On Birds and Blunders

Such a nice, drizzly morning, it's a good time to pause and reflect, I suppose. We really need the rain, and I know some people won't be happy with this weather - it's damp and chilly, showing only 50 degrees on my outside thermometer - but everything has been very dry and just the small amount of rain we've had has brightened up the leaves and everything looks lush and green. Of course, we have had the smoky haze from the wildfires in Canada, but according to the weather people this morning, that is about over with for us, although it is still circling around us to southern New England and NYC. Usually I can smell forest fires, but I haven't noticed that so much during these fires. It's a little hard for me to tell forest fire smoke from the wood stoves in my neighborhood, and during this chilly weather,  it's nice to have a fire in the woodstove. 

I received this photo (left) from my friend Mary Whitcomb this morning. When I first looked at it on my computer screen, the hummingbird was not visible in on the screen, and at first glance, the stake next to the Song Sparrow looked like a big old ostrich peering at me (like the one on the right). I know, that's a stretch, but I really did a double take, and wondered where in the world the hummingbird was that Mary was talking about in her email. Then I pulled back the picture to include the hummingbird. It's rare to see one of those little guys being still. The picture was taken at Mary's home, a very bird-friendly place. (The ostrich portrait is from the internet.)

Yesterday was not my day! It started out fine, and I rushed around to get things done so I could get to my dentist appointment in Lyndonville after lunch. A reminder email came last week but I guess I missed the date part and only heard "Tuesday at 1:30." So I planned my week accordingly, calculating what time I'd have to leave to get there on time and what other errands I could combine into the trip. I made it with time to spare, only to find out my appointment is next week. 

Now, that hasn't happened to me in a long time. I'm pretty sure I've been mixed up before on appointments, but I was so certain about yesterday, I pulled out my pocket calendar, and sure enough, I was a whole week early. Embarrassed, I retreated to my car and decided it shouldn't be a total loss, so I stopped at McDonalds for coffee and fries, all the time wishing I hadn't had lunch already so I could justify a fish sandwich, too. It was worth the trip for the Mac-fries, and after I stopped in St. J. to pick up a few groceries, I had coffee that was just the right temperature to drink on the way home. Over all, it wasn't a bad experience, and I recovered quickly from my embarrassment; but it did give me a little nudge reminding me to be more careful about stuff like that or folks will think I'm getting old! But in my defense, why would an automatic reminder be sent almost two weeks before an appointment? To make matters worse, this morning I had another reminder on my computer about the same appointment. . . . I sure hope I don't get one every day until next Tuesday! And in case you are wondering, yes, I have the appointment on my kitchen calendar, and I was vaguely aware that I hadn't had the usual reminders on my computer or my phone -- but I stupidly didn't bother to check. So there's nobody to blame but me. Lesson learned! (Subconsciously, I probably just wanted a good excuse to go to McDonalds!)