2025

Happy Happy New Year!!

In the past, I have traditionally done a huge Review and Revise post for the first of the year. But the last few years, it's been too much work to complete. So I'm just going to keep this post simple!

2025 is going to be a hard and heartbreaking year. Felon 45 (traitor. rapist.) will take office and he will destroy everything that is good about America. I am part of the resistance, so I need my personal life to be calm and comfortable.

To make that happen, I want to do a major overhaul here at home. Declutter and Clean. With the book, Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess motivating me to move along!

I hate cleaning with all my being. And it's kind of a disaster around here. I would be embarrassed for my Mom to see this. So I'm going to tidy!

My specific goal is to do three 10-5 sessions every week. The book advocates for 20-10s... 20 minutes of work and a 10 minute reward. But twenty minutes is too long for me, I would never even start! Ten minutes of work seems more doable.

Beyond that, I will need to buy a car this year. And get a job. blah.

Last year I worked hard to catch up my reading journal... I want to continue that, of course. But I also want to get back to typing book reviews on AR. Posting reviews helps me remember what the book is about and makes it easier to find books I've already read.

We'll see how that goes... I'm just home from traveling most of December, and I'm not back to my normal yet. So this post is Subject to Change! :)

Happy New Year!

Again, didn't sleep well last night. That's okay, I'm ready to get the New Year going!

First thing, I'm thrilled to see Mr Unnamed, our Western Grey Squirrel neighbor, bouncing around on the sidewalk in front of the apartment! So happy to start the New Year with him, even if he's too early for photography!

And the weather is much nicer for the walk today... 45° (7°C) and it's misting. Sounds about perfect!

Very Dreary. It's nice... but Too dreary for bird photography!

That's a female Flicker.

Henrietta!

He's busy, but it's so wonderful to meet up with all the wildlife I've named! *laughs*

Oh! Here's someone new... behind the Mallard is a non-cooperating Pied Bill Grebe!!

Our Grebes are super cute, but my goodness they look weird without a tail. Yep, that's normal!

Cute... even when blurry!

Yesterday I was congratulating myself for not getting sick during my December travels. I almost always get sick, but thought I had escaped it this time.

But I woke up with a headache. I thought some fresh air would help. I thought getting a good lunch would help. I thought eating a vitamin would help.

Instead, I started coughing and the headache got worse and my joints are all vaguely achy.

Sighs.

Well. When I thought the fresh air would help, I did go for a walk! It's warm, 48° (9°C) and pouring down rain, no wind.

It's rained enough that the creek is flooding the bike path under the bridges.

I have to go up to the road to get past the bridge, and I decide to walk thru the neighborhood instead of getting back on the bike path.

Rock Doves!

I love how individual their colouration is! Some are darker, the spots and bars across their wings are all different, some have no spots, some are a warmer shade of grey!

If you got to see the same flock every day, you would easily be able to tell everyone apart. You would be able to get to know them as individuals!

I'm a little bummed that I only rarely get to see Rock Doves and I don't get to know them.

There was a person coming up behind me, and I got nervous... but I had to try to get a pic of this lovely Pigeon...

I wonder if leucism is more prevalent in Rock Doves?

On the way home...

Solar Baby!

*laughs* Everyone looks a bit scraggly from the rain.

I manage to do halfway normal things for the rest of the day. I've got a lot of catching up to do, after all, with being gone for most of December.

But when I start coughing... ugh, hard dry coughing... and the headache is getting worse, and feeling ever more blah. I'm sick.

Fever, most all night. Major coughing attacks. Miserable.

I'm so miserable, and with the fever, I'm pretty sure it's break-thru covid. I've got some weird symptoms, too. So there's no doubt.

Glad I got vaxed before the December travels.

I am so tired of the constant coughing attacks.

Partner had mentioned that he got us some throat spray, Chloraseptic. I am not a huge fan of trying new medicines, due to my propensity for side-effects. But I've been coughing sooo much, I just need a break.

Partner says he sprays about 10 times, and gargles.

Uh huh. I read the directions. You spray once, let it sit in your throat for 15seconds, then spit it out. It's good for two hours, (is that all? jeez.) and you shouldn't use it for more than two days. Which begs the question: why do they sell such a big bottle if you can only use it for two days? There's probably thousands of doses in this bottle. I know I have some brain fog, but this does not compute at all!

Okay. Anyway. Focus.

