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Borrego Springs, CA

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Muddling through

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I suppose that’s because my excitement about this place has been squashed.  I’m trying not to dwell on that as I finish up the next six weeks or so.  There are some good things on my horizon, and I’m centering on those.

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Had an interesting encounter with this coyote on the bird tour last Sunday.  It seems we interrupted this guy’s normal routine, and he wasn’t thrilled about it.  He ran away from us, and then returned.  My tour path seemed to be the same as his early morning wanderings.  For more than half the tour, he could have been the guide.  We gave him plenty of room, but he led the way down my looping path through the land management areas.  What a treat.

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In case you haven’t noticed, spring migration has begun.  This huge batch of turkey vultures caught some thermals above my RV site yesterday afternoon, and followed the slip-stream north. 

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A pair of osprey have also been working the pond in front of my site.  I’ve noticed there are less and less waterfowl visible on the ponds during my bird tours.  It’s a little too early for me to migrate, but my heart is with those avian friends winging their way north.

I sat outside for a while with Emma this morning, and then went in to fix my breakfast.  Emma began her alarm barking, so I ran outside to bring her in.  I figured it was the coyotes again, but I was wrong.

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Seems there was a little bandit clinging to the side of the bunk house next door.  I figured these guys were eating up the empty orange peels from the mesquite tree each night, but I was surprised to see one so close during daylight hours.

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                            I put two orange halves out each morning for the little verdin to snack on.

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Between the verdin and the Gila woodpeckers, the orange halves are totally emptied by nightfall.  Each morning the tree is bare of oranges, and there’s not a scrap left behind.  Fellow volunteer Gail watched three of the raccoons out her rig’s window this morning before one of them came over toward my site.  Due to Emma, that little bandit will have to wait until tonight to snack on the bitter peels.

Next Tuesday, my daughter Robyn and grandgirl Phoebe arrive for a four night stay with me.  I’m very excited about that.  It’s one of the good things that is helping me ‘muddle through’.  If anything interesting happens before their arrival, I’ll let you know. 

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                                                                               THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

43 comments:

  1. Beautiful Verdin. Hang in there....this too will pass.

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  2. Thats a cute little bandit you have..and a great picture of the verdin and the Gila woodpecker Judy.

    I meant to ask earlier (maybe I missed a post) but has Emma adjusted to her new bowls and is she eating?

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  3. HA HA great the end! Glad you have your visitors to help you muddle through. I still think you are a gem to stay to the bitter end.

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  4. Lovely wildlife glimpses, as usual. I know you are busy next week, but if you get some time, come over to Mittry Lake for a visit.

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  5. Judy...I don't know why, but I have lost my zest for blogging here lately too....Seems to me like lots less people are interested...and I do believe Rick the computer Guru stated that blogging is passe'...That would be me..passe'. I guess I'll do it , but only when I feel like it..Seems to be fewer and farther in between lately.

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    1. You're right, Donna, I did express some opinions about blogging beginning to get 'repetitious' and antiquated for my personal liking. However, that was just my opinion on that particular day and certainly not something that should be applied to everyone. I'm still writing my blog but only when I have something to write about that interests me - sometimes it's daily or it could mean every few days. I do understand what you're saying though about the 'zest for blogging'.

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  6. Your header photo is beautiful.

    I am not a fan of raccoons. I have seen them tear up our garden one year. They also dig deep holes around our bird feeders in Ohio. Not happy with those critters.

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  7. soon your time will be done! you can do it!

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  8. So glad that Robyn and Phoebe will be there soon, I am sure you are looking forward to their arrival. They will certainly help make the time go by and soon you will have more birds going through the preserve so that will help too!

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  9. It won't be long, and you will be heading for greener pastures. Really like your header photo, as well as the birds. Wish we were back in the desert. 24 degrees here tonight, with the teens forecast for next week. Know you will enjoy your visitors.

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  10. I hate to hear you sounding so weary of the job. You are always so enthusiastic and positive and involved, so it must a really negative person(s) there. I don't want to speed up the days ahead for either of us :-), but I'll be glad when you get to your next worksite.

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  11. Interesting that some say that blogging is passe. Like a lot of things...it can get to be overkill...except of course, your friend's blogs. I do find myself scanning more and reading less, but there are true friends I have made thanks to this medium. There are stories I want to remember, my own and theirs as well. Loved the coyote photo. He looked fat and happy, unlike many of the coyotes I saw around Quartzite years ago, desert coyotes. In the Pacific Northwest, our coyotes are big and fat and fluffy. This guy could almost pass for a northwest coyote!

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  12. Here's some good news for you to digest.... My bird son was out on Tuesday with a couple of his NAS friends (one of them was his 4th grade teacher!) checking bald eagle nests in a three county area nearby. They discovered a total of ten roosting pairs! He was stoked! I participated by keeping an eye on the grand tots!

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  13. The 6 weeks will pass quickly and you'll be on the road toward someone who appreciates you. Glad to see you're having visitors. That should be fun for you all.

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  14. Delightful post, as always. Love the photos of the coyote, raccoon and birds. Still can't believe you have been treated so badly.

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  15. And you have that trip to Mexico to look forward to! :))) We here in blog land admire you for sticking with it!

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  16. You may be having a difficult time but you still take great photos... and still have your sense of humor with "the end" shots. Enjoy your time with your family!

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  17. Do you have a plan for whats next yet? Seems like on this position you are a bit lonely as well as being under appreciated. Six weeks is a long time, but it will pass. I hope blogging doesn't go away. I enjoy reading and learning from others, and my blog is a record of my travels that I hope to be able to look back on in years to come.

