The rhythm of the days

 

 

… disrupted.

 

Judy flew off to California to visit sisters; her sister Sue in Long Beach and sister-in-law Barbara in Vista.

 

Me, I’m holding down the home front, and not to worry, I still have a crew!

 

The thermostat is at 78

 

We turn it down to sleep at 68.  In the morning it’s still 80 degrees outside so we reset the AC and open the door long enough to take the inside chill off.  Feed the dogs.   Feed the wild birds outside.  Judy does one, I do the other.  Coffee on the deck and we count species; 17 today.  Everything else is later.  Breakfast for both.  Some work.  Some errands.  Judy does one, I do the other.  I’m in class this week.  Virtual.  A little Spanish.  A little exercise. Time for dinner, television, and foot rubbing.  A trip report.  We sleep at 68 degrees.

White Breasted Nuthatch

 

 

A little rough.

 

Maybe molting.  Maybe a youngster just filling out.

 

 

 

 

Also in Colorado.

 

Western Wood-pewee

 

 

A small flycatcher.

 

Not much of an eye-ring.

 

A little bit of a crest.  A little bit of a vest.  A couple wingbars.

 

Very western.

 

We saw him in Colorado.

 

Here’s an odd nut for a songbird

 

 

Loggerhead shrike.

 

A songbird that is a ruthless hunter, it preys on small mammals, lizards, and large insects.  It’s also known as “Butcher Bird” because if it kills something larger than it can eat right away, it will skewer it on a thorn or barbed wire to save it until it’s time to eat the rest later!

 

 

 

Close to ubiquitous in North America.

 

 

I’ve been thinking

 

 

Isn’t it surprising how often one political party or the other falls just one vote short of being able to do what they want?  One person, like Rand Paul, Joe Manchin, or John McCain, stands in the way of their party being able to accomplish some honorable goal, and that single outlaw won’t budge!  It’s an outrage.

 

But do we think that’s the whole story?  I suspect that for every time one person stands in the way of a piece of legislation, there are more people behind the rogue sentiment, but for their own political (reelection) reasons can’t be public about their position.  One person is willing to stand up and take the hit for them, but there is much more to the resistance than how it appears on the surface.

 

It’s not like I know, it’s just a guess, but my head went there so I had to say it.

 

Local Talent

 

 

 

It’s all about finding the just-right slogan.

 

We’re back in the Valley.  Flew home today.  It was a warm welcome from Henry and Jesse.