Nevada

California

Gulls (I don’t know gulls because I really don’t care too much about them)
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
Northern Flicker
Belted Kingfisher
Magpie
Starling
Mallard
Blue Jay
American Coot
American Widgeon
Pie-billed Grebe
Red-tailed Hawk
Canada Goose
Common Goldeneye
Ring-necked Duck
Redhead (duck)
Great Blue Heron
and a lone Bufflehead.

Second big down: Getting rear-ended by a kid in a Passat on a downtown Denver street. Having to deal with all the crap afterwards, which is doubly painful because I didn’t cause this accident, yet I’m devoting my time and energy to heal my body and my car. It should be resolved by next week (I hope).

A little down: Falling on a sidewalk last night after tripping over my own feet (although Marty started it by accidentally stepping on my foot). Having that what-the-hell-just-happened feeling, like how I felt after my car getting hit. Feeling sore, scraped, battered, and bruised.

A little up: Feeling grateful for my family and friends. Maybe that should be another big up.

• Great Crested Grebe
• Greenfinch
• White Wagtail
• Yellow Wagtail
• Grey Heron
• Goosander
• Hooded Crow
• Wood Pigeon
• Greylag Goose
• Spoonbill
• Lapwing
• White-tailed Eagle (Sea Eagle)
• Meadow Pipit

And I saw more commonplace birds, but it was still good to see them so far from home:

• Oystercatcher
• Tern
• Coot
• Mute Swan
• Long-Billed Dowitcher
• Cormorant
• Black-Headed Gull
• Common Gull
• Magpie
• Collared Dove
• House Sparrow
• Barn Swallow
• Crow
• Blackbird
• Starling

Had a relatively good holiday – if you don’t count the fact that my husband didn’t go with me to my parents’ house as planned!

The night before our 7:35am flight from Denver to Las Vegas, we discovered that Star ripped his dewclaw nail. It had happened that day, but we didn’t notice until getting ready for bed around 9:00pm. It looked awful and he was in pain, so off to the emergency vet clinic we went. Had to wait; another dog was being treated for gunshot wounds.

Around 11:30, they sedated him, clipped the nail (likening it to a really bad hangnail), and sent us home at midnight. Our instructions: take the bandage off the next morning, limit exercise, withhold food for several hours, and make him wear the cone (of shame) to prevent infection. We didn’t want to put the burden of Star’s care on our pet sitter, who had met him just the week before. So we decided that Marty would stay home and I would travel alone.

The next morning, I called my parents from the airport and said, “Now don’t freak out, but Marty’s not coming.” I explained, and hung up. Minutes later, my mom called to say that I didn’t have to come if I didn’t want to; they’d completely understand. I said no, too late, I was on my way. Or at least, my bag was on its way to Vegas whether I accompanied it or not.

I never thought about his confirmed seat on the Southwest flight. I boarded and, as usual, sat as close to the front of the plane without sitting in the bulkhead. I was in the second row. Just before we left, the gate agent came running onto the plane and said my husband’s name and instructed him to press the call button immediately. I leaned out of my seat and said, “I’m his wife – he wasn’t able to make the flight”, and apologized for not saying anything when I checked my bag. No big deal; the gate agent left, and the flight attendant secured the door. She turned to me and said something like, “I’m so sorry he couldn’t make it.” Rather than go into the long story, I quipped, “Well, you know how it is…after 20 years of marriage, sometimes you need a break from each other, even on a holiday.” That got big laughs.

Even though we missed Marty, I was so glad that we made this decision. Star was fine; he’s healing and didn’t have to wear the cone for very long. Marty celebrated Thanksgiving at my brother’s house, and a good time was had by all. When I checked in for the return flight, I made sure to tell the reps that he wasn’t aboard, and they could resell his seat. Glad I did that; it was a completely full flight.

Now I see, firsthand, why airlines oversell flights, because the odds are good that not everyone who buys a ticket will travel.

I saw what I thought was a deer trotting down I-25 next to the median, with all those cars creeping along behind it. When I got closer, I realized that it was a billy goat. I was glad to see that all the southbounders were being very cautious; pretty unusual for drivers on I-25, because the speed limit is 75. I drove a bit further and spotted a cowboy walking next to the median, following the goat, with a determined look on his face and rope coiled in his hands.

I didn’t read anything about it in the paper or on the Internet. I hope the cowboy successfully lassoed the goat and returned it to its rightful place. Wherever that was.