Hello! I’m back from my blogging break! It was lovely in many ways, but I also missed it. The break reminded me that I love having this little space to write about various things!
So, here are some of the various things that happened during my break:
Blue Heron Nests!
| noticed that there was a busy rookery of blue heron nests in a group of trees on our ranch. I got out my big Canon Sure Shot camera, which has an awesome zoom lens, and I took a bunch of photos. It’s hard to tell in the photos, but Blue Herons are quite large. They’re about 5 feet tall when they’re stretched out. You can see their long necks in the lower left photo, but when they’re resting, they keep their necks curled up.
Postcards!
I took part in iHanna’s DIY postcard swap, and these are the ones I received from people around the world. I love them so much, I put them into a digital flip book!
A Wind Storm!
A big wind storm blew down a couple of big trees. Don’t worry, they weren’t the trees with the blue herons in them! We were lucky that the fallen trees didn’t cause any damage. Other places in town were without power due to trees falling on power lines. Yikes!
Dark Reader!
I found a cool extension for my browser called Dark Reader. It changes the screen from bright white to any color combintation I choose. It’s very helpful for my eye strain! I’ve chosen an antique sepia with teal accents. I can turn it off and on easily, just in case I don’t want every image on the web to look like an old-timey photo!
Clean Ears!
After reading Birchie’s blog post about how she went to an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat Doctor) and got her plugged ears cleaned out, I did some research and found a new ENT. I got my ears cleaned out, and it was AMAZING! It took 5 minutes, and I now can hear so clearly! What a difference that made. Thank you for writing about that, Birchie!
Getting my ears cleaned reminded me of this Dr. Seuss poem:
Oh dear, oh dear! I cannot hear.
Will you please come over near?
Will you please look in my ear?
There must be something there, I fear.
Say look! A bird was in your ear.
But he is out. So have no fear.
Again your ear can hear, my dear.
Preparing for a Visitor!
A very dear, longtime friend of mine is coming to visit. I’m so honored and delighted that she’s making the effort to travel a very long distance to get here. I feel so blessed.
Thanks for reading!
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YOU’RE BACK YAY YAY YAYYYY!!!
When my son Jake was small – like maybe 7 – he had a wax buildup in his ear and after we tried the home remedy the doctor suggested (oil), he got it blown out at the doctor’s office. And Michelle, I could not BELIEVE what came out. Like, how did he even hear? It was MASSIVE.
We have blue herons here down by the creek where Rex and I walk, and occasionally they will fly past us. What majestic birds!
Yikes, that is a windstorm. We have had a few of those lately. One yesterday – and a fire started on the other side of the lake. ALREADY. Fire season! I’m not mentally ready! But they got it under control quickly with water bombers, it’s out now. But SHEESH.
Awww, thank you, Nicole! That’s such a nice welcome back! I’m so glad you’re back at your blog too! The fire sounds scary, and I’m so glad they got it under control quickly. I’m definitely not ready for fire season. Or smoke season. I’m loving everyone’s ear wax stories! Poor Jake. I hope he wasn’t too traumatized by that! I know that the water irrigation or oil methods are traumatizing for me, and I will go to the ENT from now on!
Yay you are back! The Blue Herons are so beautiful. We sometimes see one on the creek that we walk/scoot to in the summer. They look so graceful and regal with their long legs. They are so fun to watch.
I am glad you did not lose power from that storm. But yikes! That is a big tree that was felled!
I have read that Dr. Seuss Stanza many times! I think it’s in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.
Have so much fun with your friend!
Thank you, Lisa! Yes, that stanza is from One Fish Two Fish – I had it memorized when I used to babysit as a kid. I always thought it was hilarious that he had a bird in his ear. It’s funny how some things just stick with you!
Hooray! You’re back!
I love the photos of the herons. They are so majestic and calm. I have never seen them tuck their necks in — I guess when I see them, they are in hunting mode. I also love watching them fly — they trail their legs and feet behind them which strikes me as comical for such a graceful creature.
