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Borrego Springs, CA

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

How do you spell ‘relief’?

With the weather guessers saying temps were going to be in the 90’s today, I set my alarm for a pre-dawn wake up so I could get out painting those posts in the cool (?) of the morning.  It was muggy and warm as I headed out to try to finish up the posts along Bruce Boulevard.

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As I stopped for this photo along the way, I wondered if any color would show up in the fogginess, and it didn’t.  I didn’t change this photo to black and white in Picasa; this is what it actually looked like this morning.  Kind of eerie.  My goal was to get 20 posts painted before the temps became too oppressive, and I almost made it.

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With the heavy water laden air, not many birds were moving about.  I spotted this young bald eagle perched on a dead tree waiting for things to dry out.

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This is not the best picture, but I wanted to lighten it up a bit to see if I could determine the bird’s age.  I think this is one of the youngsters from this year’s hatch of bald eagles.  If you look real closely, you might see the the stripe of yellow/orange along the back edge of its mandibles (beak parts).  This area is called the cere, and is a wax-like swollen area at the base of the bill.  Many young birds have this characteristic.  So, that’s why I think this bird hatched this year. 

At one point, as I was busily painting away, staff member Gina pulled in behind me at the Egg Lake access and needed to get in.  As I approached her vehicle, my glasses fell apart and one lens popped out in my hand.  Did you ever try to fix your glasses without having a second pair to see them with?  Impossible!  Apparently the screw holding the lens in had come out.  Gina was able to give it a temporary fix by twisting a long staple through the screw hole, so I continued along my way.

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I disturbed this walking stick at one of the gates I was painting.  I tried to look up what kind it was, but didn’t have any luck.

Just as I was finishing up post #19, the lens popped out of my glasses once again.  That meant I had to search around in the weeds for it with only one eye.  Disappointed smile

After finally finding it, I decided that was it for me today.  A trip to the Wal-Mart in Detroit Lakes was on the docket for this afternoon.  They fixed it lickety split, and while there I decided to get my hairs cut.  After  a stop to get some wine, I headed home.  By this time, the temps had risen to 97*!  That’s hot for northern Minnesota.

I was more than happy to hang up my keys when I got back and enjoy the AC.  Only problem was, the refuge keys I’ve been issued were not in my pocket.  Whenever I leave the refuge I put those keys in my pocket in case I have to unlock the gate to the compound after the worker bees have gone home for the day.  Uh-oh!  I’ve never lost a set of keys I’ve been issued.  I searched the rig from top to bottom, but I was sure I had taken them with me this afternoon.  I even checked my painting pants pocket to no avail.  Could they be in the Wal-Mart or liquor store parking lot?  I was beside myself, but there seemed nothing to do about it.

I fed Emma her supper, and went outside to sit with her for a while in the 95* temperature.  As a last resort, I decided to check the car.  Viola!  There were the keys laying in the driver’s bucket seat.  Some people spell relief R-O-L-A-I-D-S, but I spell it KEYS-IN-HAND!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

30 comments:

  1. I've had a few moments like that through the years. I agree that there's many ways to define "relief".

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  2. Finding a set of lost keys is almost worth losing them in the first place as it feels so good.

    I thought of another song for your post painting, Judy:

    You paint 19 posts and what do you get,
    Another day older and deeper in debt.

    Remember this one and who sang it?

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    1. that was always one of my brothers favorite songs because of the low low bass. :-)
      well bless a my soul !

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  3. You never know what a day will bring your way..I wonder how many more posts do you have yet to paint?

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  4. What a day you had, Judy. Good thing it is almost over!

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  5. We spell our relief - G-L-A-S-S-E-S. Your eagle looks so regal sitting there. It's still in the 90's here in Helen also.

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  6. Whew -- glad you found those keys! Can imagine you had a few nail-biting moments over that.

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  7. Nothing quite so satisfying as finding lost keys!
    Glad you got your glasses fixed...hope you enjoyed your much needed glass of wine!
    Great lesson on determining the eagle's age. Way cool!