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  18. I wouldn't have much enthusiasm for the job either after the way you were treated. But I know those who come for your bird tours are sure glad you are there. And to have a coyote for a co-guide - that is just too neat. Love your end picture. That is great.

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  19. Hang in there, Judy. Your posts are always interesting, like you, and we all look forward to reading what you have to say along with your fantastic, blog-best bird pics!

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  20. Love your photos. I am going to look for bird oranges. Wonder where you buy them.

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  21. Judy, it is so fun to watch the different creatures eating the oranges! And, when you showed the turkey vultures overhead, I thought that you were going to make a joke about the vultures waiting for you to breathe your last!
    I think it's wonderful that Emma gives an alarm bark to let you get yourself out there and catch the action!

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  22. You hang in there. It is too bad that manager was such a horese butt. Six weeks sounds like forever when you are having no fun. Emma the alarm...good thing you have her:)

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  23. Great photos as usual. We wanted to get up your way while we're at Mittry but have had a bunch of things to take care of. We'll see.

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  24. Great photos as usual. We wanted to get up your way while we're at Mittry but have had a bunch of things to take care of. We'll see.

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  25. I haven't been visiting blogs much lately but am glad I visited yours! Your photos are so wonderful. And you are an incredibly amazing and capable woman with such special interests. Thanks for all the many hours you put in as a volunteer!!

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  26. Your heart may be with those birds flying north, but you might want to hold off a bit with all the cold and snow that's up there. Enjoy your time with Robyn and Phoebe, it will be a blast and a shot in the arm to have them with you and enjoy all the wildlife there. Even coyotes and raccoons! :c)

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  27. Great shots! You always get the most interesting photos that tell great stories! I'm sorry you feel quashed...but I'd feel the same way. Too bad this wasn't a totally wonderful experience...but it wasn't totally horrible either, so that counts. Glad you daughter is coming to visit, that will be so much fun! Hope they get to see as much wildlife as you've been seeing while they're there!

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  28. a visit from the fam always lifts the spirits. . .hope the time passes swiftly for you!

    I blog as my travel journal. . .but when nothing's happening, there's nothing to say. No one really wants to know what we're eating.. .where we're shopping. . .yada. . .yada. . .but the highlights. . .like all your bird and wildlife pics. . .those are always good blog fodder!

    Well done!

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  29. Hang in there Judy. That manager will get his incompetence back in spades. Other places will be glad you crossed this one off the list. On the subject of blogs, there are a lot of good blogs out there and yours is one of the best.

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  30. Haha, that last picture reminded me of Fess Parker, aka Davy Crockett, with his coonskin cap. Did I just date myself?

    How cool is it that Robyn and your grandgirl are coming to visit you in the desert ... think of all the wonders you can show them!! (except raccoons) Have a BLAST!

    I wonder if I should add orange halves to my backyard feeders? Ya think?

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  31. Have a Happy Valentines Day Judy! WE love you and you surely deserve, and are due, for a wonderful day! Get yourself some chocolate, will ye, and than eat it ALL! :-)

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  32. Judy,

    In your Thursday, January 29, 2015 posting you closed with this question: Do you suppose someone could invent a mail-order husband company?

    I remember these things and when I saw this article I thought you might be interested. It is not mail-order but a real sticks-n-bricks store that you can read about at this link: http://suckersonparade.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-husband-store.html#.VN-WOS553_u

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  33. I enjoy your posts & love your photos!

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  34. Hey my Friend,

    Try to remember things cycle up and down but do even out. For all those managers that think you hung the moon there will be those that view things differently. Who cares if he thinks you aren't a self starter, maybe your starter needed a little primer that you aren't getting from this manager. The benefit of getting older is that you are smarter and can care less about what he thinks of you. What are you guys doing next week. We are headed down I10 to see Aja and Auston in east LA and could take a little detour~~ of the !-10 :)

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  35. Sometimes 6 weeks can feel like a lifetime. Sometimes 6 weeks pass by in a flash. Don't let this time get you down, friend.

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  36. Enjoy your time with your daughter and grandgirl. It always gets hard at the end of a stay...especially when they don't appreciate you. We have two more weeks then back to work as we return from Florida to the cold trunda! But at least we will be close to our children and grandren again.

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  37. I first found your blog when you were at Okeefeenokee, I have enjoyed it ever since. I read it every time I get on the computer. It is one of only four that I read regularly. I know this idiot manager has got you down, but please don't stop blogging. You have more readers than you know. Your nature pictures are wonderful and I love your chatty style. I envy you your lifestyle and would love to travel and do the work you do. Just spend the next 6 weeks enjoying the nature around you and be glad this stupid man will be out of your life shortly.

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  38. Sun City Cabanas The Cabanas at Sun City, South Africa, are the pinnacle of family-friendly accommodation. The hotel opens on to rolling lawns and is conveniently located close to the man-made Waterworld lake, and the wide range of water activities offered here.

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  39. I'm always behind on my reading and here I am late to the party again. The few times I can get a comment in before you've hit over 30 I count myself lucky. Just like anything blogging can get to seem like a chore occasionally, when it does take a break. It seems I've read a lot of folks voicing similar sentiments lately, perhaps you're all hitting the blogging equivalent of the seven year itch!

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  40. Sitting here at Alligator River NWR. I am not a blogger. I am a blog reader. No new posts from you yet. Your adventures so brighten our days. It is 12 degrees out and we have nine more weeks left. Ha. Have a good day.

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  41. Was getting worried but forgot you're having your girls over. Hope you're having a ball!

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