Tea With A Friend

3-6-2018

I contacted a rafting friend who lives in Albany, and went over to see him today after my radiation appointment. It was a pleasant day, mostly sunny and warmer than it has been. He took me to his favorite tea and sandwich shop in downtown Albany where we met another friend and had tea and sandwiches. There is a small park across the street from the cafe where most of the snow has melted so we sat at a picnic table in the sun to eat watching all the people walk by in their business suites and professional clothes. It was blissful to sit in the warm sun (although the breeze off the river was a little chilly) and talk and eat and sip warm strong tea. I do like to people watch and today was a good day for it. Of course seeing old friends again after a long while makes you feel warm and cozy inside too. I didn’t want to leave, but time doesn’t stand still and they had other obligations to meet. Today was a happy day with cheerful tea and a pleasant company.

Norman’skill park

3-5-2018

I started physical therapy today. I have not exercised my wrist enough up to this point and now I can barely use it for anything. Although the bone is now healed, it hurts like the dickens to use it. So now I do not have a choice. If I want to be able to paddle in the spring, I need to be able to use my wrist. So now I have several painful exercises that I need to do several times a day to stretch the tendons and muscles back to where they can let me move my wrist around. But the nifty thing about today was, I had time between appointments and went to check out a small creek-side park near the therapy office. There is still a little snow covering everything down here, although the Norman’skill is high up the bank, water brown and swirly. I sat in the car watching to water flow past thinking about the spring snow melt and how rafting season will start soon. As I was leaving a brown sign with gold lettering caught my eye. This little picnic spot along the water’s edge is an official small boat launch area for canoes and kayaks. How cool is that? I know there are some fairly large rapids further down stream right before it emptied into the Hudson because you can see them from the thruway. But here I think people may use this boat access area for fishing. It might be worth checking out later in the year when the sun is shining and the air is warm. You can’t keep me away from the water.

Hawks Need To Eat Too

3-4-2018

My husband was standing in the living room talking on his cell phone (the electricity did not come back on until later this evening) when suddenly he exclaimed “WOAH!” I looked up and saw fluttering light in the mirror over the mantel as all the birds at the feeder took off in a frantic panicked flight, all but one that is. A Sharp-shinned Hawk had silently swooped down from the massive hemlock tree, swiftly delivering a death blow to one unfortunate grackle. Absolutely amazing to see this kind of wild kingdom happen in your front yard. I did feel sad about the grackle, who didn’t actually die immediately, as it feebly struggled in the hawks sharp grasping talons. There were bright ruby red blood droplets spattered in the glistening white snow, glowing like fading embers as the grackle heaved it’s last labored breath. The hawk re-positioned its cumbersome catch and awkwardly took flight lumbering up to a nearby low branch in the tree it had come from. After a few moments rest it flew to a higher branch out of sight to eat it’s hard won meal. Life for the wild things is fearsome and balances on a thin thread. Everything can change in an unforeseen instant. Makes me think about how I want to live my life.

First Maple Syrup

3-3-2018

We finished our first batch of maple syrup today! It is a dark amber brown and glows with yummyness. It boiled merrily on the porch all evening after I got home form work, and we brought it inside to finish on the stove. The power is still out so my husband and I ended up bottling it by candle light and head lamps. But oh is it delicious! I licked the finishing pot and squeezed the felt filter to get the last gooey remnants of sticky syrup out and into my mouth. The first batch is always the most exciting. Once the cold lets up, we’ll have more soon.

Snowshoeing!

3-2-2018

Big nor’easter snowstorm. There was over a foot of snow when we woke up. I didn’t go to Albany either. This snow is a thick, wet, heavy, solid blanket over the whole world. The power went out just after we got up. Not unexpected, as “they” were calling for power outages due to downed trees and branches. After eating breakfast and stoking up the fire to keep the house warm, we went snowshoeing. It was the first snowshoeing I had done since breaking my wrist. It was emotionally freeing to be able to go snowshoeing again before the winter ended. I didn’t have the stamina to go very far or stay out for very long, but just being out in the falling snow, tromping through the winter wonderland landscape, and sharing it with my husband was exhilarating. It snowed all day piling up over three feet, deepest snowstorm of the season. The power stayed out too, so all was dark and quiet when we went to bed. I find that pleasantly peaceful; it’s calm and tranquil to be disconnected once and a while.

