Smelt die-off

Exhausted from so many days of migraine and so many things that had to happen during the migraine, yesterday I took the day off--did not have the energy to join the Blipmeet nearby--and went to Sauvie Island. Sue and I strolled, sat on logs, listened to the lap of the waters, and walked among the thousands of dead and dying rainbow smelt: beautiful little fish giving themselves up to death along the shore of the Columbia river.

We wondered if the die-off was the result of pollution, but when we came home and read about the little creatures, we began to suspect it was a natural occurrence. They spawn in springtime and die after spawning--and it does seem like springtime around here. That white dome in the background is Mt. St. Helen's, standing out pristine and gloriously white against a blue sky.

I am once again involved in the many activities I've taken on, so no time to even visit other journals. I post this in haste.