Photo-a-Day Challenge
An Overflowing Week
My week in photos
Our Sunday morning walk was steeped in gray, but even when the world is monochrome, a Northern Mockingbird can be gorgeous — and loud. This bird was singing an opera for us. Not imitating other birds or buzzing like a car alarm or ringing like a doorbell. Just caroling for the joy of being a bird in a tree on a gray morning.
The rain finally arrived in the early afternoon, along with booming thunder in the distance. After the stormy shower, we had a slow drizzle, giving us a total of one inch by day’s end.
I still spread duck feed (a combination of whole and cracked corn, duck pellets, and mealworms) even when no Ducks or Ibises show up for breakfast. Today, a flock of American Crows ate every morsel before the storm arrived. Of course, when three Muscovy Ducks appeared in the early evening, I took a pail of goodies out to them.
Because of the rain, Syau missed her evening walk, but we were able to leave the house in the late evening for a short stroll before darkness settled in. I wanted to go further, but Syau wasn’t having it. My doggy does not like to walk on wet sidewalks or damp grass!
With the inclement weather, I wasn’t able to do the gardening I planned, so I organized our linen closet, which was a bigger job than it sounds, baked a Lemon Blueberry Cake, washed our bed and bath linens and a load of clothes, and worked on Medium. Besides my publications, Weeds & Wildflowers and In My Life, I’m the Sunday/Monday editor for Snapshots.
Our upcoming week will be busy with four appointments, including one for our cat’s dental surgery. Also, my assistant at my largest client is on vacation, so I have to work two extra evenings at that office.
I’m still experiencing COVID fatigue. I manage to get through part or all of what I need or want to do, but I’m knackered (another great British word) by evening and ready for bed by 8 pm. If lucky, I can crawl under the sheets by 8:30 or 9:00. Although tired, I’m not sleepy and will read for one or two hours. Since I had my annual checkup in February and the doctor found no concerns other than my known digestive issues, I assume my exhaustion is COVID-related.
Sunday’s rains brought Monday’s misty fog, and as the volatile weather of March continues, more storms are predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Despite concerns about storms and tornadoes, March also brings rain-blessed flowers like this Virginia Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana), which is both a domestic landscaping plant and a wildflower.
While Ben was at dialysis, I gassed up the car, went to the pharmacy, walked Syau, cleaned our bathroom, and vacuumed and mopped floors. I worked in the evening.
After a restless night, I awoke an hour earlier than usual to take our cat Sébastien to the vet for his dental surgery. When I opened my eyes, he was stretched long beside me in bed. Perhaps he sensed my apprehension about his appointment?
I was not very concerned about the procedure—our vet is excellent, and the surgery is routine—routine for her but not for us. It’s always difficult when a pet needs to remain at a veterinary clinic for care because it’s impossible to explain why and what to an animal. I felt similarly when Tango had dental surgery several years ago, but it’s worse with Sébastien since he’s cross-eyed and has limited peripheral sight.
Just as humans with limited sight are comfortable in their homes, so is Sébastien. He gets around perfectly fine, but he becomes frightened and confused outside his domain. That’s why I had a restless night; I knew he would be terrified, and I wouldn’t be present to comfort him.
I strongarmed him into the cat carrier, and he and I traveled the 12 miles to our vet. His plaintive and incredibly sad cries shattered my heart. When we arrived at 6:45 am, he was panting and foaming at the mouth.
Although I get upset with these pet situations, I handle them much better than Ben. I do what has to be done while Ben is a basket case and of no assistance. I assume it’s because he never had pets until I came into his life, while I’ve had dozens of dogs and cats, several reptiles, a pet pig, a goat, mice, turtles, and Guinea pigs. As the saying goes, this isn’t my first rodeo. I absorb my emotions and carry on.
Since I was gone, Ben took Syau on her morning walk. After arriving home, I had breakfast but struggled to keep my eyes open, so I took a two-hour nap! WTH? It’s odd for me to nap, even odder for me to nap in the morning and odder still for me to nap for two hours.
The vet called minutes after I got up and said the surgery went well. She actually removed two teeth, the one she saw during his February exam and another that was quickly deteriorating. I wrote more about Sébastien in a piece that Louise Peacock published in her publication Catness:
Last week, I shared a photo of a Chinese Fringe Tree, the largest one in our neighborhood. Above is a close-up of the flowers on a smaller Chinese Fringe Tree near the walking trail. To me, the petals look like crepe paper used to make party decorations.
Wednesday morning began with golden sunlight, but the sky quickly turned a sullen gray. A flock of Whistlers flew in as I scattered their breakfast on the shore.
Ben had a mid-morning appointment with his endocrinologist, who manages his diabetes. She said he’s doing so well he can wait six months for his next appointment.
During the day, I had a long phone conversation with my daughter, spent time reading and writing on Medium, gathered trash and recycle for pick up tomorrow, washed a load of clothes, handled several work emails, baked Pumpkin Muffins, and made yellow rice for Ben’s dinner.
