Photo-a-Day Challenge

Rain, More Rain, Ducks, and Caterpillars

My week in photos

The drizzly rain from Saturday continued through most of Sunday. Syau didn’t get a real walk until 5 pm. It was hard on her and us to be stuck indoors for so long. On the positive side, it was a slow, steady, soaking rain—liquid sunshine that will surely boost spring.

I can’t complain about the bleakness of this weekend since it’s very unusual for us. Our rains tend to be bursts more than dribbles.

We grocery-shopped in the morning. I wore a thick sweatshirt with a hood since it was wet and cold — 47F. The rain increased from a drizzle to a shower as we arrived at our townhome. We made the wise decision to leave all the purchases that didn’t require refrigeration in the car, and I brought them inside once the rain stopped in the evening. We received almost three inches of slow rain over 48 hours.

It’s been more than a month since the Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks disappeared, so I was shocked when they flew in during the rain. Some came to our patio looking for food, so I ignored the rain and delivered three cups of duck feed to them. I don’t mind getting soaked for my ducks!

My day was consumed with minor chores, writing and reading, and scheduling a repair for our dryer, which has forgotten how to dry properly. Unfortunately, the earliest repair appointment I could get was for the 28th, and it’s one of those all-day arrival windows — anytime from 8 am to 5 pm. Meanwhile, no laundry can be done for nine days IF the 20-year-old dryer can be repaired. I researched comparable dryers and discovered replacing ours would cost between $700 and $800.

The sun was back on Monday, but the air was cold enough — 42F — that Syau had to wear her pinkilicious jacket.

In the photo above, the white thing in the middle right is one of two Wood Storks feeding in the trail’s drainage ditch. I had hoped to sneak up and get a few shots, but they both took flight before we got close.

A few yards away, I found this male Northern Cardinal in an American Hophornbeam (Ironwood) tree filled with new leaves.

The leafing of trees this year has been unusual. Many trees sprouted new leaves during our warm spell in January when the temps reached the mid-80s, but when the cold returned, the leaves stopped growing as though frozen in time. Normally, our trees go from leaf buds to fully leafed almost overnight. I wonder if the old new leaves are healthy and will start growing again or if newer leaves will replace them.

Our housekeeper texted last night that her schedule at her full-time job changed, and she can’t work for us this week. In the future, she will come on Mondays rather than Tuesdays. I prefer Tuesdays, but, like the change in Ben’s dialysis schedule, I can do nothing about it and must accept the change if I want her to continue working for us — and I definitely do.

Ben had dialysis at the new, earlier time. While he was there, I went to the vet’s to get a refill of Syau’s Gabapentin, picked up a prescription for Ben at the pharmacy, walked Syau, washed dishes, and since our housekeeper isn’t coming this week, I vacuumed and mopped floors and cleaned bathrooms.

After we arrived home, Ben walked Syau, and I prepared a salad for his dinner before going to work in the evening.

It was a very cold 34F Tuesday morning. I wore two sweatshirts, a hat, and gloves while Syau reluctantly sported her pink jacket. Fortunately, it was a sunny and gorgeous morning.

A Northern Cardinal couple was in the garden area of a subdivision entrance. I hoped for a photo of the female, but she flew off, leaving her mate behind.

On the sidewalk to our house, I saw a crow taking a bath in the rain-filled ditch, and Dan Pfeifer published my photos in his Simply Photos publication.

I was making Cream of Rice for my breakfast when Ben excitedly called me to the living room. Three deer were eating from the platform birdfeeder. Not wanting to scare them away, I took photos through our living room patio door and the porch screen. These indoor-to-outdoor photos never come out well, so I adjusted the colors and found no color was the best option.

I spent the morning reading and writing on Medium, paying bills online, and preparing a package to mail to my daughter and grandchildren.

I worked during the afternoon, then took the package to the post office, but more than twenty people were in line! Usually, we only have lines like that before Christmas and never in late February. Not having 45 to 60 minutes to stand in line, I drove to UPS and paid a little more than USPS would have cost, and the whole process, including driving time, took twenty minutes.

Ben and I took Syau on a 3/4 mile walk in the evening. Afterward, I baked cinnamon scones and wrote about them here:

Then, I prepared chicken breasts and yellow rice for Ben’s dinner.

Wednesday was another unusually cold morning for February — 37F. Poor Syau again wore the dreaded jacket. Fortunately, the predictions for the next ten days have mornings in the 40s and 50s — warm enough for Syau to go unjacketed — and I doubt we’ll have any more nights in the 30s this season, but don’t hold me to that prediction.

Our HVAC company came to service the heating and air-conditioning units in the morning. Afterward, I went for a walk with my camera and caught a Pine Warbler hiding in a tree.

Several more Warblers were in the grass. As I took the photo above, one took flight. Despite the blur, I thought it was a fun picture.

As I walked by Rainbows Pond, I found Grandad, the Great Blue Heron, sauntering along the shore.

After a weekend of rain, rain, and more rain, I’m enjoying our blue skies and sunshine, but storms are predicted for Friday. After such a dry autumn, I welcome any rain that comes our way, although I prefer rain to come without storms! The wet weekend weather helped to bring our neighborhood lakes and ponds to almost normal levels.