I sprayed. And I spit it out immediately! And walked away!

Gah, that stuff is gross!

But the next time I did it correctly.

I didn't cough for 25mins.

Which would have been nice. Except I couldn't get to sleep during that time, which is all I really wanted. Side Effect? Probably.

And then the cough came back with a vengeance.

So that was a major disappointment. But at least that one actually does something...

Let me take a little tangent here to chat about another one of the many reasons why I hate cold medicines and how the FDA failed us.

When pseudoephedrine (the good Sudafed) started being abused, they put it behind the counter, or in my state they made it prescription only. Phenylephrine replaced it in most cold medicines.

Trouble is phenyleprhrine doesn't actually work. On top of that, it gives me a headache. That side-effect thing, you know.

Studies were done, repeatedly, and at the end of 2023, there was some news about this stupid worthless stuff. And how the FDA knew but did _nothing_ about it for decades.

∞ How Two Pharmacists Figured Out That Decongestants Don't Work A loophole in FDA processes means older drugs such as those in oral decongestants weren't properly tested. Here's how we learned the most popular one [phenyleprhrine] doesn't work.

So, thanks for two decades of headaches, FDA.

The thing is. With Felon 45 (Traitor. Rapist.) loading up all his political appointments with evil, stuff like the above is going to proliferate and become commonplace.

All of these appointments want government to come crashing down and they will wreak as much havoc as they can. It'll be chaos on every front.

It's terrifying. It's going to result in more than just two decades of headaches, that's for sure. And Republicans don't care about how many people die because of their actions... they've already got lots of practice killing pregnant people in red states, post-Roe.

Still very sick.

My Mom and Brother are sick too... *Wails* I don't want them to be sick!

They both had covid tests that are less expired than mine, and they both tested positive.

There were a couple hours, yesterday evening, where the coughing calmed down a good bit. And I was finally able to get some better sleep as well!

Thank goodness! I still don't have my energy back. But being less miserable is a big win.

I'm at the same level of unwellness as yesterday... Headache, occasional cough, lack of energy.

And I'm really getting frustrated. I've been sick for a week now. And yes, I'm better... I'm definitely better!

But I have so much to do. And no energy to do it.

Wai!

Sick of being sick.

So I am going to do some chores and get some stuff done... even if it kills me!

It was raining when I woke this morning... and I woke up WITHOUT a headache!!

Yay! I feel stronger! I did some exercises!

And I coughed. but that's okay because I have some energy!

When I was the sickest, last Friday thru Monday, it was raining day and night. That was the only nice thing... that I could lay there, when I wasn't coughing, and listen to the beautiful rain coming down.

I am so happy to get outside today... first time in a week. But I realized how much energy I really don't have! Every step is a slog. But I kept going. Nature is healing.

I'm putting a lot of energy into just moving my feet forward. But somehow I do take a couple photos along the way!

And in the afternoon, I crashed and took a long nap.

I'm walking again today. But I am so tired. It makes me tired just to put my shoes on!

But I head out.

There was a single frog singing, as I walked by the back of Gudu-Kut park.

He's probably lonely. I wish our frogs could thrive here, but they mostly just disappear.

I love the sky today.

I come across a hummingbird, but she's not interested in photography!

I think she's going for bugs in the spruce tree!

I slept hard last night and I'm feeling a little better this morning. I jumped into my morning projects with enthusiasm!

Putting on my shoes didn't exhaust me! I walked about a block before the exhaustion hit. But, yep, I kept going!

Takin' a nap.

um. yeah. I could just lie down myself. Yep, right here on the sidewalk. Tho the Nutria's little place in the grass looks a lot more comfortable than concrete!

I get home, and I get thru the day.

The covid symptoms have been more like a bad cold, now... Stuffed up and runny nose, I still have the hard cough, tho I don't have to cough constantly like I did last week.

But if I could just get my energy back. I am just so tired. Like in my bones, you know?

It's been six weeks since I've visited the Community Garden and I'm curious about what's going on there!

Hooded Mergansers are winter visitors at the creek.

He and his girlfriend are shy and hide behind a bush.

I get to the garden.

And look how happy the Fava is, in my plot!!

That's great! Maybe I'll be able to gather some Fava beans in the spring. It would be nice to get some fresh ones for re-planting!

Most of the Fava is pretty moth eaten. Which is fine... I'm happy to feed the bugs! Some Favas are better off, tho!