The clouds were gone by early afternoon, and we had a gorgeous spring day. Our high was 74F.
I took Syau on her late afternoon walk and saw a definitive sign of spring — sunbathing turtles. They typically disappear by November and don’t reappear until spring has taken hold. These are Florida Red-Bellied Cooters — the turtles we see sunbathing on shores, logs, and even on top of gators!
Across the boulevard from Rainbows Pond, I found this male Muscovy where our Unicorn Lake ends at a sidewalk. His mate was nestled in the nearby weeds.
Since my assistant at my biggest client is on vacation, I worked Wednesday evening.
When I readied for bed Wednesday night, the temperature was 74F. By morning, it was 58F, and a thin fog floated over our lake. A flock of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks was waiting for their breakfast.
Thursday morning, the sun was a spooky orb nestled in morning clouds. Eventually, it would escape the clouds and shine brightly for most of the day.
Most of the day was consumed with appointments with our nail tech in the morning and my doctor in the afternoon. I’ve lost another 2 lbs since my February visit, but Dr. LP was encouraged that my weight loss has slowed, the diarrhea has stopped, and I feel better. I still have acid reflux, but it’s manageable. I’ll continue on the medications he prescribed last month and have blood work done before I see him again in June. He also felt certain that my fatigue is COVID-related and will subside in the next few weeks.
After returning home, I worked on Medium, took Syau for a walk, and made a salad for Ben to have with the steak he cooked for his dinner.
With my assistant at my largest client on vacation, I dealt with emails in the afternoon and worked at the office in the evening. After arriving home, I watched President Biden’s impressive State of the Union Speech on TV.
I have a theory that the same Northern Mockingbird is in the same area every morning and often follows Syau and me for a short distance. I think this is the bird that I photographed eating loquats in my piece that Dan Pfeifer published in his Gardening, Birding, and Outdoor Adventure publication:
Friday morning, he was on the rooftop of the house east of the loquat tree before he flew to the street curb in front of the tree. He appears to be guarding his loquats. Ben loves them, but I won’t risk picking any loquats and getting pecked by Jocko. Yes, I named the Mockingbird because that’s what I do!
After leaving Ben at dialysis, I went to the pharmacy, walked Syau, and talked with my friend Gina. We made plans for her to replace the skylight panel in our second bathroom on Sunday, after which I’ll treat her to lunch at a restaurant we both want to try. I finally feel confident enough about my improved digestion to eat out.
I worked for two hours for a client before picking up Ben and then worked for two hours in the evening.
Saturday morning, I came across a bright pink Japanese Camellia. It was facing down toward the ground, so I played around with taking a photo of the flower in selfie mode. I held my phone underneath the flower with the camera facing up. Keeping myself out of the photo was difficult, so I created a selfie of the flower and me. I actually like my double selfie!
I worked most of the day while Louise Peacock covered Weeds & Wildflowers.
This is a scene from our living room on Saturday. Tango is on my lap. Ben’s feet/legs are on the sofa, and Syau is asleep on her bed in front of the TV. Sébastien was on the porch watching squirrels from his favorite perch — a ladder that we keep open all the time because long ago, he claimed it as his throne.
After arriving home from work, I washed Ben’s dialysis blanket, scarf, gloves, beanie, and pillowcase and spent 40 minutes on Medium. While having an early dinner, I watched a TV show with Ben. Then, I paid bills online and handled some work emails.
In the evening, I made a salad for to have with the ribs he cooked and made Gingerbread Scones:
It was a cloudy, windy, damp day, but the rain was intermittent and inconsequential. A good day to be indoors.
Tonight our clocks go ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. I really wish the government would abolish this silly changing of the time twice a year. It will be dark outside when we wake up at 7 am tomorrow morning. Yes, having more sunlight in the evening is nice, but I prefer not to walk Syau in the morning darkness! It’s also dangerous for the children who walk to the nearby elementary school.
My week was very full with extra work hours, Sébastien’s surgery, and three other appointments, but everything went smoothly. Still, I’m relieved that it’s over!
© Dennett 2024
If you don’t already participate in the Weeds & Wildflowers Photo-a-Day Challenge, I hope you will join us. This is our third year sharing our lives, neighborhoods, activities, travels, and experiences through photos and short narratives.
Here is a list of our Photo-a-Day storytellers:
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 / Gustavo Mendez / Olive Wilson / Jane Frost (Jane Grows Garden Rooms) / Jillian Amatt / Scott Younkin / Penny Grubb / Shell Parsons /Ivy Shepherd / Lynne Nardizzi / Ken Martin / Amethyst Qu / Beth Bruno / Julia A. Keirns / Krasi Shapkarova
Please let me know if you’ve participated in the Photo-a-Day Challenge and don’t see your name here.
