Category: Blogging

I was shocked when I looked at my web site recently and saw how long it had been since I had posted an entry, though I knew it had been awhile since a few long-time readers emailed me asking if I was okay.  Physically, I’m probably in better shape than I have been for years. With all the rain we’ve been having in the Pacific Northwest this year, we’ve been going to the Y five days a week, and I even started back lifting weights two to three times a week.

Unfortunately, that same rain has made it difficult to get out birding for the last three months. There’s been so much rain that it’s been difficult to plan trips. When Leslie was working I didn’t have any restrictions and could just go birding when the weather allowed. Now that Leslie has started teaching Tai Chi classes on M/W/F we don’t go out on those days even if it is sunny. 

To make matters worse, there doesn’t seem to be as many birds around as there has been in past years.  They seem to have come back later this year, and I certainly haven’t seen as many as I have in past years while walking the beach along Ruston Way.

Playing mental games and meditating has also become a daily part of my routine.  Playing Mind Pal, Soduko, and Mendi takes at least an hour out of my day.  Meditating takes another half hour or so. 

At 82 I am focusing more on my physical and mental health more than I’ve ever done before.  Unfortunately, despite lifting weights more than I’ve done since my college weight-lifting class, I still struggle to do things I used to be able to do quite easily. Other than short-term memory I’m not sure to what extent I’ve lost my ability to think clearly and incisively, but I do know I can’t sit down and finish a novel in a single reading like I could do in college. Everything says that declines in both of these areas are inevitable as we age, but I believe/hope that we are able to at least slow down the decline.  

 There’s nothing exciting about performing Tai Chi for a half an hour three days a week, though I’m convinced it helps to strengthen my core and helps me maintain a better sense of balance.  When done properly, it even helps to clear your mind for 30 minutes ( a remarkable and necessary achievement in this world of instant communication).

I do enjoy doing Tai Chi, but the same can’t be said for lifting weights. For me, lifting weights is the equivalent to taking a disgusting medicine that you only take because you know it will help you to get well. During Covid we didn’t go to the gym, and I noticed a remarkable loss of strength when we recently went back to weight lifting. I only do it because it allows me to do things that I do want to enjoy, things that I enjoy doing.

Unfortunately, for me, neither of these activities seem to lend themselves to blogging. Yes, I know that the web is full of people talking abut weight lifting and even more extolling the benefits of Tai Chi, but for me they are just things I do, things I take for granted, not things that I want to write about. 

There has been an even more important reasons I haven’t been posting lately, but it’s been so long since I’ve sat down and written that 581 words seems long enough for a single entry. Hopefully I will be back shortly with the rest of the reasons I have been remiss in my blogging obligations.

When I’m not on vacation, my favorite place to bird is Theler Wetlands.  Birding often seems a little slow during the summer, but I usually see enough birds to thoroughly enjoy the day.  We weren’t seeing many birds on June 7th, so I was excited to spot a small flock of Cedar Waxwings flying back and forth.  Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to want their picture taken.  So, we ended up spending a lot of time standing, waiting for them to settle down.  

While standing there, we heard a Common Yellowthroat calling right in front of us.  I quickly switched to hunting for it, fully expecting that it would be long gone before I ever located it.  After all, we commonly hear them but seldom actually see them.

Amazingly, instead of ducking back into the vegetation, its normal behavior, it flew right in front of us, 

landed a few feet away and made louder calls than before, definitely attracting our attention.

As I stood there capturing multiple poses, another bird flew into view, a female Common Yellowthroat with a large bug in her beak

Clearly, there must have been a nest nearby, which made me assume that the male must have been trying to get us to move away from the nest.  

I took one more shot before quickly leaving the area.

I was thrilled by the whole experience and am convinced that this is the best picture I have taken so far this year.

Perhaps I was wrong; maybe you can take too many photos.

Hard to believe I’m still posting about Spring when Summer is half over.  I’ve been so busy enjoying summer on Mt Rainier I haven’t had time to sit down in front of my computer and work on photos of things I’ve already done.  

The most time-consuming part of posting photos is deciding which photos to post and which to discard, especially when the camera is set to shoot rapidly.  I have to delete at least nine photos for every photo I post, and often the differences are so subtle it takes a while to decide which is the best — at least in my mind.

If I had any pride, I might be embarrassed by how far I’ve fallen behind. Instead, I’m reminded how much I enjoyed Spring long after the Oregon Grape flowers have faded, 

and the Yellow-Rumped Warblers

and Hermit Thrushes

have headed North to their breeding ground.

The  Marsh Wrens haven’t gone anywhere, but they have retreated to the sedges and reeds rather than boldly advertising for mates as they do in Spring.

Spring is probably my favorite time of year and with Summer seemingly arriving earlier every year in the Pacific Northwest, Spring has become even more precious, too beautiful to be gone so soon.