And the volunteer Elephant Garlics are growing nicely. Nothing ever disturbs them, they grow thru it all!

The Leeks are... still hanging on. They were at the end of the Tofu Patch, and didn't grow very big last year because the dirt there is stunting most everyone's growth.

I don't know. Maybe I should just pull them up and make soup. They are ridiculously small tho, prob not even ¾ inch wide! Sighs.

Someone's Calendulas are still blooming!

The splash of cheerful colour is a welcome sight!

I am still sniffly and coughing, but maybe less exhausted today? When I get home, in the afternoon I get so, so cold. I am so tired of being cold all the time, so I crank up the heat in my room!

ha, does it help? I guess. I just want to be better.

Major setback today with covid symptoms!

I got up this morning with a little bit of good energy.

But heading out for my walk... it was 36° (2°C) and I was just uncomfortably cold, even with all my layers.

*laughs* when I found this...

The Ducks are the local college football team.

And a blurry but cute Yellow Rump Warbler.

She's a female and with no trace of yellow on her throat, so she's of the eastern, Myrtle race.

I walked a little further... But I was done!

I went home. Ate lunch half-heartedly.

But I just can't do this life thing anymore!! I'm exhausted and I'm cold all the time and miserable with the continuing coughing. and I crashed for a two hour nap.

And my gosh I had serious trouble getting up when I woke up. UGH!

But eventually I got vertical. But I'm just surfing the internets and goofing off for the rest of the evening.

And catching up with some of my blogs...

∞ Julie Zickefoose: A Spark Bird for Liam

This blog post just delighted me! It's Julie's story about her adult son Liam identifying a duck. *laughs* It seems silly but enthusiasm for birds just comes thru Julie's writing so clearly!

And she talks about the cover of The New Birder's Guide. ... Which is a book I don't have for some reason!

What a Interesting walk today!

This pair of Hooded Mergansers again!

I'm walking a bit further today, and approaching the back of the Events Center... Oh My Gosh.

They've removed the Fallen and Dead Leaning Tree.

oh. oh, I am so sad.

But the Leaning Tree has been dead for a year. All three trunks had fallen over in the ice storm last January. It was obvious the north and south trunks had separated from their roots. They cut those down but left the west trunk.

It made a few small leaves in the spring, but it was just leftover life. They shriveled and dried up and now we knew this trunk was separated from it's roots as well.

We've had a long time to mourn. But it's still a sad thing to not see the Leaning Tree anymore.

Sighs.

The Cackling Geese are here... I was looking for the one with leucism on her neck, and I didn't see her at the time. But back at home, looking carefully at my photos...

haha! It's a Different Cackling Goose with leucism!!

There's a flock of Rock Doves hanging out here, too!

They are all so pretty, even on the dreariest day.

I'm heading back, and as I pass the Community Garden... Rudra, is that you?

It's NOT Rudra! This one notices me looking and flies away! Rudra was much more friendly and let me walk up really close to her.

hmm.

I'm passing a spot where a bunch of different sparrows like to hang out. And one of the Golden Crowns catches my eye...

Oh my gosh! She's got some leucism as well!

She's very nervous about being watched, which is understandable. I don't get many photos of her.

But how crazy to see all this leucism today!

Another cold day, it's 34° (1°C) as I leave the house today.

We've had an Air Stagnation thing going on this week, which has been extended thru Friday... In theory, that should bring a change in the weather, but it's never going to warm up! All the overnight low temperatures in the forecast are horrifying mid- and upper-20s! Ugh!

I'm walking past the Community Garden, and I see this one again.

And again, he flies away as soon as he notices me looking at him. Shy.

Hi Henrietta! Always nice to run into you!

This is a crappy photo of a Robin... but all the tiny twigs look interesting!

*laughs* My friend the Belted Kingfisher rarely sits for any photography...

She's been flying back and forth along the creek, as she does every winter. I saw her yesterday as well.

Usually she laughs at me as she goes by, but she's quiet this time and I just notice her flash of blue.

Still overly cold, and still more of the same in the forecast. I'm still cranking the heat at home, and I'm still being grumpy about being cold all the time.

And the covid symptoms continue, coughing and sniffling and the energy isn't really there. And I'm grumpy about that as well.

Bah.

But at least I have enough energy for a bit of a walk every day. It gets me out of the house... and into nature for a little while!