Windstorm wowza. I am so relieved you (and the herons) didn’t suffer serious damage.
Your postcard flipbook is so cool! What a fun and eclectic collection you received.
Thank you, Suzanne! I agree that herons are so majestic and calm, yet comical at the same time. I had so much fun making the flipbook. Did you hear the page turning noises? I’m a sucker for stuff like that!
How amazing to have a heron rookery on your property AND a zoom lens to enjoy it with. I see heron fairly frequently at the river near here and they are always impressive.
Few things in life are as satisfying as getting your ears cleaned out by an ENT. I’m supposed to go back for a six month follow up at the end of the summer so I get to find out if the build up was a one time thing or if it’s something to keep an eye on.
Enjoy the time with your friend!
Birchie, I agree that getting my ears cleaned by the ENT was super satisfying. You know how dogs kind of groan when you scratch their ears? Now I know why! I was told to come back whenever I want to. And I will! I am traumatized by having my ears cleaned by water irrigation or oil drops that didn’t do anything. Never again! I’m so glad you wrote about the topic.
Welcome back! It was exciting to see a post pop up!
My husband regularly has to have his ears cleaned out. Big giant balls of wax come out. It’s crazy. I actually bought him a little gizmo that has a camera so that he can see inside his ears so he can try to clean it himself. I guess some people’s ears are just not great at dealing with it.
Thank you for the welcome back, Engie! A gizmo with a camera sounds interesting. Does it work well for him?
Your mention of ear wax made me smile; one of the quirkiest compliments of my life was when my family doctor told me I had “beautiful” ear canals. Haha. Why couldn’t it be something like beautiful eyes or a beautiful smile??
I am so glad to see you back in this space. Ironically, I just popped over yesterday to read your last post and then you came back today with something new!
Hooray for a dear friend coming to visit!
Elisabeth, it is quite a compliment to have beautiful ear canals! I’ve never been told that. I will tell you that you definitely have beautiful eyes and a beautiful smile!
Hi Michelle! What an interesting post! I don’t know where to start! Lol! The herons…. long ago at my last home I built a small garden pond (ten feet by six feet) with a rubber/plastic liner and put koi in it. The first year was uneventful, and the koi managed to winter over even though the water was not deep. And then one day I saw a huge bird marching down the hill to my pond … yes, he/she walked down to it and started fishing! I knew it was a heron, but it was almost bigger than the pond! I felt sorry for the fish so I built a “rock cave pile” in the middle of the pond so the fish had somewhere to hide. Long story short… over time the heron won. The pond water was not reliably replenished by me or Mother Nature so it became murky and not really deep enough. It was an interesting experiment! And seeing the heron up close was lovely. I ended up painting it on a couple of my painted furniture pieces!
And the ear wax issue…. I have been experiencing some build up in the past few years… it never was an issue until recently. I have been using the debrox… I have had mixed results with the “irrigation”…. I think it actually irritated my ear canal. The issue is still unresolved but not dire. (Read , I am ignoring it…)
And that was a HUGE piece of tree to have come down in your yard! I am really glad it did not hurt anyone! It’s great to see you posting again! :):):)
Hi Betsy! Herons are excellent at fishing. I love how you describe their walk as marching because that’s exactly what they do! I can just see the scene that took place at your pond. I’d love to see your painted furniture pieces. I ignored my ear wax issue for a long time. It wasn’t painful, just annoying, so I “just lived with it.” But wow, it’s so nice to have it resolved! I had to turn the TV volume down from where I usually kept it!
I’m so glad you’re back!
I loved looking at all your friends’ postcards—how fun.
That tree! I’m so glad nothing was damaged (and that the herons are safe).
Now I kind of want my ears cleaned out… I feel like that’s an experience that would change me.
Have so much fun with your friend. I hope we get to read all about it. 💜