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Excitement

Excitement as an adult is a much different animal from the excitement of a child. As a child, I was excited about things like Christmas, my birthday, and Easter. My love of candy and gifts started early. Now I’m excited by the new washing machine that’s in my garage or the crumb of the bread I baked Sunday night. Oh, and I get excited every item I add a new bird to my lifetime bird list.

I was not excited to have to buy another washing machine, but then again washing machines are a prime example of poor appliance manufacturing. Now that the kids have mostly moved out, I hope this machine will last us more than three years. Honestly, we have replaced all of our appliances at this point, so it would be nice not to have to replace one for a while.

Speaking of excitement, we had a whole menagerie at the feeder this morning. It’s become quite the community. This morning we had six ducks instead of our normal three. Amazingly, the ducks, birds, and squirrels all get along at the feeders. Usually, the squirrels would scare off the birds, but not here. Truly, it’s been the perfect way to add a pet to the household with minimal investment and energy.

What’s the most fun way to exercise?

I love to exercise. A few of my favorite ways to exercise include: running, yoga, spinning, Zumba, strength training, and Pilates.

RIP CJ Snare
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Stormy Afternoon

It’s a stormy afternoon here in South Florida. I’m so glad I work from home and don’t have to drive in the storms. To be honest, it’s nice to have an afternoon storm, so long as the power stays on and I’m not driving. There’s something very relaxing about a nice afternoon rain. It also fills up the birdbath nicely, so I don’t have to refill it.

We had a busy tree this morning with lots of beautiful birds. The usual suspects, the crackles and mourning doves, were there and were hoping by a yellow-rumped warbler, a cardinal, a blue jay, a mockingbird, a European starling, and Mr. Squirrel. Interestingly enough things are pretty harmonious at the feeders even when there is a crowd.

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

The one question I hate to be asked is if I’m going to try for the girl. Listen I already have three awesome kids that happen to be all male and expensive. I can’t afford another kid, nor do I want to throw up for another 9 months. Pregnancy was fun enough in my 20s, I can’t imagine the joy it would be in my 40s when everything already hurts. To me, any questions about family planning are off-limits. Especially when I’m in the hospital having just delivered a baby.

I vividly remember an aunt asking me when the next baby was coming hours after pushing out my firstborn. First of all, I felt like a bus just drove through me. Secondly, I hadn’t even come to terms with the fact there’s a new human here that I’m in charge of for like 18 years. Thirdly, I don’t think she was volunteering to pay for the expense of my second kid. Consequently, I’m not sure where those funds are going to come from as kids are expensive. Lastly, at that point, I couldn’t even think beyond the next feeding let alone the next baby. So do me and the women in your life a favor, if we have all boys, don’t ask if we’re going to try for the girl. Similarly, don’t ask when the next one’s coming when their new baby is hours old.

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Training

I’m currently sitting through a corporate training center. There are two more sessions this week, which means I have to completely reschedule my days. As they’re scheduled for when I usually take my lunch (aka spin or go for a run,) so now I’m taking my lunch an hour earlier than normal. Oh, the joys of being a lowly employee. At least it gives me time to write.

The weekend was pretty quiet, but we got a lot done around the house. The hubby got our saltwater aquarium back up and running. Our aquarium had been sitting empty and looking terrible for a while now, so I’m thrilled that it’s back up and running. It will be a few weeks, however, before we’re able to put any animals in the tank. We’ll likely start with some invertebrates to help clean up and maintain the tank. Once they’re established, we’ll start adding coral and fish.

I set up, with the hubby’s help, the hummingbird feeder and lantern feeder in the backyard. We had a cardinal and blue jay that first night at the lantern feeder. It can take a couple of weeks for the hummingbird to find the feeders. Both of the feeders have solar-powered lights, so they light up at night. They look pretty at night. Our feeders up front have been quite busy. This morning we had a mockingbird and a robin in addition to the usual grackles, mourning doves, and squirrels. It’s amazing, but the squirrels don’t drive any of the birds away. And now back to training….