*laughs* Camera can't quite figure it out today!

It's started misting and I'm back to the overly Blurry Bird pics!

This morning's clouds seem to be breaking up, but it hasn't warmed up by the time I left the house. It's still just 36° (2°C) and a bit of wind.

But this one makes me so happy!

He sits for me and tries to show off his colours a little!

What a sweetheart!

Is this the third time I've seen this Hooded Merganser pair?

It would be nice to give them names! They will leave in the spring, but if they're going to let me take pics of them in the meantime... hm. I will have to think up a good pair of names.

And of course, my friend the Belted Kingfisher has been flying back and forth today.

She sees me... but sits for an extra couple seconds!!

Aw! Thank You Dear Heart!

I keep going, pretty impressed by my photo opportunities today. But I can feel the covid exhaustion creeping up on me again. Sighs.

Back at home, I try to counteract the tiredness with some art!

In the past I've done daily art on ATC sized cards, and I pull one out to make a swirl. I got some refill inks for my copic markers for christmas, and it's good to use those colours again!

I'm happy with my art, and wonder if I can return to doing art every day.

But in the evening, my Brother has sent an email saying that Mom and Dad are at the ER because Mom fell over and broke her arm and maybe wrist.

*Wails*

∞ Trump's border czar says immigration raids will begin next week, including in Chicago

If mass deportations actually happen, it will rip out the heart and soul of America.

We will all get to watch as the human rights violations turn the US into Nazi Germany.

I am afraid. And this is just one thing I am afraid of.

Because they will not be rounding up very many violent criminals, if any... They'll be rounding up just regular people who are trying to live their lives. And you know that they'll be deporting American citizens as well.

You KNOW they will.

Hello? aw, nutz! No respect for the camera! *laughs*

Well, at least some people will look at the camera!

And some people just won't.

I zig zag thru the neighborhoods on the way home. Gudu-Kut has some good puddles for the frogs! But I don't hear any singing today.

∞ Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president and feminist activist, has died
Richards died Monday of an aggressive brain cancer. She was 67.

Oh no.

I very much admired Cecile Richards, she was absolutely a hero.

I loved her book. and I was actually disappointed when she left Planned Parenthood. She had done such good work there as the president, and I felt like she had more to do there! She had other things to do...

Now we've lost her entirely.

Condolences to Cecile Richards family.

Rest in Power.

∞ Everything We Could
A few words on Cecile Richards

There was some serious frost this morning when I got up and 25° (-4°C). ugh. And I'm coughing, coughing, and clearing my throat a lot, again. ugh some more.

And when I found out that Cecile Richards had died, sighs. I am just really down.

So it's nice to be greeted by a furry neighbor, right out the door.

It's warmed up to 34° (1°C) and the sun will bring us up to 44° (6°C) this afternoon. But right now there's still frost in the shadows, and there's some ice on the wet prairie puddles!

Oop! Haha. But look at the cute Alder catkins and tiny cones!!

The little group of Lesser Goldfinches are eating the seeds out of the Alder cones!

On the way home, I come across this cute little Bewick Wren.

He's talking up a storm in this patch of Blackberries!

Happy that I'm encountering so many cute birds today!

And a little bit further on, my Kingfisher friend deems me worthy for another chance at photography.

I've been thinking about her.

She hasn't been laughing like she usually does when she flies by on her patrol up and down the creek. And I am pretty sure I've only seen her...

Where is her boyfriend??? Did he die? Aw. I am sad for her.

What will happen? Will she find someone new this spring? Will she lose her territory, if she's flying so quietly and not announcing it?

Sighs.

I am fighting the covid weariness again today... Just dragging.

I head out for a walk, but I'm putting most of my bandwidth into keeping my legs moving and I'm not looking around at nature.

But a couple people in fur and feathers manage to catch my attention!

And my friend, the sad Kingfisher without her boyfriend, is still flying by quietly.

Yesterday I purposefully avoided all the news about the inauguration of that traitor and rapist.

The ignorance was bliss!

Today, I barely skimmed a few articles. Because maybe I want to keep my ignorance.

But this got thru...

∞ Trump Pretends He Banned Birthright Citizenship. You Gonna Go Along With That?

So much for that silly oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

I'd assume that all those other dictatorial decrees are unconstitutional and unlawful and probably generally unworkable. He doesn't care. All he wants to do is make chaos. fucking moron.