I was wrong about no more mornings in the 30s; Thursday morning was as cold as Wednesday — 37F. When Gina and I headed out at 10:15 to go birding, it had warmed to 63F.

First, we went in search of the new bookstore’s location. I wrote about the The Lynx here:

We couldn’t take a peek inside because a large truck was delivering building materials. We also made tentative plans to eat at a nearby pizza restaurant. For me to consider eating pizza reveals how much better I feel!

Across the street was Depot Park, a favorite birding spot.

We were excited to see our first Hooded Mergansers of the season. These birds were only passing through on their migration north, and they won’t hang around for very long. I counted 17 Mergansers — the most I’ve ever seen at once.

We also saw one of the resident gators warming in the sun.

There are always turtles in the park. Since gators eat turtles, seeing them so near one another amazes me. But the turtles are smarter than you might think. They know the gator was in slo-mo mode due to last night’s cold. It will take a while for that big lizard to warm up and start thinking about what he wants to eat.

And there are always Great and Snowy Egrets at the Park.

The morning sky was a mix of blue and gray as a storm front slowly moved across Florida on Friday. This American Crow had blue to his east and gray to his west.

While Ben was at dialysis, I walked Syau and worked for a client. After bringing him home in the afternoon, I baked Polvorones cookies:

These cookies are known by many names, including Mexican Wedding Cookies, Spanish Almond Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, and Snowballs in the United States, where they are often considered Christmas cookies. Besides almonds, you can also make them using pecans or walnuts.

I made two batches — one for us and one for Saturday's Liberal Ladies’ Luncheon. My friend Gina and her wife, me, and our friends Nora, Leah, and Bess meet monthly to discuss the American degradation of women’s and civil rights and to eat finger foods that we each provide.

We will have a lot to discuss this week after the Alabama Supreme Court declared IVF embryos to be children and therefore protected by all rights offered to living, breathing kids, meaning that unused embryos cannot be destroyed without the risk of being charged with manslaughter. Two vials of embryos were accidentally dropped at an Alabama medical facility, and the unfortunate and clumsy culprit can now be convicted of involuntary manslaughter rather than simple negligence. Many reproductive clinics in Alabama have ceased their IVF services due to the legalities of this ruling. Who can or will store embryos forever??

I worked for a client in the evening, and was dismayed at a complicated problem left for me to resolve. I didn’t have enough time and left it for the weekend.

I was beyond thrilled to have a Muscovy Duck show up for Saturday morning breakfast. It’s been about ten months since a Toby (Ben’s name for Muscovy Ducks) was on our lakeshore. Not sure why she was alone, but I hope she returns with more Tobies tomorrow.

Our Saturday and Friday mornings were cool but not cold. Very comfortable. Syau agreed.

I believe Valencia, our female Red-Shouldered Hawk, is nesting. I haven’t seen her recently, but I often see or hear her mate, Vander. Earlier in the week, he was on our lakeshore with a fish he wasn’t eating. As I approached to fill the birdfeeder, he took flight with the fish in his talons. Chances are he was delivering his catch to Valencia, who is busy incubating eggs and can’t hunt for herself.

Friday morning he was on a tree limb above Rainbows Pond. I’ve been looking for their nest, but it’s unlikely I’ll find it until their eggs hatch and the eyas (baby hawks) begin defecating over the edge of the nest. Last year, the poop led me to their nest. Maybe, poop will lead me to this year’s nest.

These are Eastern Tent Caterpillars, found through most of the United States and southern Canada but are most common east of the Mississippi River. Just as trees are leafing in the early spring, the Malacosoma americanum moths lay their eggs. The young caterpillars eat the newly emerging leaves and flowers of deciduous trees. Periodically, the outbreak of Tent Caterpillars is very large, causing serious defoliation that weakens the host trees.

Lastly, after arriving home from our walk, I spotted Grandad, the Great Blue Heron, high in a tree across Unicorn Lake from our home.

Our Liberal Ladies’ Luncheon was a huge success. It was my first time visiting Nora’s apartment in a retirement complex. She moved there in November. It was lovely and spacious, with a bright and happy sunroom. Leah brought her sister, who is visiting from Illinois. Unfortunately, Bess, who is an author, was already scheduled to attend a book-signing event in another town. My Polvorones cookies were very popular.

I arrived home at 4:00 and immediately took Syau for her evening walk. It was an exquisite day with a cool, brisk breeze. Later, I did a few household chores and prepared a salad for Ben to have with the ribs he cooked. I wasn’t hungry after the luncheon.

The medicine I take has certainly helped my digestive issues. I’m not sure if I will have to continue the two new meds long-term. Meanwhile, I’ve tested a few foods to see if I can add them back to my diet. One meat substitute, lemon for flavoring, cheese, cold cereal, and ice cream were successful. My doctor had me not drinking or eating anything after 6 pm during January. I’ve eased that restriction a little. I still don’t eat past 6 pm, but I drink small amounts of water until 8 pm and nothing during the night.

This week ends with spring definitely pushing away winter. I hope to do some gardening this coming week. Has spring come to your area yet?

© 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.