Catching up

Hi everybody.

How are you?

I'm happy that it's Sunday. I just got back from walking. Rufus is keeping watch at his post by the window. Kev is downstairs playing his guitar. Daph is wandering around somewhere in Delaware, drinking coffee. The prisms and the disco ball in my windows are casting rainbows and sparkles around the room. And the plants, according to NASA, are purifying the air in my office. So, I'll try for a little while to focus on just those small good things. 

This morning at the park, I was treated to an extended encounter with a red-shouldered hawk. We spent a few minutes watching each other before it flew away. There was a fox in the distance, and so many bluebirds. I expect to really start noticing spring migration soon. I can't wait to hear the first wood thrush and see the first great crested flycatcher. I'm about 95% sure that both of those things will make me cry. 

Yesterday was our herpetology lesson at Master Naturalist class. It was, to my genuine surprise, my favorite of all the classes we've had. Our presenter was fantastic, and I learned so much about salamanders and frogs and toads and turtles and lizards and snakes. It was fascinating. We'll start hearing the peepers and bullfrogs soon. I can't wait. Is it too late for me to become a herpetologist? Why didn't I know that was a thing back when I was young? 

Here are a few photos from my morning walk and my herpetology field work:

This is Alonso, aka The Capital Naturalist.

At first, he could only find a crayfish.

But then!

A two-lined salamander! 

He also scooped up the larvae of a damselfly (skinny one) and dragonfly (fat one). It's really too cold for us to have found many reptiles or amphibians, but the salamander was cool, and it was a beautiful day to be outside.

And there were interesting fungi in the woods along our hike. Always a plus.

These next few photos are from this morning:

My red-shouldered friend.

Mandatory Fungi pics.

The interesting bark of a hackberry tree.

Still some ice on the pond, frozen leaves.

Catalpa tree at sunrise.

"Snake"

It was a good walk.

The herbs are doing well. The auk garden is really nice. I would recommend it if growing herbs indoors is something you'd enjoy. 

The other day, I opened a drawer to get out a notepad, and this fortune came flying out and landed on the floor. Later I found out that Daph had put it there for me to find. Good advice, especially now.

Last night's episode of Star Trek, which we ironically watched on International Women's Day, was sort of infuriating. A female scientist from Kirk's past wanted to be a Captain, but women were not allowed to command starships. So, she tricked Kirk and switched bodies with him so she could be the captain. She was evil and insane, but there was also a lot of stereotyping about women being too emotional to command a ship, and that was eventually her downfall. I don't know. A sign of the times, I guess. But Star Trek was ahead of its time in many ways, so this episode surprised me. 

Anyway, a belated happy International Women's Day. I wish we were celebrating with President Harris. She would have been fantastic.

The NYT recently posted a list of words that the trump administration's AI is using to flag and erase things from government websites. "Women" is on the list. So is "Black." But for some reason, "Men" and "White" are NOT on the list. They are trying so hard to take us backwards. 

In better news, the Tesla protests are really starting to make a difference. Musk is hemorrhaging money and people seem to be starting to see through his "genius" facade. 

OK. I have homework for my class. Only one more session before our final exam. Pretty exciting. 

Go do something fun today. We'll get back to work on Monday. 

Onward.