I was here earlier, Peter, since I cannot go back to sleep sometimes. I decided to wait for the rest of you. Then I was reading my bible, but no pet to feed. I look out my window having a difficult time to believe it is February. We have little snow. I am enjoying the warmth, but sorry for the resort owners who are losing so much money this season.
I enjoyed Michelle’s newsletter posting about her trip to Alaska. She couldn’t see out of fogged up glasses. I wonder how many who make others wear masks understand the difficulty of going in and out when one has to wear glasses? We live with that all the time. When you choose yourself to wear a face covering for warmth, it is one thing. When something is mandated, it is another. So it is with lots of mandates and laws that are made.
I hope your days are good and that it is a good visit, Aj.
I’m fortunate that I can see relatively well without wearing my glasses–I can even read without them, though it gets harder each year.
Even still, I was shocked the world went blind the minute I stepped out of the warm hotel!
I wore a special bag across my chest that enabled me to slip off my glasses into a pocket on the top (where they sat with my phone), making everything accessible.
Indeed, this purse-like bag designed for travel is so handy, I’m still using it for a purse!
Good morning, all. Bible, yes. Feeding pets, no. Feeding my dad, yes. Washing dishes, yes.
another beautiful day here. Husband is off to an early start this morning as an elderly couple in Kamiah wanted to ride with them to Lewiston. So husband will take son to his job at the library and then take them to look at countertops.
Trying to reach a human being at the DMV by phone. I can’t seem to get past “Hi. I’m Miles, your friendly automated assistant. Now, how can I help you?”
Miles repeats that line every time I ask a question.
I still wear a mask all the time at work. Flu has been rampant this year, and we are still getting quite a bit of covid. Since I declined both the flu and covid vaccines, and regularly stick swabs up sick people’s noses, I don’t mind.
I have tried all the tricks to keep from fogging. Shaving cream, vinegar, dish soap…I did not find any of them to be effective.
We voted this a.m. We were the only ones there at 7:00. I was not expecting the long list of all who qualified. I had ecpected to see only two to choose from. Nice to have that done.
The photo isn’t the best shot I’ve ever taken, but one of the most amazing in some ways.
When I was a little girl, probably about ten years old, I read a book from the library about whooping cranes. What was in that book and what I learned later, I don’t know, but the species got down to fewer than 30 individuals. So they rounded them up and gave each pair a nest. When the birds laid eggs, the humans took the eggs and put them under sandhill cranes for brooding (so that the whoopers would lay more eggs).
The baby whooping cranes were fed by humans with crane-bill hand puppets so they wouldn’t imprint on humans. As they learned to fly, a man in an ultralight airplane flew around in circles, getting them to follow him. When they were good enough flyers, he then flew ahead of them on a migration route so that they would learn it.
Now there are several hundred whooping cranes (I’ve seen that there are now “almost 800” and I’ve seen a couple of other numbers–but fewer than a thousand). I know two places in southern Indiana where sandhill cranes spend the winter, thousands of birds in amazing huge flocks that feed in farm fields (gleaning last year’s crop waste), conduct their courtship dances, and midday fly in immense flocks to other locations.
I have been to both of these regions and seen the sandhill cranes in both places. And I have seen photos of whooping cranes found in both places, usually one big white bird among a flock of gray or brown birds. (Sandhill cranes have gray feathers, but they groom themselves with mud, which stains their feathers reddish brown as the season progresses.)
Every time I see sandhill cranes I hope to see a whooping crane, but until earlier this month I never had. I was at the location that has sandhill cranes and also snow geese. Another woman and I were watching sandhill cranes flying over us, and landing on a far distant field. And a small flock of white birds was coming in closer. I told her, “Those snow geese are going to land close to us.”
She said, “They’re white and black” (apparently assuming snow geese are pure white–they’re not).
I said, “Yes, snow geese are white and black.” But as they landed, I realized they had longer necks than geese. They were cranes–whooping cranes–and there were six of them. When I took this particular photo, I thought I was photographing snow geese.
