I find it amusing that I cannot type the word ‘Saturday’ without singing it in my head thanks to the Bay City Rollers.
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I was up and on the road walking before 7:45. The absolute best time to walk in Arizona
would probably be just as the sun is coming up but I haven’t gotten that
motivated yet. I’ve seen plenty of
beautiful sunsets…wonder if the sunrise would be as spectacular. Maybe someday before we leave I’ll get out
early enough to see the sun pop over the mountains.
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We
bought this camper because our bikes fit inside it, not because of its spacious
kitchen and living area. While it’s such a blessing to have a kitchen as
opposed to only a grill out on the picnic table on which to cook meals, the
kitchen is a compact space…very serviceable for two people but compact. So this year we brought the air fryer and the
Instant Pot with us and not only have they afforded us better meal options but
they don’t heat up the camper like the oven does.
This morning while it was still cool in the camper I put chili fixin’s
in the Instant Pot and then went outside to enjoy nature while Kim went for a
walk. Good smells coming my way! And it
didn’t add to the heat inside the camper.
Of course I made enough that we’ll be eating chili for a few days but
that’s what the refrigerator is for…it’s tiny but it beats trying to keep food
cold in an ice chest.
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I’m working my way through all the cell cam videos; found several more
videos of crows flying at or around the nest.
I came across this statement the other day when reading up on this
subject: With their
incredible ability for recollection, crows are considered the brainiacs of the
bird world. The previous two years this nest was inhabited
by ravens/crows and this has me wondering if they remember that nest used to
belong to one of them; therefore adding to the intensity of the harassment. Of course, I can only guess at that because
the birds certainly aren’t going to tell me.
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The
birding group I joined on Facebook is kind of overwhelming, intense and yet
oddly fun. It’s a Southwest group…Southwest being defined as Arizona,
ALL of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico just south
of the border. And only photos of birds
native to the Southwest or those on a migratory path are allowed. All levels of photography are welcome…from
professional to cell phone pics as long as the birds are SW natives. Well, I don’t know if the birds I see are
native to this area or not but I see them in this area so I post them.
The
picture I originally posted asking for help in identifying a bird has gotten
over 175 likes and 40 comments…and the picture wasn’t the best quality. Some of these members must have a lot of time
on their hands and incredible equipment because the picture quality is amazing
and the shots speak of a lot of time watching and waiting. Haven’t seen too many bad pictures. I’ve also posted a couple of other pictures I’ve
taken out here…not because I need help in identifying them, just because I think
they’re cool pictures.
BUT
what I really want to do is sneak in a picture of The Big Dawg (Pileated
Woodpecker) somewhere even though it’s against the rules because Arizona also ranks
as one of the most diverse woodpecker states, hosting fourteen different
species in four of the five native woodpecker genera. Only the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus) fails to find a home in the state. I
think these birders would be amazed by the prehistoric looking Big Dawg…I know
the sight of one at the feeder, flying through the yard or hearing them
drilling into a tree when I’m on a walk never fails to impress me.
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Today’s 40 Days of Lent challenge: Complete 2 acts of charity…one to someone you know and one to someone you don’t know. Hmmm…another one that requires some thought.
Giving money to an organization, no matter how good the cause, didn’t seem personal enough to me…and I wanted these, in some way, to be an act of giving of myself. A couple of ideas popped into my head right away; both were an act that extended goodwill to others but was I on the right track? Turns out there are many ideas out there on what an act of charity looks like; some are simple, some require time and planning and some involve the giving of money. I decided that for me acts of kindness or goodwill fulfilled the spirit of the challenge so I was back to my original ideas.
Act of kindness (charity) toward someone I
know: 1. As someone who doesn’t like
to be woke up before my sleep is done and also operating on the premise that
charity begins at home, I let Kim sleep this morning instead of rousting him up
to walk with me and 2. I made an effort to talk to people as they passed by our campsite.
Act of kindness (charity) toward someone I
don’t know: 1. Greeting everyone I met today with a smile and a hello even
those who didn’t make eye contact on approach and 2. Because I have fun painting
the rocks and know that I enjoy finding painted rocks that others have left, I
put my rocks out in conspicuous places for people to find. Hopefully they’ll bring a smile and joy to whoever
finds them.
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