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Borrego Springs, CA

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Sunrise, Sunset

Today was scheduled as an RV volunteer work day.  It’s not like we don’t work other days, but today most of us met in the morning to work together at headquarters.  The task?  Weeding all the beds surrounding headquarters and the new Visitor’s Center.

64 Anahuac NWR 201115

There were seven of us that took on this assignment, and I must admit that some of us didn’t find this to be our favorite way to spend a morning.  But with seven sets of hands working away, we were able to get everything done in two hours.  I’ll tell you that two hours of being bent over was my limit for my recovering back.  By the time we finished, I felt like the crooked man with the crooked back.  Confused smile

An hour or so before sunset, Emma and I headed over to the Skillern Tract to see what we could see.  Emma was more than happy to go for a little hike.

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The marsh and roosting area were very busy.  The cormorants began arriving and filling the trees for the night.  The grunting that they do reminded me of being near a huge pigpen. 

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While we were on the observation deck, a vermillion flycatcher flew over head.  I was thrilled to see this colorful little guy.

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                      Not far away was a female American kestrel looking for a snack before bedtime.

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As we headed back to the car, I watched one more cormorant heading for a roosting spot.  Must be time to go home.

I got a call late this afternoon from Alternative Resources in South Dakota.  They are my mail service, and they were wondering if they could open a package I had received to condense it down with my other mail to avoid having to send two mail packages and save me some money.  I gave them permission to do that and then asked if there was a letter there from Samsung.  There was, so I asked them to open it for me to let me know if the full refund check for the defunct refrigerator was inside.  I’ve been waiting since the middle of October to see if they were truly going to refund the full purchase price after all the hoops I jumped through.  Yahoo!  I’m happy to report that they did!

Well, I’m off to the community building this evening to bake 24 cupcakes for the hunter Chile Day on Saturday, and to pluck wild rice for the refuge.  (I’ll explain both of those things in a later post.)  Stay tuned.

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                                                                                   THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

25 comments:

  1. I can't believe you were able to get everyone to pose for that photo! How funny....

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  2. Good blog, Judy. Butt......

    And I am glad you got your full refund.

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  3. Be careful with your back. It's tender and delicate. What a great ending shot.

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  4. I think with the pain you had in your back you should have passed on that job. But since you didn't I'm glad you survived!

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  5. Butt ... did they pose like that willingly or were they ambushed ... inquiring minds want to know!

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  6. Awesome pics as usual -- esp the last one. I'm guessing they didn't actually pose that one...LOL! Glad you got a full refund -- nice Christmas gift.

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  7. your posts are starting to get a bit anal...

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  8. nice butt shot!..and we are happy your got your full refund!!

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  9. Yeah for a full refund! What do you think your hourly rate was for all the time I suspect you put in to get the refund??

    I wonder if working weekds on your knees would have been better for the back? Or just moving the pain from above the butt to below? LOL

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  10. Do your co-workers realize you took a picture of them for "The End"? That is pretty funny. I'm so glad you finally got the settlement you were waiting for.

    I have osteoporosis in my lumbar spine and when I do most kinds of work I have backaches as a result. I am really tempted to consider one of those inversion devices they show on TV, but I don't want it in the way as I just don't have room for it. Maybe yoga is the answer and I should learn to stand on my head again. I last was able to do that in 1973/4.

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  11. Great shot of the end. LOL
    Nice to get a full refund. I was shocked today to get the Visa card from Verizon as fast as I did.
    Hope you don't wake up in pain tomorrow.

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  12. Great shots of birds and butts. I'm happy to hear that your entire refund is "in the mail".

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  13. Oh my aching back. I'm hurting just looking at your last picture. I hope they only held that pose for a joke. I gave away my little tractor seat weeding stool while I was between assignments. But you can weed all day with that without back pain. I'm glad to hear the place got weeded. Thanks.

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  14. I bet all the workers were glad the weed pulling is all behind them...

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  15. I much prefer candid photos of people just being themselves rather than that posed stuff. Those folks looked like they were just being themselves:))

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  16. I love the flycatchers. We have only seen one on our farm in Deming.

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  17. Nice job on the flower bed. Glad you had so much help with new back. Funny - all those back sides!

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  18. The kestrel is one of my favorite birds, but that flycatcher is really beautiful. Love the end today... :)

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  19. Where did you learn all the bird's names..I have trouble remembering my own relatives names! If I was left to bake cupcakes..I would buy them. Trust me, NO ONE wants to eat my baking. Don't like to bake and you can tell it by the first bite.
    Butt, wait..loved the ending shot.

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  20. The end reminds me of those wooden lawn decorations that were so popular about 25 years ago. Enjoy!!

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  21. Great to hear you're getting a full refund from Samsung for your fridge - Merry Christmas!!!!!

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  22. I'd rather take a beating than weed...so cudos to you, especially w/ back problems you've been having..
    My fav pic is of the silhouette of the comorant taking off/landing....stunning.
    Donna w. of Sam & Donna.

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  23. I agree, be careful with that back! That bending over stuff is hard on it. Loved the photos today (I always love your photos :)) especially that last one.

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  24. Now I know what they mean by being the butt of a joke. If I volunteer someplace, I have made a not e to check my fellow volunteers for cameras before I start to work:)

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  25. I wish I could see a vermillion flycatcher! Butt do I have to return to Texas to do it???

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