And, let's see, what else?

Oh hey. We've got some anti-trans bigotry wrapped up in some heavy misogyny.

All of this hate will only lead to emboldened violence. But it's what the Maga-hats wanted. They want hate. That's what they voted for. Did they understand that our democracy would come crashing down as well?

I'll be standing up for love. We need to protect our neighbors and friends as best we can.

Clearing my throat a lot today. And honestly I wish I was coughing instead. It just feels like there's a big gob of guck in the back of my throat (sorry, tmi I know) and nothing helps and I just keep trying to clear my throat for an abnormal amount of time!

And I'm really noticing the brain fog today as well. I just can't keep a thought in my head. SIGHS.

I head out, hoping some fresh air and nature time will help my respiratory system AND my poor brain.

Right outside the Community Garden... is this the new shy Red Shoulder?

He lets me get a little closer... Wow, are you getting used to me?

But then sure enough, he flies away! *laughs* oh well.

And then the usual pair of Hooded Mergansers.

I still haven't picked out names for them.

This Flicker was bouncing around in the tree too quickly for me to get a decent picture of her. foo.

Hi Henrietta!

Back at home... I ran out of energy and went down for a nap.

It is just beyond frustrating that I'm not well yet. It's been weeks!

Ugh, it's another not great day, and I'm feeling the covid exhaustion acutely.

But I stubbornly go out for my walk!

The whole time I wasn't sure if I could make it and kept thinking about turning around and going home.

But I'd see someone to take pictures of... and that would revive me for a few more minutes!

For once, the Merganser Pair is close enough to get them both in the same frame. Aren't they sweet with their naps!

... huh. Look at their tails! When they paddle, their tails are always spread out in the water. Interesting!

And across from the Community Garden, this little Nutria makes me laugh!

She's literally just floating down stream, with her bit of grass! haha!

There's another small one over here... I think they are siblings and there's three all together, altho I don't see the third one today.

The first Nutria paddles back up stream and finds her own rock to stand on in the water.

And then I encounter a family of Crows!

They are watching over a kid goofing off in the water!

I get home exhausted, altho I'm not any more tired than when I started today's walk.

And my appetite is weird... I feel like I need to re-fuel to combat the tiredness, but nothing tastes good and nothing is satisfying anyway.

So tired of this! Covid Be Gone!

Okay! I am coughing and clearing my throat a lot again today... That kind of comes and goes, less one day and then more the next. Annoying.

But I feel like I have more energy today!

Unfortunately, energy is the same way: It comes and goes. So I have to enjoy it while I've got it!

I am heading to the garden with kitchen scraps to throw on our plot for compost. I haven't been able to do this lately and my backpack has a comfortable weight to it.

As I get to the Community Garden, a flash of red catches my eye...

Um. He's a Finch... but House Finches are more of a red-orange, and this guy is decidedly raspberry red! Could he be a Purple Finch?

Oh my gosh! I think he's a Cassin Finch!!

No streaks on his underparts! Unfortunately you can't quite see his peaked crown at this angle. But I'm pretty sure. Compare Cassin Finch!

He's a bit outside of his normal range. And I'm a bit bummed because I didn't get many photos. ha. Oh Well.

I go into the garden and... oh foo. The below freezing nights lately, have made the Fava droopy!

The big Strawberry plant is still okay, tho!

And the smaller Favas are undamaged from the cold.

I rake aside some leaves and dump the kitchen scraps and cover them well. With all the rain we get, it won't take long for them to decompose... in the Spring, I might see a couple avocado pits, but that's about it!

I wander thru the Community Garden, looking at the other plots.

I have serious concerns about this plot...

This is the plot that is full of Lesser Celandine, a terrible invasive plant in our area.

There were three men working on this plot yesterday... the Lesser Celandine was absolutely LUSH under the blue tarp. The men were hoeing with a lot of energy, but that's NOT going to kill the plants. Lesser Celandine has tiny little root balls, you basically have to haul all the dirt away! Just killing the aboveground part of the plant isn't going to do a single thing!

And then, WHY didn't they put the tarp back on? This is just going to be a disaster as the Celandine comes back!

Sighs. Dumb Humans. I move on.

There's still some Calendula blooms at out little pollinator garden, but they're looking pretty rough.

There's a garden plot at the front, that has a little greenhouse built on it, and I check it out.

Cacti! That's fun!

