As the Days Flutter By in Everyday Ramblings

We had quite the rain last night. We have puddles, all the usual suspects are back in play. But before we did, Kes and Most Honorable and moi went birding locally at a place up in the industrial wilds in north Portland we hadn’t been before.

And where there are birds, there are often…butterflies. I like this blurry shot, I am happy with the composition.

It was all a bit of a mess yesterday, the plan originally was to go for a wonderful quiet bike ride on part of the multi-use trail we scoped out on my birthday a few months back. A very cool bike hitch was acquired so that we could bring all three bikes. Much planning and coordination occurred. But in the end I was really too tired and Kes was anxious because she’s only been riding a few times this summer but they wanted to come up and do something with me during the wilds of my week off work.

So I suggested birding. Kes loves birding. We all love it but it makes Kes’s heart sing. And she loves pelicans and we saw wonderful flocks, of 30 or so gorgeous white pelicans flying above this still wetland that was full of more egrets than any of us have ever seen (We think about 50) and great blue herons and a wondrous variety of ducks and a mature and very handsome bald eagle overseeing it all.

We even saw a group of painted turtles. :) In with the wood ducks.

And no people. We were in there for quite some time without seeing any people. And then a woman walked her bike up and we were able to encourage her to look through the scope. The trees near the water all have cages around them because of the beavers and otters and…

Poor Kes though had her everyday glasses (expensive lenses) hooked to the front of her shirt on the way up as she was wearing her sunglasses and somewhere here at my place or before they went missing. She’s had a lot on her mind lately and the weather moving into a darker period (not to mention this unbelievable humidity that is so not like anything any of us are used to) and she was mortified.

It happens to us all, but when it happens to one of us that has recently turned 65 of course there is that extra added layer of, oh no, I am getting dementia… and it all cast a bit of a pall over the day.

That and my tiredness and Sammy was a bit nippy and restless all afternoon and night. I finally put him out in the living room at 4:30am this morning so I could get a break.

Kes was able to order new lenses in an old frame that she’ll be able to pick up tomorrow for less than $200 so that is a relief and her weight is finally down a bit after being stalled for a few very socially active weeks and we are all hoping that I will finally officially weigh in at 132 lbs. tonight, which is my goal weight.

My surgical site is healing up nicely. They did a great job with sewing me up. I still have to do the awkward contortion thing to keep a bandage on there for five more days. Hopefully by then my last pathology report will be back and I’ll be clear of the dreaded mutant cells.

It was so great to see almost all of my Women’s Circle friends on Monday. My friend S. has the best house, it is chock full of amazing things from their travels and has a back yard that is half a block long (They own two houses side by side) that I have to have to have to go photograph sometime soon.

I had no idea how much all of the stuff I have been dealing with was taking out of me until I took this week off. I am just totally zonked.

But it is all fine.

If I get nothing done the next five days besides hanging with the cats and keeping us all fed and taken care of (I spent the first few days of my vacation ordering and picking up and getting delivery of medications and medical supplies in just the right quantities) then that is what happens.

But in the meantime I plan to celebrate my 31 lb. weight loss that took 31 weeks with a little party in my head.

I think I’ll invite Jackson Browne and Steve Earle and YoYo Ma and Sarah McLaughlan and Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell as entertainment and oh the guest list… you can imagine. We’ll hang out in a big old hotel on a lake and stay up all night counting stars and fireflies and go hiking in the woods with the birds and their attendant butterflies in the dawn.