.

.
Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, September 2, 2013

Tried not to labor too hard today

In honor of Labor Day, I endeavored to not do much today.  I pretty much succeeded.  After my four day trip to Rochester, I did have some laundry to catch up on.  Doing that and cooking up a big batch of pork stir fry, about took up my day.  I was able to freeze three more meal portions for when I’m on the road in a little over three weeks.  I do like my frozen dinners much better than what you buy in the store.

IMG_4316

While enjoying the cooler temperatures outside with Emma, one of the thirteen lined ground squirrels came by to play with Emma.  Little does this one know that Emma has the patience of Job when it comes to catching them.  After her victory yesterday, she was pumped to continue her winning streak.  Luckily, this little guy kept his distance.

IMG_4319

After dinner, we took the garbage to the dumpster and headed in back of the rig to the shore of Flat Lake.  I’ve heard that as the fall moves along, more and more of the trumpeter swans will be gathering here.  This is only about half of the group that was milling about on shore.

IMG_4323

                                               Hey guys, watch out!  Someone’s spying on us.

IMG_4326

While we were spying on the swans, an adult bald eagle was spying on us.  There were a pair of them, but they soon soared off.

IMG_4345

                               Tonight, there were a number of Canada geese mixed in with the swans. 

While I was down in Rochester, my son Dan talked me into signing up for a football pool.  Hard to believe for a person that doesn’t follow sports, and never watches football, but I figured what the heck.  It’s cheap entertainment for the next 17 weeks.  With my uninformed picks, I figure Dan will have a better chance of winning.  Winking smile  And who knows, maybe by some chance of fate, I’ll win a weekly pot and more than pay for my entry fee.  Daniel was excited, and that’s all that counts.  We’ll probably chat weekly about my picks.  They’ll probably center around picking places I’ve visited or liking the colors of their uniforms.

IMG_4352

On our way back to the rig I noticed how big numbers of swallows were covering a large tall antenna.  They’re gathering and staging for migration.  Soon they’ll all be gone south.  A website I follow documents the fall bird migration in the Midwest, and they have shown massive migration movements of little birds for the last week.  Most of that has centered around Duluth, but it’s a fact; fall is on its way.

IMG_9424

I did wander down to open the door of the office to see if I had any mail over the weekend.  I was happy to find a package with my two mug rugs inside custom made by Sandy.  She and her husband are fellow full time RVers.  She loves to quilt, and I ordered these through her Etsy site.  I think they’re a creative stylization of my Winnebago rig, and she came up with the idea of putting Emma in the window holding a welcome bone.  My friends, the birds, are constructing the name of my blog.  How cool this is!  I’ve decided to use one to place my glass of wine on in the evening, and hung the other one on the wall in the entryway.  I’m just tickled with how they turned out.  Hop over to her blog if you’d like a similar creation for your personalized mug rugs.  She’s easy to work with and very creative.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

27 comments:

  1. So fall is really on it's way you say? Or is the birds who say? Who ever is saying so please let be.

    Love your mug rugs. How cool are they.

    ReplyDelete
  2. were you ever able to count the lines on a thirteen lined ground squirrels?

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is a really cute depiction of your motorhome. Sandy has you to a "T".

    Picking a team by the color of the uniforms? As a non sports following person, I think that is a great idea. Hope you have lots of beginners luck! :cD

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have never seen that many swans at the same time. They kind of lose their graceful "aura" when hanging out in a group, don't they? Wonder if all those feathers they shed would make a soft pillow... ever hear of Swan's Down Cake Flour? (probably been off the market for 50 years now ;-) Must be something soft about them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually I saw Swans cake flour a couple of months ago in a store here in st louis

      Delete
  5. Love your mug rugs. They are so perfect for you! I'm not a sports person either but I hope you win. I think that would be a hoot! The things we do to make the ones we love happy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hoping for some fall weather when I move a little bit North at the end of the month. The mug rugs are really nice.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cute mug rugs! Duluth is the place to visit in early October, Hawk Ridge if you google it is the place to be. I have been there twice and really enjoyed it both times. Last year my daughter released a Sharp-shinned Hawk. From the looks of my yard most of the Goldfinches have left and I have not seen the Indigo Bunting in a couple of weeks. Great photo of the Canada Geese:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. When we had our sticks and bricks, I was sooo tempted to purchase a pair of swans. But the coyotes would have killed them when they came ashore. Love your mug rugs....

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the photo of the eagle. Beautiful

    I do many different crafts and appreciate any one that has talent in any craft. Sandy is definitely a very talented and creative gal. Your mug rugs are great. I love her imagination with Emma and the bone. Too cute.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I too love your mug rugs--they are adorable! We have noticed a significant decrease in the number of birds around here too, have still heard a few sandhill cranes calling--they better get to flying!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the mug rugs! Such a good depiction of you and Emma. I'll have to check out Sandy's site.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a lovely life you have with the places you work. A glass of wine each night? Now that is my way of living too. Just have never gotten in the habit but it sure would be nice.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Picking football teams by places you've visited is probably as good a method as any. Hope you let us know how you make out each week.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I saw and photographed my first 13-lined ground squirrel yesterday while on a tour of Fort Benton State Historical Site in northeast North Dakota. So this is the 2nd picture of one I've seen. Get hungry - and plan on where you want to ea this Thursday evening. See you in early P. Will call.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Judy, this was really cheering to see the birds and the mug rug!

    ReplyDelete
  16. You are right about one thing- usually the less knowledge the better in football pools :). Swans are beautiful but I am not a fan of the geese.

    ReplyDelete
  17. When I used to watch football and actually enjoy it, I often picked teams with a good looking quarterback. You'd be surprised how often I won with that.

    ReplyDelete
  18. My mothers office used to have a pool on the horses. every once in a while she would look at the names and say'I like his name put me in'. The real race enthusiast used to chide her for it, have to look at dry or wet track etc...but she won more often than she lost.
    On news this morning they said this mildest summer since 2009, but 2009 winter was one of the harshest. probably why birds are heading south now....as everyone else has said those mug rugs are adorable and so detailed.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Judy, you and your son may or may not be interested, but my husband, Dave, has been working hard at programming a new website for fantasy football players and he's trying to get the word out about the site. Check it out: proscoutingservices.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love the mug rugs! I saw a huge (really huge) flock of robins this weekend...they're getting ready to do their thing too I suppose. Though some of them stick around all winter here. Hummingbirds are still here but I expect they'll be gone soon too. Gold finches are still yellow....they are my true sign of fall when they start turning green. I'm going to miss this summer. It was a good one. You sure spent the summer in an interesting place. Will you return there next summer?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Those mug rugs are just darling, and Sandy did an excellent job customizing them for you. How fitting to include Emma and the birds.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you Judy for your lovely comments about the mug rugs and for trusting me! I'm so happy you like them! This was a challenge that I really enjoyed doing.
    Excellent capture of the Canada Geese landing with the ducks watching. I miss seeing wildlife around our motorhome. We get a couple of rabbits and some Stellar Jays hanging around in the bushes, but not as many as what you are showing in your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a wonderful piece of art. . .just fabulous!

    Will you share the bird migration website. . .or is it only specific to where you are? I would find it fascinating to track the migration as we head south. . .

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love your mug rugs. So personal. Hope Emma's catch was a one-time thing. The Traveling Longdogs chase but are very careful not to catch squirrels. It's a game between squirrels and dachsies. They love to watch the deer and never bark at them.

    ReplyDelete