Birdcam Photos and a Report from Charlie

My Birdfy camera is built into a bird feeder and it takes pictures when it detects motion. I removed the seed for the summer and placed a small hummingbird feeder in the tray. I’ve been pleased when it captures images like these.

I’ve had to scroll through hundreds of captures because it also takes pictures when the wind blows foliage back-and-forth. No doubt I’ve missed seeing some good pictures. But I’m glad I kept scrolling and saw this surprise visitor.

The deer came through at 6:55 in the morning. I lightened the images and cropped them and also tried to sharpen them, but without much success because there was a light rain coming down and the lens was damp.

Now, a Brief Report from the Beagle.

Hi, I’m Charlie. I’ll tell you a little about what I did this week. Mom took me to the town park in Edinburg and also to the State Park. We always cross the river to go to Seven Bends State Park.

I like going to different parks so I can smell interesting things, like places where animals have walked. We also went to the dog park in Mount Jackson. Oh, one day I stayed at Sadie‘s house while Mom went somewhere. And another time we went there for a short visit to see Allison. Here’s Sadie, and then there’s a picture of me after we played and calmed down. 

One day I stayed at daycare. This barn is across the street. It was very foggy that. morning but it got sunny later on.

Yesterday Lynn came and she stayed with me while Mom went to get a vaccination. Today Mom was tired so we stayed home except for going for walks and sitting in the yard.

I hope we get to go on adventures tomorrow. I’d better rest up.

The Drought Ends with Debby

Unfortunately, Debby is a hurricane.

Well, I just saw that Debby has been downgraded to a tropical storm. It did considerable damage as it came up the coast. Eventually, it veered westward so there are predictions that it could be dangerous here tonight. I’ve gotten multiple warnings from my weather app about possible tornadoes and floods. 

I picked up some extra groceries today and planned to stay indoors tonight, but Charlie insisted on going out after dark. The first time he did this, we only walked about 50 yards before he realized he was getting wet and decided to come home. At 9:45 he became desperate to go out, so we walked in the rain and stayed outside just long enough for him to do his part for wetter grass. The winds had not picked up and there wasn’t any lightning. 

By the way, two people close to me have been diagnosed with Covid so please avoid crowds if you can.

Photo of the Year 2022

City Daily Photo has a theme for the first of each month, and the theme for January 1st is always Photo of the Year. It isn’t easy choosing one so I made digital copies of images I thought were worthy and then clicked through them several times. I decided on this river scene because it is intriguing, the golden light is pretty, and the location is the Shenandoah River, which is one focus of my blog.

I’ll show you the runners up in collage form to save space.

The young woman is showing her child an exhibit of photos of endangered animals. The icy tree is a recent shot that I took while walking my dog.

A dramatic sky will often prompt me to take a picture.

The Love sign and the small garden are both at Seven Bends State Park. I work with a group that supports the park and I logged 101 volunteer hours in 2022. The park is still being developed but it is open for hiking, fishing, canoeing, and picnicking. There is a great play area for children near the Hollingsworth Road entrance.

The final four images show a hawk, Charlie and me, a unicorn, and a deer. Looking at these reminds me that I saw some wonderful things in the past year. 

As 2022 Draws to an End.

It wasn’t a bad year yet it wasn’t great either. There was plenty of worrisome news, and while I appreciate that  my life is fairly easy, I fear for the future of the world.

Here I am in a beautiful area, yet I feel mired down by pains and my diminishing abilities. Life is full of challenges yet achingly ordinary.

Yesterday I had a root canal in Manassas. Carbocaine kept the pain away until it wore off, and then oh boy! And now I seem to be reacting to NSAIDS. A month ago I had outpatient surgery for female problems, or are they aging problems? Also, my left hip is very sore, especially when I first get up in the morning. 

And my washing machine stopped running. Today I ordered a new one. It should be here on Monday. I know, first world problems! 

Both Marie and Allison have recently recovered from Covid. I still haven’t gotten it, knock on wood.

Well, the weather was nice today and Charlie enjoyed the dog park. Let’s hope we can make 2023 a good year. 

 

A View from the Dental Office

Birds in Juniper Tree

Yesterday I went to the dentist because I've had a swollen place on my gums for a while. Originally I was going last week but I canceled because I was exposed to Covid. Fortunately, I did not come down with it.

