Birding at Walden Ponds in Boulder

Gorgeous fall day. Marty and I took the dogs to Walden Ponds, where there’s always great birding. As we walked along, I said, “Listen to that blue jay – it sounds just like a red-tailed hawk!” Well, uh, it really was a red-tailed hawk. Here’s what we saw:

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.

What I’m grateful for

I feel as though my life has been on a roller coaster for the last three weeks. Big downs, big ups, little downs, little ups. First big down: Hearing that our dear friend Laura had a brain aneurysm, and remains in a coma after successful brain surgery to clamp it off. Followed by a big up almost two weeks later: Seeing Laura open her eyes and looking at Marty and me, and squeezing our hands in response.

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.