June bird watching with Mr. James. 6/10/2020

The weather and our schedules have kept us from going

on any really fun dates.  The Pandemic also

keeps us from going out sometimes too.

This Tuesday we had cool weather and time together.

It was interesting to see what birds were still around. 

I was hoping to see baby birds, but maybe we missed the babies.

Last week was so hot, then over the weekend we had lots of rain 

and it cooled off.

I think there was a nest near, this bird was not leaving his perch.

I love these birds they are so fun to see.

I'm not sure what kind of duck this is, I don't think it is a mallard.

This is a new bird.  I will have to look and see what type of bird it is.

This is a Killdeer.

I thought this thistle plant was pretty.

We like to sit here on the bench and watch the birds.

It was such a nice day.  We met another person who was

walking their dog and had a long chat.

It's nice to get away in nature and not think of all that 

is going wrong in the world right now.

We had such a relaxing afternoon.

This Heron almost looks perhistoric.

We even saw a mother with two young birds walking.

They were not close enough to photograph.

An American Coot on it's nest. 

This bird is just so beautiful and the interesting thing

is that it's feet are yellow.  The other photos of it

are not as good but you can see the yellow feet.

I need to print out some new photos and make some cards.

I may also make some photography books. 

We thankfully are still staying healthy. 

I hope you are all staying healthy too. 

G.G.

Walking in the garden helps me to relax. June 2,2020

People are on edge for so many reasons and

for me I need to find ways to stay calm.

My favorite way is to walk in the local gardens near my house.

One that I like to walk at is open the other one has not opened yet.

Walking and looking at the flowers, taking some photos.

That helps me to relax and forget about 

all the troubles in the world.

The tulips are gone but that doesn't mean there is 

nothing to see at the gardens.

The one nice thing is that with the tulips gone less

people walk the gardens.

Right now there are poppies and Iris blooming.

I have to say in the last few weeks I have found

that I am used to what is the new normal of life.

That is wearing a face mask at work and gloves when

I touch money or postal packages.

At the end of my 8 hour shift I'm done with having a face mask on.

Now it is getting hot out and the face mask is more annoying in the heat.

I don't think this virus is going to go away in the heat like everyone hoped.

I don't think that face mask are going to go away soon.

I have planned some vacation time the next few months because I don't forsee

being able to travel anywhere soon.  

Time off from work is nice.

Lately though I've noticed that I can come home and 

leave the world behind.  At home we don't talk about

the virus as much.  We are finding a normal pattern of life.

We enjoy listening to music and watching movies together.

I take my daughter walking with me, I teach her

the names of the flowers.  She is the lucky one this

summer, she is not working but staying home.  

She is learning how to do all the house work. 

That was our deal, if she did not go work she would do my house work.

It's nice, I get home and I can relax and exercise.

I gained a bit of stress weight from this pandemic.

Salad is not comforting.  As much as I should eat salad, fruits and

vegetables, they are not as comforting as a Swiss roll.

So June is here and I have to stop stress eating and

exercise more.  I can do it.

I have to make some of these into cards.  

I love the color of these iris.

I'm going to start teaching my son how 

to do family history work.

I have enjoyed doing family history research the 

last few months too.  I'm amazed that I can still find

new information.

When the pandemic started, I really had a hard time

staying focused.  Now though I am back on track.

I have a lot of goal trackers that I have been using and I love them.

I think June could be the month were I really get more organized.

I'm excited to get into shape, and to work on my projects.

I even have a garden of my own this year and it looks good.

It's not beautiful like these gardens, but it is nice to look at.

I enjoy going out in the early morning and weeding and checking on the plants.

In the evening I go out and water.  I even planted a  Clematis plant.

I so hope it lives, so next year I can have flowers like this in my back yard.

I also planted tons of wild flower seeds.

I am not sure what will live, it will be an interesting experiment.

I will share some of my garden photos soon. 

I'm not sure what this purple plant is, but it is cool looking.

I don't have much more to say. 

We are all healthy and feeling blessed.

Our state is starting to open, things are getting busy.

I hope that there is not a second wave to this virus.

but I'm not sure that this is anywhere close to being over.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

I hope you are healthy and safe.

What things are you doing to find calm and peace?

G.G.