birds — Page 29

Gentle Beings

August 19, 2019 at 8:15 am by Claudia

Today’s theme is ‘Beings who are not Human.’

My beloved Lonesome Dove, who sat on the rim of the birdbath for at least 30 minutes. Maybe longer. Enough time for me to run and get my camera with the telephoto lens. This little interlude made me very happy.

Later: a scary thunderstorm. Lonesome Dove had moved on by that point.

Discovered on some milkweed:

Another Monarch caterpillar. I’ve seen a lot of them this year, but never get to see the chrysalis. I’m not sure why, as I’m constantly checking for them.

And this morning, seen from the kitchen:

But there wasn’t just one fawn – there were three! The other two were hidden behind some trees to the left. Amazing. I’ve never seen three fawns on the property.

Magical!

Focusing on nature and all these wonderful beings calms me. I’ve been dealing with a bit of generalized anxiety of late. I’m not sure why – I have bouts with it and then months go by without any problems. When I saw Lonesome Dove last night and stood in the kitchen watching him/her, it melted away.

Stay in the moment, Claudia. Breathe.

I worked on deductions yesterday – most of which won’t work for Federal Income Tax, but will for New York State, because…we’re a Blue State – and am close to finishing. Deductions and taxes certainly can contribute to anxiety, right?

Today, I’m off to get the car inspected. Fingers crossed I don’t have to get new tires.

Happy Monday.

Books, Back & Sugar

August 2, 2019 at 10:44 am by Claudia

The spirea always has a second bloom. It’s not nearly as full as the first, but seeing those little pink blossoms again makes me happy.

I finished Knife by Jo Nesbø this morning. I’ve read a few of Nesbø’s books before and, for some reason, I always feel a bit distanced from the protagonist, Harry Hole. That may be because I haven’t read the entire series, in order, and haven’t given myself a chance to really get to know him. I’m not sure. Nevertheless, it’s an excellent read. I stuck with it and found myself applauding Nesbø’s skill. He writes honestly. All of the recurring characters have flaws and secrets. He is a true storyteller and knows how to plot an intricate mystery. I found myself reading non-stop this morning as I realized we were headed to the denouement of the narrative. I was riveted.

So, I suspect that the ‘distance’ had less to do with the story and more to do with me. It’s a wonderful mystery and I recommend it highly. Now, it’s on to Kate Atkinson’s newest, Big Sky.

I’ll be doing a lot of reading today as I’ve tweaked my back again. I don’t know how, something relatively minor of course, but it caused a fair amount of pain yesterday and last night. So I’m forced to take it easy. I’m convinced that it’s the same initial injury from last spring, not fully healed. Frustrating.

That’s Lonesome Dove at the very top of a very tall (and dead) tree across the street.

I’ve been meaning to mention that I’ve lost 12 pounds in the past 3 months or so. And that is because of two things: being more physically active in the spring and summer, yes, but mostly because I stopped eating any sugar over 2 months ago. I quit cold turkey, just like I did when I stopped smoking in the mid-eighties. I’m not dieting. I’m still eating the same meals I usually do. But I have cut out all sweets, all sugar. If I have a craving, I eat raisins or grapes. Raisins, especially, seem to help with any cravings. This isn’t to say it’s always been easy. When I’m down, or tired, or – like now- I’m in pain, I want some comfort food and for me, that’s chocolate or a piece of pie or cookies or hot chocolate. But I haven’t succumbed to the temptation.

Don, of course, is as supportive as the day is long and for a long time he didn’t want to eat chocolate in front of me, but that truly doesn’t bother me. I usually have some grapes while he’s having a couple of pieces of chocolate.

I did this several years ago and the weight dropped off then, as well. I’m convinced that sugar is not good for me. That’s where I gain my weight. And for the past few years, Don and I were apart a great deal of the time. We were lonely. We both ate sweets as comfort food. It took its toll on me. I couldn’t believe how much weight I had gained! I knew some of it would come off when the weather was better and I was out and about and mowing and gardening, but I knew I had to do something else, as well.

So far, so good. I’m just letting it happen. I don’t have any fixed goal in mind, but I’m very pleased with the results so far. Despite Don telling me that he could tell I was losing weight, it wasn’t until this week when I caught a glimpse of my face and upper body in the mirror that I realized I was looking thinner. And healthier.

So I’m determined to stick with this and since it’s been a while now, I’m past the detox part of the process. It’s all good.

Happy Friday.

Rescues (And Birds at the Birdbath)

July 31, 2019 at 9:51 am by Claudia

Vicki asked if I would share a photo of the antique dollhouse. Here it is. This was taken the day I found it in a local antique shop – December 21st of last year. I dressed it up for the holidays. There you go, Vicki!

And a side view. The shutters open and close. What a labor of love this was. I wonder if it was made for a child or simply for the satisfaction of constructing a miniature? What’s the back story on the house itself? I knew it was a steal when I bought it for $75 on sale, but I also couldn’t bear the thought that this heavy, well-made, one-of-a-kind house was sitting in a booth with a big ‘mark down’ sign, abandoned and alone.

I tend to do that with certain things. I endow them with human qualities. That dollhouse was immediately ‘sad and lonely’ and needed to be adopted. By me.

I did the same thing with this little beauty.

I saw her in an antique shop several years ago. She was sitting on a child’s rocking chair in a booth. Each time I went back to the shop over the course of several months, she was still there. She was wearing a beautifully handmade dress with lovely shoes and a bonnet. She was a little worse for the wear, but that made her even more lovely.

Someone had loved this baby doll.

We had next to no money on hand at the time and I was getting ready to go to San Diego to coach for 10 weeks. I think she was about $50 or maybe less, but, nonetheless, even that was too much. I couldn’t buy her.

Off I went to SD, but I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Finally, when I had received a few paychecks, I emailed the antique center, told them my story, tried my best to indicate what booth she was in and asked the big question: was she still there? The person on the other end said he knew exactly what doll I was referring to and yes, she was. I paid him right then and there. Then I asked if he could hold onto her until I returned home. Yes, he said. And that is how this little darling came to live in our cottage.

My beautiful doll with two left legs is also a rescue. More on her another day.

Two Finches Taking A Bath: