Reeling without Music

Nikki, a co-worker passed away over the weekend. I'm in shock, as are my other coworkers. What a mixed up bundle of emotions. Half of me wants to crawl into a hole, and the other half is still reeling from the weekend's birding. Coworkers informed me this morning that I was on television last night - in the news report which was also featured in the 'coming up next on KCRA' shots.

The filming happened at the site where I saw the Ovenbird. The news guys came out to photograph the Snowy owl, which has flown. So the news crew decided to film one of the guys walking around. I was in the background, photographing that Ruby-crowned Kinglet from yesterday and listening to the interview. Whomever they interviewed must have been a student at Davis - he sounded like an ornithologist.

So this morning I came into work all abuzz with the news on the Owl, Ovenbird, Trumpeter Swans, Blue Jay, the Laysan Albatross in Stockton and other signs of the Apocalypse, when I noticed the email about Nikki.

Poor Nikki - she was maybe forty now. She suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis but it was pneumonia that overcame her. She was so tiny and frail but feisty - had the heart of a lioness. Haven't seen her much more than a couple times a month now that we're in this hell-hole of a gigantic state building downtown but I always enjoyed speaking with her.

Hey Nikki, I know you're romping around now, caneless, with Thunder the Rottweiller at your heels and and hopping at your side is Mr... what was the name of that HUMONGOUS rabbit she loved? Mr Hunny Bunny. Hop on, all of you.

Duh!

Holy crap. How dumb can I be? Today Barb emailed me. Instead of sleeping on a twin bed and whining and whinging about it, why don't I ditch the twin and buy a Queensize bed now instead of waiting until I get the new bedroom painted and decorated.

Well DUH.

I must be dumber than a sack o' hammers that I didn't think of that for myself. I mean really.

This was the second great weekend in a row. Went to see Brokeback Mountain with Mommy Nancy. It was dead sad. Tore my heart out. I think it's going to give me nightmares. *shudders*

On a happier note, went birding this morning and saw an Ovenbird in Yolo Co. at Putah Creek.

Also got a nice series of pictures of a cooperative little Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Lazy Day

Have been a bit lazy today. I mostly got involved in deleting an old website I made several years ago and starting it up under shiny new titles and such. Why? Well, obviously to avoid the work I ought to be doing - clearing out the back bedroom. GAK!

Don and a friend drove out to see the Snowy Owl but the bird has managed to avoid being spotted. I'm wondering if it headed farther south or is just secreted somewhere in the farmlands. I'm pretty confident it'll show up again somewhere around here. But the drive out wasn't a total lost. Don found the Ovenbird in the same place I looked for it yesterday but didn't see it.

Damn it. Now I wish I'd gone. I'd really like a chance to photograph the Ovenbird. It was a lifer for Don.

My house is freakn' freezing. I've had the thermostat down to 55 degrees all day, all night. Last night was the first night I actually woke up cold. That is rare! I didn't up the thermostat but neither did I dig out the down comforter so I am not feeling too stressed out.

As flippin' cold as it is, I saw a hummingbird flitting around the oak tree today. I suppose I ought to put out the hummingbird feeder for the poor thing. Heaven only knows what the hell the thing is feeding on - it's supposed to be in Brazil or Columbia or someplace else that is warm. Like me I reckon. Oh well. It's twilight. I think I'm going to start up the fireplace.

The green flame on the right looks like an elk antler