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  8. had that problem with the screws always popping on on my new glasses luckily the one time lens slid
    right into my pocket rather than the concrete.
    I solved that problem by putting a drop of super glue on screw.

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  9. Whew that sounds like kind of a stressful day, especially in the heat. The heat you are reporting up there is making me rethink Minnesota as a summer refuge. Maybe I'd better stick with Maine and leave the Great Lakes for fall. Thanks for the eagle information. Glad you got the glasses fixed so easily and found the keys. Hope you get some heat relief.

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  10. Well what a day you had. Nothing worse than only being able to see with one eye while hunting for a piece of glass in the grass. Happy ending this evening.

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  11. Man, it's hot (and smoky, too) in California. :(

    It's always the car. Always. They love to hide our things! :)

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  12. Glad it all ended well and you could enjoy that wine without worrying about keys.

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  13. I'm glad you found the keys.

    97 degrees! That's worse than Tampa, but I'll bet your humidity isn't as bad.

    I like wine in the cooler months, but it gives me hot flashes, so I don't drink much wine in the summer.

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  14. I learn something new each time I read your blog. Hopefully on day I will be able to recognize a young eagle by the tripe of yellow/orange.

    It is a wonder that the posts were dry enough to paint that early.

    What a scary feeling when you can't find your keys. Glad it all worked out.

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  15. That early morning photo is awesome.... there's something about a foggy morning that invites a person to just sit and listen to the morning sounds.

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  16. I would have had a glass of wine to celebrate my heart settling back into my chest after those keys turned up :)

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  17. That .. well, Sharon said what I was going to say but I'll say it anyhow... that morning photo is awesome. I can see me there. love that wonderful misty eerie kind of morning. then when it burns off.. just spectacular.

    That young Eagle! how cool is that. the walking stick? you amaze me with your knowledge of nature. love reading your stuff and boy can I relate to the glasses thing and the key losing business.

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  18. Glasses and keys, two problem areas for me, too. You are not alone on this.

    Glad you got your "hairs" cut. Did you pick and choose which ones to cut? :cD

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  19. Maybe if I ever know I'm going to cross paths with you I'll bring you a custom eyeglass repair kit...and a pair of readers so you can do the repair! Glad you found the lens and the keys. I lost my debit card last week, tore apart the house & car two days in a row before I gave up and ordered a new one.

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  21. well, thank goodness those keys showed up so you could rest easy. . .

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  22. When, oh when, in my lifetime, am I going to be able to completely function without keys or electrical cords? Probably never, but I surely wish it were possible!

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  23. The evidence is in! You truly do find lost articles in the last place you look - obviously, because you quit looking. HA
    I know it is a relief, especially when the lost article is not yours to loose.

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  24. I'm glad you were able to get your glasses fixed right away. Broken glasses might be worse than lost keys! I am forever losing keys but have had good luck finding them. Sunglasses stay lost for all times.

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  25. Believe it or not, Judy, I DO know what a mandible is.(..Woo Hoo!)..and we humans have one also. I loved Anatomy and Physiology...not so much on bird parts. Being an old Optometric Technician,I carry a teenie weenie glasses screwdriver in my purse just for such emergencys..I also carry my older pair of specs so I can actually SEE to replace an errant screw or lens...How do I spell relieve?...C-A-M-P-I-N-G...

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  26. Even better than finding lost keys is finding a lost wallet. My DH lost his wallet Sunday and was sure it was in Church. I was so hoping that someone in a Church would turn it in. He found someone with keys to the church and it was right where he had been sitting. It is such a pain to have to cancel credit cards and wait for them to be reissued.

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  27. Those temps I expect in FL ... but up where you are not so much. Hopefully things will cool off for you soon. As for us ... we're going to head in a northerly direction to get some relief for a while.

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  28. Wow...I don't feel so bad about being in 90+ degree heat and wishing I was further north, seeing how hot it is in MN. So glad you found your keys...Most of the time, stuff I can't find is right under my nose.

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  29. You crack me up! Glad you found the keys...you sound like me...losing them. Glad your glasses are fixed too. And hope you were able to FINALLY enjoy that air!

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