A little shopping, a little tour prep, and one odd duck

After talking to my daughter, Robyn, yesterday, I was on a mission this morning to the nearby Walgreens.  Robyn had suggested that I get a wrist brace from Walgreens to help with the pain.

I went in with a list of two things to purchase; the wrist brace and a heating pad.  As this body has aged over the years on the road, I’ve often wished I had a heating pad to ease minor aches and pains.  I found both the brace and the pad pretty quickly, but as I made my way down the aisles, a few other items called out to me.  There was a special on Jean Nate After Bath Splash that I couldn’t pass up.  I don’t have a bathtub, and I live alone, but I still like to smell good before I go to bed.  Then there was a sale on Lubriderm.  It’s my daily hand treatment to use to ward off cracked fingers.  Last week my battery run can opener bit the dust after only 5+ years.  I found a new one at Walgreens.  It’s a necessity for someone with troublesome wrists.  And what can I say about the sale on Ghiradelli caramel filled dark chocolates?  I also found three pairs of sweatpants for $10.  That’s what I wear in the evenings, and the elastic had expired in the pairs I’ve worn for the last ten years, so that was a no brainer.  I was lucky to get out of there just a little under $100!

On the way out the door to the parking lot, I noticed a couple of Red Box movie thingies.  I’d like to watch the movie “The Help”.  I don’t know anything about Red Box though.  Do you have to be a member, or can anyone just go up and get a DVD?  Things like this are usually not so close to the refuges I volunteer on.

This afternoon, I took Al out to show him where the eagle’s nest is located.  He and Phyllis will be leading a tour tomorrow and this will now be an added stop for visitors.  The eagle is still sitting on the eggs.

As we searched for a turn around spot for the van, we came across a few deer near one of the release pens.

Our approach scared up four Mississippi sandhill cranes, and one of the deer took off as well.

Then the second deer headed for the woods.  These young cranes were just recently released on the refuge and tend to hang around the release pens for a while.  I’m sure they settled right back into the savannah after we left.

Al and I went into the Visitor’s Center upon our return, and saw a look of relief on Phyllis’s face.  Turned out there was a rather unusual young man visiting (one odd duck).  Don’t know how long he was there with Phyllis before we arrived, but he sure had some interesting tales and questions for us.  The thing that seemed to be bothering him the most was the identification of a bird that had pecked a hole in the gas tank of his motorcycle while he was in Central Park in New York City. (?)  Well, every once in a while you get some most unusual individuals while working a visitor’s center.  Some times it gets a little scary.  At this refuge, there is a panic button to push that goes to the sheriff’s office.  That’s a good thing especially when you’re working alone.  Eventually, he left.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy