I saw a statistic

 

 

It said:

 

“Men are twice as likely as women to have a hearing problem,

but only half as likely to admit it.”

 

What?

 

Okay

 

 

It’s gnarly trees again.

 

 

 

We looked at blackbirds

 

 

First, we found a place with plenty of them.  The grain silos around Progresso are a good place to start.

 

 

A lot of them were red-winged blackbirds.

 

 

There were brown-headed cowbirds.

 

Bronzed cowbirds.

 

And our target for the day, the yellow-headed blackbird, in the center of this frame, to the right of the pole.

 

He was being reclusive.

 

Follow-up on Sal del Rey

 

 

 

It’s a lake with no outflow and an underground, 4-million-ton, salt dome right beneath it.  The salt is from the Jurassic period.  This area was part of the Gulf of Mexico back then; that’s where the original salt came from.  This is not the only salt dome around here, it’s just the one that geological conditions exposed.  Salinity in the lake is 10 times that of the ocean.  Seasonal rainfall determines how wet or dry the lake is.  It’s pretty white right now.  We haven’t had a rain lately.

 

I could write more about the Tesla

 

 

But then I might be sounding too much like the guy who just bought an iPhone instead of an Android…

 

 

 

Morning Light

 

 

 

I’ve known her since I was 16

 

 

She was 15.  Judy’s older sister, Sue.

 

In their family, Sue filled the role of parent, so when I picked up Judy to go out on a date, we sat at their dining room table with Susie while she set the rules.  We acknowledged even then, with a smile, that it was a little odd having someone younger than me being the parent, but the rules weren’t too tough.  Home at a decent time and don’t get in any trouble.  We never did.

 

Judy and Susie were so close.  As children, they protected and comforted each other, as much as they could, through some difficult times.  And all of our adult lives, the three of us, Sue, Judy, and me, were good friends.  We enjoyed, respected, and supported each other.

 

Sue passed away peacefully in her sleep today.  It was a several-year fade as her memory left her.  Another contemporary we love and will miss.