Some of the treatment rooms look out on an atrium and there are birdfeeders out there. While I was waiting for the dentist to come in and examine my x-rays, I tried to take pictures of birds with my cell phone. The birds disappeared when I stood close to the window so I had to step back and make the best of it. A colorful bluejay and male cardinal did not come back but I got a few pictures of other birds.

Dr. Zunka said I have an infection under tooth #19. He recommended an endodontist in Manassas fot a root canal. I was not happy to hear this but it will be a relief to get that taken care of.

When there’s nowhere to go, wait.

Yesterday I got stuck in traffic on the interstate for an hour. It wasn't moving because there was an accident seven miles ahead. Normally I check the traffic report before entering the interstate, but it was a last-minute decision to get on the highway due to there being a traffic tie-up on another road. By the time the interstate finally cleared, people were getting out of their vehicles to look around or walk their dog. I saw one woman borrow some Kleenex tissue from another motorist. I was glad I had water and a snack with me.

There have been more accidents than usual lately. Some drivers have no patience, or drive too fast, or look at their phones. I-81 has heavy truck traffic so accidents are often serious and slow to get cleared. 

Although I have not done any long-distance travel in a long time (thanks, Covid,), I drive around locally, although not as much as I did before gas prices got so high. (Thanks, Putin!) Often I snap a picture of something that I want to share. Here we have a drawing on a walkway, a bumper sticker, and a couple of signs.

"Enjoy being."

A Month Begins, A Week Ends

It was a mixed week. Some positive things happened but I wound up with a painful backache.

One good thing was that I met up with Lynn for lunch and took her some items I had picked up for her. She had a new hat (Grateful Dead themed) and agreed to pose for me in it.Another positive thing is that her sister is coming for a short visit.

The back pain came on unexpectedly. It started hurting on Wednesday and instead of improving over night, it was worse on Thursday, This morning I could barely get out of bed. Since there was no obvious cause and it was excruciating at times, I thought it might be a side-effect of the augmentin I’m taking for an ear infection. I was unable to reach the doctor today but left a message that I’m taking a break from the meds. 

Several friends have recently tested positive for Covid-19 after avoiding it for over two years. Many people are socializing or traveling and rates of the disease are rising.

On a positive note, a young couple rented my little condo and started moving in today. 

Long Awaited Ribbon-Cutting

Seven Bends State Park finally had it’s official opening on Tuesday. The park has been open for a couple of years but there was no ceremony due to covid. 

Governor Youngkin gave a nice speech and encouraged more people to volunteer in the parks.

Virginia State Parks are celebrating their 86th anniversary. We now have 41 of them.

Seven Bends State Park is in Woodstock. It’s name comes from the twisty nature of the Shenandoah River. The park has two entrances. You have to drive down a steep hill and cross a low-water bridge to reach either one. 

Trying to Stay Well

One of the “joys” of getting older is you get to meet more doctors and nurses. You need to take care of yourself.

I got my second booster of the Covid-19 vaccine today. And two weeks ago I went to a new medical office to address a couple of concerns, one of which is increased fatigue. This resulted in some tests, one of which is scheduled for June. 

Yesterday I went to another new provider hoping to find an effective treatment for weak ankle ligaments. He does some cutting-edge stuff but did not recommend it in my case. There is an effective surgery but it would mean staying off my feet for weeks, and I have qualms about doing that. Aside from the matter of who would take care of me, I am concerned that not walking would be really bad for my aging bones. 

 

Since I was in the Reston area, I did a bit of shopping at two natural foods stores, so I made the most of the trip. Gas is expensive right now.

Two Different Finches

The goldfinch picture is from a year ago. Doesn't he look fine in his spring plumage?

I think the bird standing on my neighbor's garden torch is a male house finch. What do you think?

 I hope you are staying well. I have started wearing a face mask again when shopping. Covid cases are increasing again in my area. 

Helpers and Signs

For the past two months, I have been almost overwhelmed by the effort that it takes to move from a large house to a smaller one. Lynn and her friends have been very helpful, especially this week. So thank you, Lynn, Travis, and Barb! 

My time for exploring and taking pictures has been limited to a few minutes carved out while running errands. Sometimes I stop in a park to eat lunch while on the way somewhere.  I usually carry a protein bar for lunch anyway. 

The Serendipity Lane sign is at Muse Vineyards in Woodstock.

I had a podiatry appointment in Front Royal on Tuesday and passed a residence with a sign on the door saying "We have Covid, Do not enter." 

Signs 2