The first of weeks were hot and dry. Then the temperature dropped and the rain began. Temperatures have ranged between 5 – 10 C. And the rained has been steady for almost a week. The rain is supposed to stop later today and temperatures are heading back up to around 21 C. That will feel nice. Carol has been doing a lot of sewing. There is a sewing room here in the park and that is where you can find her. (if she isn’t in the stained glass room). The second week here I participated in the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival. That was fun. I took three festival trips. They were each 1/2 day van trips. I have also been re-organizing the Bird Feeder schedule. Each day of the week, there is a person responsible for putting out bird feed in the Bird Garden. Now that the winter texans are beginning to arrive, there is a changing of the guard so to speak.
Heading South before long.
Fall is upon us. I have been getting things organized and cleaned up ourselves around the house. Still need to bring in the deck furniture. Our winter park awaits. It is usually a two-night, three day drive. Looking forward to seeing our winter friends again. Exploring is the name of the game. This morning, I am just finishing my morning coffee. Looking outside at a very rainy landscape. I am streaming ECHOES on my iPhone. I use Central Michigan University NPR (WCMU) to pick up ECHOES Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6 to 8 am. The music that is being played is called “New Age”.
Fall. Putting the place to bed for the winter
It is that time of year again. Leaves are turning colour. Morning frost not unusual. Most birds have moved south. Some are still dribbling thru. I leave my flowers beds untouched over the winter. They provide shelter and food for living, breathing creatures over the winter months. I need to empty my water feature. Bring in the pump and clean it up. Always cold work due to the time of year. Back porch furniture needs to be brought in. I store the furniture in the garage. This year, my step-daughter and her partner are storing their motorcycles in our garage for the winter. I put out a bird feeder the other day. Blue Jays, cardinals and sparrows are feeding there. This past week I made a trip to the Strathroy Sewage Lagoons to see what I could find. I took these three photos. The first is a Wilson’s. Snipe. The second photo shows a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs and the third photo is a Pectoral Sandpiper. This is the first Mogg Blog post in quite some time. Hope you enjoy.
Winding down
Today is Boxing Day. The day after Christmas. I am up early, as usual. It is Sunday. I am sitting in my big comfortable chair. Drinking my first coffee of the morning. Beside me, on the table is my Bluetooth speaker. I am listening to ECHOES, a syndicated radio show carried on some NPR radio stations. I am listening to it on WCMU, an NPR station broadcasting from Central Michigan University. They broadcast ECHOES each Saturday and Sunday morning from 6 to 8 am (EST). I access radio stations using the Tune-In app on my iPhone. My two favourite stations are WCMU (Mt. Pleasant, Michigan) and KRVS (University of Louisiana, Lafayette).
I usually read whatever novel i am working on when i first get up. I am nearly finished reading THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich. The book was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2021. The story is about the lives of a group (right word?) of native americans and their lives. Well-written.
I generally read between 8-12 novels a year. There are so many books that I should read, and at 73 years of age, i am running out of time. But i don’t choose my novels strategically. Maybe i should. But other than Pulitizer Prize Winners, I choose my novels in a rather serendipitous manner. At this time, i do not know what i will read next. Something will strike my fancy, though.
the mogg blog 