Over the Cacti is an Olive Tree? Interesting. And on the right is Strawberry plants.

This is a very developed plot, several raised beds and well taken care of. But we aren't allowed to have trees.

Or at least, that's what the rules say. Of course, they ignore the rules for certain people. The powers that be LOVE raised beds and give those plots lots of extra leeway with the rules.

Grass in the pathways is fine if you have raised beds. Not fine if you are me! And now, apparently, trees are fine if you have raised beds.

This is why I've gone subversive here. The Community Garden Director has really turned on the bull shit in the last year or so and I'll be quietly undermining their authority!

As I leave the Garden, this one has flown in!

Not Rudra. It's the shy one again!

Of course, he flew as I moved closer. But he didn't go far.

I've seen him enough times now to name him. I go thru a few names in my head, before landing on Sir Shy. :)

My Mom had surgery today to put a plate in her poor broken arm.

When she fell, last Saturday, she had broken both the ulna and the radius, the wrist bones were fine. They determined that healing time would be faster if she had surgery.

The surgery went fine. They had given her a nerve block, which lasted the rest of the day, but not into the evening. And then she's got the good drugs.

And my good energy has lasted the entire day! Maybe I'm starting to come back to life!!

I woke up with good motivation this morning, but by the time I go out for my walk, the energy has fallen off.

And it got cold last night... It's 36° when I leave the house but there's still frost in the shadows.

Brr! And a Cold Weather Advisory tonight, forecast low is for 25° (-4°C). UGH!

Haha!

And there's another Nutria still in the grass at the left.

But she decides to go back to the creek as well. Ha, those big ol' feet are great for swimming, they've got webbed toes. But it must be like walking with scuba flippers! So Cute!

There's some House Finches, but I'm not taking good photos today.

I think the female House Finch is trying to tell me something, but I'm terrible at Charades!

And here's a Yellow Rump Warbler who has interesting shadows!

Back at home I am really lamenting my lack of energy.

Partner says Don't mope! And I try not to, but it's so frustrating to get a bit of energy one day and think the covid is clearing up... only to have no energy the next day. So Frustrating.

I'm back to coughing a lot today. Which is def better than the throat clearing stuff!

Unfortunately, I had pulled a rib muscle a while ago, it was getting better but I've re-injured it... Last night I was sleeping in a weird position, and I woke up suddenly with the coughing. I wasn't awake enough to realize what I had done.

But now it is so painful to cough. And breathe. Worse, much worse than the original problem. GAH.

I get some pills for my walk.

But I'm having trouble caring about the photography.

It's got so cold last night, ice has formed in the shade at the edges of the creek.

Back at home, the pain from my re-injured rib muscle is so intense I decide to double up with pain pills. I had taken Ibuprofen, and now I add a Tylenol.

And just the frustration. I can't ever get a break, and I just want to cry.

Okay. Ambient rib pain from the muscle I pulled, is tolerable, tho moving rib pain is definitely not. I've sneezed once this morning and regretted it... and wished I could get a refund on my whole life. ha. But I'm not coughing or clearing my throat, today. thank goodness.

I'm gonna need pills to get thru the day, but I'll probably survive.

It's another very cold morning... it got down to 22° (-5°C) last night and looks like more of that is in the forecast. blah.

I am impressed by these bike drawings! Have you ever tried to draw a bike? *laughs*

Haha, the little Nutria is floating again!

And a bit further on, there's a bigger Nutria standing next to the bike path.

Aw, here's a pair of Steller Jays... one is guarding and this one is down in the water for a bath!

They are NOT sure about me, at first.

But they determine that I'm okay!

The droplets are catching rainbows!

And gonna dry off in the sun!

I'm coughing again today, which is so painful with the rib muscle I pulled. ugh. I tense up all my other muscles and try to cough with the least amount of chest movement I can. It doesn't really help, but ambient pain seems to be better, so it is healing.

I get pills and head out.

A blurry House Finch.

Pine Siskins... and What are we looking at?

It's fine, I don't need to worry about it? Okay!

A too bouncy Yellow Rump Warbler. This is the western race, called Audubon.

Canada Geese.

There's a little flock of Green Wing Teals here! But the bright sun makes photography difficult.

Ha! Another Yellow Rump Warbler! And this one is the eastern race, called Myrtle!

Oh my gosh! I see a bird flying with a flight path I don't recognize. They are too far away, and plus there's some homeless people here and I don't want to stop right in front of them!

