Last Sunday

 

This is the last Sunday of the month and the last day of my vacation. Did the week go as planned? Did I do everything I set out to do? Is my office clean? Well…yes and no.  As usual I planned more than I could actually accomplish AND unexpected things happened that caused me to set aside my plans. So I am happy to report that most of my shopping is done and packages wrapped. My tree is up and decorated. My house is about as clean as it ever gets. The garden is ready for winter. And my office…let’s just say it remains a “work in progress”.

 

One of the things that interfered with my indoor plans this week was the weather! It was actually much better than anticipated and though a bit cold, the afternoons have been sunny and inviting. I walked each day and of course that means taking the camera and then one thing leads to another and soon I’ve spent an hour outside.

 

It seems like it would be difficult to take bird photos with a big, gray, meowing shadow following me everywhere, but I guess the birds have realized that our outside cat doesn’t have a single instinct for hunting. It is no wonder that he found our yard and stayed here! Otherwise he might have starved to death! I’ve never seen nor had a cat less interested in the critters around him. Babe would be running around like crazy, chasing and jumping and playing. Not Buddy. He’s a mellow, “live and let live” kind of guy. He whines at me to stop and pet him, but other than that, is quite content to just eat and sleep. One day this week I looked out to see him sharing his breakfast with the opossum. Another morning he was sitting inside his little house while the raccoons finished off his cat food. I’ve also seen him six feet from a rabbit without even twitching.

 

 

So anyway, that rambling preface was just my way of explaining that the bluebirds allowed us to stand about twenty feet away from them yesterday. And then a mockingbird landed on Buddy’s water tub, ten feet from us, for his own drink. I’ve read that, with a little training, there are at least six different birds that will eat out of your hand. I don’t think I want to go to that extreme since I like to take photos, but I’m glad the birds are getting comfortable with our presence.

 

I also managed a slightly blurry but cute photo of the woodpecker peeking into the bluebird house. I imagined him asking “anybody home?” I really should buy another bluebird house since I now count six of them regularly sitting on the fence. I’m not sure what they do in the winter. I should Google that.

 

One of the great joys of my life is visiting with old friends. I happened to see a dear one at the post office yesterday and another at WalMart. Also ran into an ex-relative and a couple of former students. Living in a stable area where many people have stayed for generations gives me a sense of belonging that I never had in the city. It also gives me a sense of responsibility- to be and do all that I can to make my community better.

Speaking of relatives- and yes, this is one of my rambling, random thoughts posts- I subscribe to Internet Genealogy magazine, which finds so many great research websites that I can never keep up with all of them. However, this week I tried the DAR website they touted and was astounded by the information available. I found 23 Banta men listed as Revolutionary War soldiers. My own list included only about ten of those, so I was pleased to add the others.  The site also has information about their service and families. I don’t belong to the DAR, although it’s nice to know that I could.

 

Today is my cousin Evelyn’s birthday!  I love to recall memories of us playing dolls and cleaning Mama Della’s house and walking in the woods and riding horses and staying up past our bedtime to laugh and talk. She is a wonderful woman and I hope she has a great day!

Hope you have a great day, too!

Comments

[Megan]

I love how you spend your days and that you share it with us.