A varied weekend

Yesterday was a work day for me, and it started out with helping on the refuge tour.  These tours are scheduled on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the months of January and February.  That might seem like an odd two months to offer tours, but most people want to see the Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, and these are the only two months during the year that won’t cause too much stress on the cranes.  By next month, mating and nesting activities will begin so people won’t be allowed to disturb these endangered birds. 

 

We had a good tour, and were able to find five of these illusive cranes.  That’s almost 5% of the total population.  Needless to say, folks were very pleased.  :)

 

After the tour, Jay and I drove over to the Grand Bay Visitor’s Center so I could learn the ropes.  To be honest, there aren’t many ropes to learn.  Three of us sat there until 3:00, and had a total of two visitors.  :(  That couple from North Dakota sure did get the royal treatment, though.

Bordering the refuge property are very tall power lines.  Besides providing electricity, these poles also provide nesting places for ospreys.  If you look closely, you can see that each tower has a nest on it, and an osprey holding possession of it.  We were able to watch the closest one through a scope.  The bird was busy rearranging sticks in the nest.  I’m thinking spring must be on it’s way!

After work, four of us headed out to The Shed for Denny’s birthday celebration.  This is a locally famous BBQ joint, featured on Triple D, and the decor has to be seen to be believed.  Shed is a good name for it.  Not being a big BBQ fan, about all I can say is the spare ribs were tender.  I prefer my ribs naked, though.  (none of that red sauce)

 

I forgot to have the faucet drip last night, and as you’ve probably guessed, I had no water this morning.  Had to switch over to the pump, don’t you know.  But, the air warmed outside quickly, and by ten o’clock I was sitting outside enjoying the sun without gloves and a heavy coat.

 

We had been warned that the electricity would be turned off for a few hours this morning starting around 8:00, and sure enough it was.  So I unhooked the power line, and cranked up the generator.  It needed to be exercised anyway, so it got a good workout as I turned on plenty of electrical stuff to give it a good load.

I had a project I needed to work on, so I put the tablecloth on the picnic table and took it outside.  My project entailed cutting apart 25 tee-shirts.  I have wanted to replace the bedspread that came with the rig with a quilt, and I’ve found someone that will make one for me.  It will be made from tee-shirts I have accumulated in the almost five years I’ve been on the road.  By the time I finished all the cutting, my hand was getting stiff.  I don’t have a pair of fabric scissors, so had to use my heavy duty Cutco shears.

When I finished, I spread them out on my bed trying to imagine what the quilt might look like.  It will have a dark brown border and strips between each shirt front.  This will be a memory quilt for sure!  I’m excited about it, and can’t wait to see the final product.  I’m going to ask that the US Fish and Wildlife Volunteer shirt be in the center since much of what I’ve done in the last five years has revolved around that.

 

I have rambled on tonight, so I’d better sign off…

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy