that's exactly what the heat of an autumn day does. I haven't posted much lately, not even my leaf portraits, because sometimes life gets busy and sometimes a little sad, but that's life I guess. So sorry to be cryptic, but I know what I mean, my thoughts make sense to me, and that's who this blog is for, me. If you wanna know, just ask, and we will talk.

 

Anyway...

 

Getting caught up on my lovely leaves and birds, so off we go. Nothing sad here, just beauty in the world.

 

The last of the leaves...

 

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Tomorrow, it's all about the birds, and what both my bird and leaf projects will look like next year! I can't wait!

~Me