Because this is a critically endangered species, and considered a biologically fragile species because they are so inbred (having come from those couple dozen birds a few decades ago), a viewer isn’t supposed to get close to them. Two football fields is what the informational sign said. I watched them for 40 minutes or longer (eventually a few sandhill cranes joined them) and this is the only good shot I got; even with my long zoom, that’s too far away for great photos.
But to see them, and to see perhaps .75% of all the birds of this species in the whole world, was truly amazing. I was hoping someday to see one or two. To see half a dozen was a genuine treat.
I just got back from the same place where I saw these birds, and I didn’t see whooping cranes and didn’t even see many sandhill cranes (I suspect many of them have already begun to migrate north), but I did see immense flocks of snow geese, and even saw two of them on the water. But these whoopers will probably be my birding sight of the year, and something I have wanted to see for more than 40 years–and would never, as a child, have dreamed I would someday see.
I am sharing the travel bag link with a friend. We have today been looking at similar black bags, but with more zipper pockets on the outside like an Eddie Bauer crossbody bag we both have in turaupise.
The visit went well. Thursdays visit will be my last. The visiting nurses are discharging me. 🙂
I have a good grasp on maintaining the ostomies and my wounds from surgeries are all pretty much healed.
Im pushing myself a little more physically as well. I need to get stronger before the surgery I still need in a couple of months. I would like to lose a few more pounds too, in addition to the 42 I’ve already lost. I’m watching my calories and what I eat.
That all sounds good, Allen. Thankful to God. Losing the weight helps in so many ways. Sounds like you are doing a reasonable challenge to up your fitness withoug doing damage and breakdown from overdoing it.
if you can tolerate beets, they are good for endurance.
Wandering Views 
Morning all. Sorry for the late posting. Had an early appt. with the nurse today.
Allen
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Everyone else must be asleep. Or reading their Bibles. Or feeding pets. Or…
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I was here earlier, Peter, since I cannot go back to sleep sometimes. I decided to wait for the rest of you. Then I was reading my bible, but no pet to feed. I look out my window having a difficult time to believe it is February. We have little snow. I am enjoying the warmth, but sorry for the resort owners who are losing so much money this season.
I enjoyed Michelle’s newsletter posting about her trip to Alaska. She couldn’t see out of fogged up glasses. I wonder how many who make others wear masks understand the difficulty of going in and out when one has to wear glasses? We live with that all the time. When you choose yourself to wear a face covering for warmth, it is one thing. When something is mandated, it is another. So it is with lots of mandates and laws that are made.
I hope your days are good and that it is a good visit, Aj.
LikeLike
I’m fortunate that I can see relatively well without wearing my glasses–I can even read without them, though it gets harder each year.
Even still, I was shocked the world went blind the minute I stepped out of the warm hotel!
I wore a special bag across my chest that enabled me to slip off my glasses into a pocket on the top (where they sat with my phone), making everything accessible.
Indeed, this purse-like bag designed for travel is so handy, I’m still using it for a purse!
https://www.wander-plus.com/products/crossbody-travel-bag
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning, all. Bible, yes. Feeding pets, no. Feeding my dad, yes. Washing dishes, yes.
another beautiful day here. Husband is off to an early start this morning as an elderly couple in Kamiah wanted to ride with them to Lewiston. So husband will take son to his job at the library and then take them to look at countertops.
mumsee
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It’s still raining here. I think of all those years of drought, and now this.
-dj
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Trying to reach a human being at the DMV by phone. I can’t seem to get past “Hi. I’m Miles, your friendly automated assistant. Now, how can I help you?”
Miles repeats that line every time I ask a question.
-dj
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Beautiful photo -dj
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That does look like a great bag for travel.
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I still wear a mask all the time at work. Flu has been rampant this year, and we are still getting quite a bit of covid. Since I declined both the flu and covid vaccines, and regularly stick swabs up sick people’s noses, I don’t mind.
I have tried all the tricks to keep from fogging. Shaving cream, vinegar, dish soap…I did not find any of them to be effective.