Ice Pack

3-1-2018

When I got home from radiation treatment today, the rash was driving me crazy. It feels like a sunburn, it’s swollen, and itches, but hurts when I scratch it. Yes, I am using the aloe lotion. They even gave me some with lidocaine in it to numb the skin. Then I got an idea, since it feels like a sunburn, why not cool it off. I pulled a small ice pack out of the freezer, and stuck in between two bras. The first bra keeps a layer of cloth between the ice pack and my skin and the second bra holds it in place. Wow! The cold immediately soothed the burning and itching. I had to keep moving the ice pack around, but it helped immensely. Someone should invent a freezable bra for women in radiation treatment for breast cancer!

Black Vulture!

2-9-2018

Black Vultures are very similar to Turkey Vultures in many aspects: size, shape, habitat, flight patterns, migration habits, and food preferences. Their main differences being Black Vultures have black heads (Turkey Vultures have red heads), and Black Vultures don’t come as far north as Turkey Vultures do. They are not supposed to be in New York. About 7 years ago I thought I had seen one while headed to work. It flew directly in front of my car. I felt I had gotten a good look at it as I was braking and swerving trying to hit it. But can one really be sure of the color of the head on a bird in motion you saw for about a second? I had forgotten about that bird until today! This Black Vulture was standing in a snow filled ditch on the side of the road feasting on a dead deer. It did not fly away as car whizzed by. I watched it as we approached, got a good long look, and turned in my seat as we passed by. No doubt, its head was black. Black Vultures have ventures as far north as Albany, New York! Function of global climate change? Or are they just expanding their territory? Don’t know, but it is pretty neat to see them again. When I was raft guiding in West Virginia 20 years ago, we would see Black Vultures regularly, sometimes with Turkey Vultures hanging out on the rocks in the Potomac River near Harper’s Ferry eating dead fish. Amazing memories of crazy fun times!

 

Snow Covered Trees

2-28-2018

We awake this morning to a white world, winter wonderland is still surrounding us. I lay in snugly bed curled around a couple of cats, luxuriating in the warm blankets, gazing out the window at the snow. I do not even want to get out of bed this morning and feel sorry for all the cold little birds. The cats are content to stay in bed with me . Much later I do pull myself up and drag myself out of bed, only to snuggle into a heavy long fleece robe and go downstairs to curl up on the sofa where I stare out the window some more at the snow covered day. Muted sunlight filters through the snow and heavy grey clouds and I watch as wind whips snow flakes up into furious dust devils that blow themselves out a few seconds later. This snow is wet, heavy, and sticky. I notice how it has clung to the evergreen bows, through the wind, pure white against a green so dark it’s almost black. I peer into the deep dark snow covered winter hemlock trees outside the window. It’s a dreamworld that fairy tales come from. I can imagine and Ice Queen with her magic freezing wand who is fiercely fighting to keep her dominance over the Sun Lord who is still weak and trembling from his long imprisonment. But the Sun has slowly returned and Winter will eventually fade away, although Spring seems a distant memory as I watch the covers trees through the window. There is much beauty to behold in the changing seasons.

Grackles!

2-27-2018

As always, when one shows up, the other is not far behind. The Grackles are here today! These marvelous iridescent black birds with dark feathers shimmering resplendent in blue, green, and purple in the sunlight. They mingle with the red wings and maul the feeders with gusto and bravado. I could watch for hours as they flap, hop, strut, peck, fly around, dancing in the yard. The sun is playing hide and seek with the clouds as snow flakes flurry in swirling confusion, while elegant red wing black birds and exquisite grackles delight in the plentiful seed feast, dazzling red and ravishing dark iridescent colors flashing as their shifting movements catch intermittent sunlight.

Red Wing Blackbirds!

2-26-2018

The Red Wing Blackbirds showed up on the feeders today! I delight in the bright red epaulets with a yellow boarder on their wings. These birds are bringers of spring, foretelling of life reawakening, winter’s loosening grip. They trill from the trees and fly down en mass to devour the black oil seed and suet. The cats watch with twitching whiskers and taught muscles, as if one might fly into the house to be caught. I am pleased to sit and watch the red wing black bird’s antics as they dance in the yard around the feeders: perching, flapping, hopping, chirping, pecking, flying, always in motion. One more wonderful sign of spring.