Friday:
Noise, heat, and chlorine fumes. Must be a water polo tournament. Or some inner circle of hell. Or the mall at Christmas.
This is how I spend my Friday nights now. I shouldn’t whine too much. I pity the poor saps that have kids playing lacrosse. At least we’re inside. So right now we’re at the Groves tournament, killing time between matches. Molly’s next game is at 8:30, after which we drive about an hour and a half back home. Then tomorrow morning we drive back down here to repeat the fun.
The weather has been pretty nasty so we haven’t gotten in any birding since last weekend. Call us wimps I guess. Snow is in the forecast for tonight. I want my spring back.
I have started some of the seeds for my garden. God knows why. Every year I start out with high hopes, only to have them stomped on. Kind of like Chicago Cubs’ fans. The Ottoman Empire was still in power and two world wars have been fought since the Cubs won a pennant. Alaska and Hawaii weren’t states the last time the Cubs won a pennant. And still they dream of glory. Like me and gardening.
My garden usually ends up being a wildlife food plot. Last year was especially bad. It was so dry that animals were taking green tomatoes off the vines. Out of six plants I only got about four tomatoes, including cherry tomatoes. They were even eating peppers last year. Either they acquired a taste for Cajun or they were pretty desperate. And still I dream about feeding my family. This year we aren’t going to have too many extended trips so I can keep the crops watered and defended against the varmints.
Driving back from the tourney in sleet.
The park two blocks from our house under water from too much rain.
Saturday:
Hell, day two. A yellow ball flying around, blurs of motion, numerous potential drownings, mayhem wearing pony tails. And they love it. At least we could drive past the lacrosse tournament and laugh at them. Chlorine fumes to kill a horse but at least we have roof over our heads. Rumor has it that there is no precipitation for tomorrow and the temperature may go above 50 F. Gotta take what you can.
Happy days! We got home from the tournament and an American Avocet was reported at Lake Lansing on the listserve. Only the third confirmed record in Ingham County. We immediately ran out to the lake and saw the bird.
The bird was quite cooperative and I got fairly close to it by hiding behind a park bench. I fired off a couple shots with my puny lens and the bird flew away squawking. I turned to walk back to Lise and she was standing with a woman holding a lens as big as my leg. This lady had just driven fifty miles to get pictures of the Avocet and it flew away as she walked up. Lucky for me it flew back to the same spot. Saved me from being beat to death with a really big lens.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 