Animal Oasis

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope it's been a great year for you, following.  It has been for me!

Today Josh and I were enjoying the bright sunshine and relatively warm weather outside.  I am always amazed at how much this home is an oasis of food.  It is like a water oasis in a desert, only it is a food oasis in the forest.  It's in the open, but there is a bird feeder or three, a compost pile with bones, a garden and a pasture full of grass and seeds.  The animals can eat, but they exposed to predators. 

Cats live inside the house.  Coyotes range the perimeter in the woods.  Squirrels, birds, mice and other small animals live underground and in the trees surrounding the house.  Cats from around come to the compost pile as well as other scavengers that are larger but I haven't seen yet, so I don't know what they are.  A flock of turkey's wander through from time to time.  Deer run around.  And BATS!  I think.

One night I was standing too close to a pine tree and either 10's of bats flew out at once or a large bird did.  It was dark and we could only judge by the loudness of the sound...but for sure, it was just above my head.

A huge bird, probably Giant Hawk, flew down and tried to catch a small bird by the edge of the woods today.  It flew from tree to tree and then slowly circled up around the house afterwards.  I could see it's tail moving to direct it's flight direction.  It was so peaceful and floating.  I could see each of it's feathers on it's wings and almost hear its wings flapping. It puts you in mind of how small you are and how big life is.

After it left, I used my new yoga skillz to practice snowball throwing.

It was a good day.

In Which I Spell Licsense Wrong Repeatedly

Today I turn 30!  I'm pretty excited, I've been wanting to be thirty since I was 26 and got my job.  Heh.  I thought if I was thirty then I'd be seen as a real adult and respected and listened too.  I wouldn't be a silly little girl that needed to be molded and taught how to live life.  You can imagine how that went over.  Now that I don't work there, I feel younger than I have in years!  I've let my hair grow out, I wear jeans more than dress skirts, I don't worry about my bedtime, and I skip more.  For my late twenties, I cut my hair short and ugly to look more experienced and older.  I wore "older" style clothes, not young clothes that make older people think I'm too silly to be taken seriously.  Isn't that sad?  It is.  It's okay though because now I can be young when I'm old! I got that lesson out of the way early.

Yesterday it was bitter cold and windy.  The snow in the parking lots and sidewalks were grey and slushy and dirty.  There is nothing very pretty about used working snow.  My driver's liscence expired today, so we were at the Secretary of State (DMV of Michigan), which going there is the equivelent of slushy grey gross snow.  It was my third time there.  The first two were fails, in that I didn't have my paperwork in order.  I needed my old drivers liscence from Michigan, my wedding certificate, my birth certificate, my social security card, my auto insurance policy (POLICY. NOT PROOF OF INSURANCE...the lady was very very clear on that), and a printed out bank statement with my address.  The first time I handed the lady an expired passport and a copy of my social security card cut to look like the real thing.  She does not like me.  The third time, I had to leave and go next door and have State Farm print out my policy for me.  Luckily the ladies at State Farm are super nice...they believe in the personal touch.  I definitely recommend them.  Then I got the ugliest picture of me for my new liscence.  Double chin and all.

As I was walking in, it was winter gross...grey dirty, wet and cold.  The wind was blowing head on and I had to put my head down and walk into the wind while the ice shards cut at my face.  THIS is a proper winter, I thought to myself.  I was wearing my ugly ass ten year old winter coat that gives me a second set of boobs, my new warm hat, gloves, scarf and winter boots.  Oh and flannel lined pants.  I thought of the times I walked into work when it was 50 or low 60's out and I wore a flimsy hat, a pretty scarf (not a utility scarf), gloves to drive in (for fun...the gloves were not necessary), and a lightweight jacket...probably not even useful here at any time it's just the wrong weight for any time here.  A coworker was go on and on and talk to other people and tease me for dressing so warmly in the weather.  "You're from the north! You should be able to handle this weather...why are you so bundled up?"  I had no response.  How do you respond when you "bundle up" for looks and fun, not utility?  I did that because I could..not because I had too.  Plus, I don't think I will ever stop worrying that it will get colder out at some point and I'll need the extra gear.  It never did in Nashville...but that didn't stop me from bringing an extra jacket.

I can handle winter...general Nashvillians just don't know what winter is!