Photo-A-Day Challenge

A Week of Special

Finding the special in each day

The week started off special because my friend Gina and I took a short road trip to nearby lakes. We were looking for old Florida and we found it, along with this Great Blue Heron.

As we were heading out of town, we came across this rare and special duck in traffic :)

You can see more photos of our mini-road-trip here:

Monday was special because the ducklings came to visit. My suspicion that Reina is their mother was confirmed when she appeared with all 12 of her offspring.

Tuesday, it was raining at noon, delaying Syau’s mid-day walk. When the rain stopped, I checked my weather app and told Captain Argentina that he had time to walk her before it rained again. I was wrong. He and Syau were caught in a heavy downpour. This man hates getting wet in the rain! I greeted them at the door with towels. He and Syau were not happy! I have to point out that Ben is shoeless in this photo. He rarely takes a step without having shoes on his feet. To have him wet and shoeless was the perfect photo opportunity! I call that very special!

This holey vine is an air potato, an invasive plant that grows as much as 8 feet a day. Our community used to have “Air Potato Roundups”. Volunteers dug up and destroyed as many plants as possible. But, now, we have an army of air potato beetles in the battle. Residents can request that beetles be introduced to their property to combat air potatoes. The beetles skeletonize the leaves, which slows the spread of the plant but doesn’t completely eradicate it. The beetles are common enough now that I rarely see a vine with solid leaves. I think this method of vine control is very special.

Thursday was special because five of the ducklings came alone to our patio for breakfast. Before, they’ve always stayed by the lake. I’m not worried about the other seven. The nest is already empty. Now, it’s time for the kids to have some independence from mom and from one another.

Friday was special because I baked gluten-free blueberry muffins for the first time. Tasty but not as good as regular flour muffins. Still, they pair well with coffee.

Today was special because we had unexpected visitors — a doe and her fawn came to eat corn by the lake. The first time we’ve seen deer at our place! Mom was less timid and stayed even when I opened the screen door to get a better photo. The fawn hid behind bushes most of the time and when she/he did appear, I didn’t dare open the door, so the photo was taken through the screen.

Today is also special because it would have been the 101st birthday of Captain Argentina’s mother. She passed almost 6 years ago and we still miss her so much. Happy birthday, Mami Emilia!

And, lastly, today is special in a worrisome way. Our Syau is ill — two days of vomiting, refusing food, and being lethargic. After two vet visits, blood work, and X-rays, we still don’t have a definitive diagnosis, other than a severely irritated stomach lining. We’re treating symptoms and hoping for the best. Please send healing thoughts and prayers to our old girl (she’s 13).

© Dennett 2021

A little more than a year ago, I started the Photo-a-Day Challenge to help combat the virus blues. I take photos every day and choose one (maybe, two) to represent the day. Then, add a one-or-two-word descriptor and maybe, some narrative. A simple way to observe and preserve.

Want to join the fun? It’s all about noticing and appreciating your environment and sharing it with us, as these photographers and story-tellers have:

Erika Burkhalter / Eileen Vorbach Collins / Anne Bonfert / Sasha Meyer / Tracy Aston/ Lisa Bolin / Juan O. Aguilera / David Wade Chambers / June Nguyen / Mia Verita / Susan Alison / LensAfield / Barbara Radisavljevic / Diana Lotti / Barbara Dalton / Kim Zuch / K. Barrett / Sandra Barrett / Shruthi Sundaram

(If you participated in the Photo-A-Day Challenge and your name isn’t listed above, please let me know.)

Please follow the Snapshot rules:

Lead with a photo/title and subtitle follow No more than 10 photos per post No more than 750 words per post Yes, we know that the photos are yours but you still have to state that they’re your work

And, have fun!