Bird flies some more and lands in a tree above the path. Arg! I am still too close to the humans! Will the bird sit for a minute?

No. He flies away. aw. But then he lands!

A Kestrel!! Wow! I wish I had gotten a better photo, but that's how it goes sometimes!

Green Wing Teals and Mallards.

There's a couple Starlings in here, but these are mostly Brewer Blackbirds!

Just tryin' to take a damn nap here, ya'll! (But the friends are bouncing around the branches like it's party time!) Haha!

Hellllooo? Cute lil Junco?

The Golden Crown Sparrows are very cute today as well.

Ooop! ha, See Ya!

A little hard to read, even tho I fixed the colour...

It's time
for us as a
people to
Make a
Change

Ain't that the truth??

I have been making an effort to not read as much news. Ignorance is Strength, right! *Laughs* (1984 reference!)

um, bliss. Ignorance is bliss! :)

So. I've been reading a lot less than I usually do, and the bit of news I do read, I'm trying to ... keep some distance, you know? ... keep above the fray. Not get emotionally involved, to spare my mental health.

Because the traitor and rapist is just trying to create chaos. That's it, nothing more. And there's too much for a person to sort thru. And we will probably never recover from the chaos, and that's super depressing. So I need to step back.

But one thing in the news did get through: Elon Musk's Nazi Salute.

Whatever, right? We all know he's a white supremacist piece of shit from South Africa. He can be as Nazi as he wants. Because this is American and we have freedom of speech!

What I found interesting is how traditional news outlets reported it...

The Awkward Gesture.

*shakes head*

∞ Wonkette... Q: When Is A Nazi Salute Not A Nazi Salute?

Elon Musk Ignites Online Speculation Over the Meaning of a Hand Gesture is an actual headline at the NYTimes.

I just can't.

This is all kinds of ridiculous bullshit and an actual newspaper called a Nazi Salute a Hand Gesture. WTFH?

But I am instantly alerted to the Extreme Importance of ACTUAL Journalism. Where reporters with integrity tell us what's actually going on! Shout out to Wonkette, for sure!

And since that asshole Musk is our new co-president, I thought I would re-subscribe to Wired Magazine, as well.

I have been very interested in their political reporting, lately. But I click on their articles and they've got a paywall.

Arg. But what they are doing is so very important.

So. Very. Important.

Coughing, coughing and clearing the throat again today. Sighs. But I got thru last night without any pills for the pulled muscle across my ribs, so that's nice.

The last three nights, we've had a low of 20° (-6°C), Gah. It's just too cold. I don't like it.

But by the time I get moving, it's warmed up to 39°.

ha, my shadow, next to the sun!

I've noticed their vertical pupil before, and it's just so weird looking!

Vertical pupils help with depth perception... especially in low light conditions. Nutrias are crepuscular and nocturnal, tho they do come out during the day in winter.

I learned a bit from this web page: High Trails: Purpose of Pupils. Very Interesting!

I am coughing and clearing the throat, still this morning. And I've still got mild ambient pain from the pulled rib muscle, and painful spikes for moving wrong. But I've found a way to contort myself so it's not as painful to cough as it has been. So healing is happening.

And when I head out for my walk... it's pouring down rain!

And I have some energy! Like... Real Energy!

Like... maybe I'm recovering from the covid weariness?

I do not want to get my hopes up. The energy has gone up and down, and every time energy goes up, I think I'm getting better. And the next day I'm tired again and I get so frustrated.

But this feels different. I've got a bounce to my steps!!

Hi Henrietta!

I'm dropping off compost at the garden. But because of the rain... and the stupid Wind! I'm not going to stay.

I do notice that more of the Fava is dying from the 20° nights. humph.

So I'm back on the bike path, in the rain.

Huh! Here's another Great Blue Heron with big shoulder patches!

He's busy hunting and I get a good look at him. Definitely not Henrietta...

Ha. Maybe I can name this one Henry!

Altho. Is there any reason why I should assume this one is male? I found out Henrietta is male when he was standing next to another heron and I saw how big he is. (Males are bigger with Great Blue Herons!)

There's some little birds around too, but with the rain and heavy clouds, the photography isn't great.

Oh well.

I'm almost home and the clouds are moving around... Oh Wow!

How cool is that!!

(I play with the saturation a bit :)