LikeLike
We voted this a.m. We were the only ones there at 7:00. I was not expecting the long list of all who qualified. I had ecpected to see only two to choose from. Nice to have that done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The photo isn’t the best shot I’ve ever taken, but one of the most amazing in some ways.
When I was a little girl, probably about ten years old, I read a book from the library about whooping cranes. What was in that book and what I learned later, I don’t know, but the species got down to fewer than 30 individuals. So they rounded them up and gave each pair a nest. When the birds laid eggs, the humans took the eggs and put them under sandhill cranes for brooding (so that the whoopers would lay more eggs).
The baby whooping cranes were fed by humans with crane-bill hand puppets so they wouldn’t imprint on humans. As they learned to fly, a man in an ultralight airplane flew around in circles, getting them to follow him. When they were good enough flyers, he then flew ahead of them on a migration route so that they would learn it.
Now there are several hundred whooping cranes (I’ve seen that there are now “almost 800” and I’ve seen a couple of other numbers–but fewer than a thousand). I know two places in southern Indiana where sandhill cranes spend the winter, thousands of birds in amazing huge flocks that feed in farm fields (gleaning last year’s crop waste), conduct their courtship dances, and midday fly in immense flocks to other locations.
I have been to both of these regions and seen the sandhill cranes in both places. And I have seen photos of whooping cranes found in both places, usually one big white bird among a flock of gray or brown birds. (Sandhill cranes have gray feathers, but they groom themselves with mud, which stains their feathers reddish brown as the season progresses.)
Every time I see sandhill cranes I hope to see a whooping crane, but until earlier this month I never had. I was at the location that has sandhill cranes and also snow geese. Another woman and I were watching sandhill cranes flying over us, and landing on a far distant field. And a small flock of white birds was coming in closer. I told her, “Those snow geese are going to land close to us.”
She said, “They’re white and black” (apparently assuming snow geese are pure white–they’re not).
I said, “Yes, snow geese are white and black.” But as they landed, I realized they had longer necks than geese. They were cranes–whooping cranes–and there were six of them. When I took this particular photo, I thought I was photographing snow geese.
Because this is a critically endangered species, and considered a biologically fragile species because they are so inbred (having come from those couple dozen birds a few decades ago), a viewer isn’t supposed to get close to them. Two football fields is what the informational sign said. I watched them for 40 minutes or longer (eventually a few sandhill cranes joined them) and this is the only good shot I got; even with my long zoom, that’s too far away for great photos.
But to see them, and to see perhaps .75% of all the birds of this species in the whole world, was truly amazing. I was hoping someday to see one or two. To see half a dozen was a genuine treat.
I just got back from the same place where I saw these birds, and I didn’t see whooping cranes and didn’t even see many sandhill cranes (I suspect many of them have already begun to migrate north), but I did see immense flocks of snow geese, and even saw two of them on the water. But these whoopers will probably be my birding sight of the year, and something I have wanted to see for more than 40 years–and would never, as a child, have dreamed I would someday see.
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I now have a new appreciation for whooping cranes. Thank you, Cheryl. I had no idea. Glad you shared that photo!
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I am sharing the travel bag link with a friend. We have today been looking at similar black bags, but with more zipper pockets on the outside like an Eddie Bauer crossbody bag we both have in turaupise.
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Cheryl, at first I thought those were snow geese, but then realized they were whooping cranes. Another good capture!
We have sandhill cranes that nest in the field next to our property and millions (?) fly over us each spring and fall as the migrate.
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The visit went well. Thursdays visit will be my last. The visiting nurses are discharging me. 🙂
I have a good grasp on maintaining the ostomies and my wounds from surgeries are all pretty much healed.
Im pushing myself a little more physically as well. I need to get stronger before the surgery I still need in a couple of months. I would like to lose a few more pounds too, in addition to the 42 I’ve already lost. I’m watching my calories and what I eat.
Allen
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That all sounds good, Allen. Thankful to God. Losing the weight helps in so many ways. Sounds like you are doing a reasonable challenge to up your fitness withoug doing damage and breakdown from overdoing it.
if you can tolerate beets, they are good for endurance.
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That’s clever that the automated voice at the DMV is named Miles. :-)
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