Blue Twenty Two

I was up in my work space, getting ready to click "upload" on a hummer pic (see Extra) when I looked out the window at the cherry tree...and saw this.  I grabbed the card out of the computer, toddled downstairs, stuck aforementioned card into camera and tippy-toed onto the deck.  At which point the Indigo Bunting disappeared into the cherry tree.  But, I wasn't going to give up so I stood as still as a statue with camera lens pointed at the tree and waited.  And out he popped, just as blue as blue could be.  Not as close as I'd have like so the image is pretty heavily cropped, but I don't always get to add this species to my visual yard record, so I'm taking it.

These tiny flyers breed in our area but spend their winters from southern FL down into northern South America.  Considered long distance migrants, some travel as many as 1,200 miles each way.  They are quite small, measuring only 5 inches (13 cm) in length but the males make up for their small stature with their breathtaking plumage when they arrive in spring.  In the non-breeding season, they are a patchwork of blue and brown while the females are a rather drab brownish all year.  Our yard isn't the right habitat for them to breed, but most years I get a quick look before they disperse into nearby breeding grounds.  

I did my first weekly grocery trip in over a year - Hubs has been doing all the shopping since the pandemic started last spring.  Now that he is back working, I thought it was high time for me to pick up the pace.  I slightly underestimated my ability to steer a big shopping cart around the store and was feeling pretty sore when I got home.  The surgeon warned me (rather sternly) not to overwork the arm as doing so will cause internal scar tissue which we don't want.  So, point taken.

Once home, I decided to deal with some of the weeds that are trying to take over a section of one of the gardens - the offending weed has a shallow root system so it's very easy to pull; that said I carefully used only my right arm, avoiding doing anything else to stress the cancery-side of my body.

I am giving the oncology nurse until Monday to call me; then the gloves are off and I'm going to call her.  Truth be told, I didn't mind having a couple of days to catch my breath before diving into the next chapter of cancer.  I started doing a little reading today as I wanted to understand a little more about radiation and the impact on my heart (since the cancer is on my left side).  I know I will have a long list of questions for the radiology oncologist.  

Bestie Ellen and I have made plans to get pedicures on Sunday!  It's been over a year and a half since I've gotten a pedicure so my feet could definitely use some TLC.  You may recall that in November 2019, I fell and broke a couple of bones in my foot and by the time it was healed enough to consider a pedi, we were on fire with covid.  So that will be a fun outing, followed by an early dinner after at our house.

Stay safe, be kind, and today I'm thinking dark with nuts...

xo
Debbi