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04 28 00
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04 28 00
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Tonight I took some time out of my "oh-so-busy" workday to watch the birds. Our office has a plague of "junk" birds such as starlings or sparrows. They have made nests in the rafters and eaves of the garage, and the ground is covered in bird shit. Walk beneath their realm in fear of the "drips." Just before sunset, the birds are alive with activity. I watched one sparrow (or sputzie, as my mother calls them) zig wildly around the yard before landing on the driveway, pursued by a starling. The starling landed almost on top of the sputzie and started pecking it wildly. The starling was startled off by another sputzie. What was going on here? I wasn't really sure. I watched the two sides part company; the starling pecked around in the tall grass, while the sputzies returned to the eaves of the garage and (presumably) their nest. For a long time I stood there, watching the birds come and go. I love watching birds take off and land, especially when I'm close enough to see what they do with their wings and legs. When landing on the edge of the roof, the starlings would reach out with their legs as if meaning to slam feet-first into the gutter. The sputzies dove into flight from their perches in the eaves, swooping over the cars in the parking lot to land in the daffodil-laden yard. A Canadian goose (or sky-carp, as my father calls them) landed farther out towards the road while I was watching. Larger birds are especially interesting to watch, since their wing movements are dramatic and exaggerated compared to the smaller birds' movements. The wings swing back as the goose extends its feet, and the wing starts to "cup" the air, slowing the bird's forward movement. Watching a goose land is like watching a controlled fall; the bird's wings only slow down the inevitable plunge to the ground. Birds and everywhere, and I can't imagine why more people don't watch them. I'm not interested in seeing as many birds as possible, like my dad is. I don't keep track of which birds I've seen or which I still need to spot. I'm just fascinated by the birds themselves. Their little reptilian head movements, the mechanics of flight, and the way a finch grasps a twig tightly in gusty weather... This is why I stop to watch the birds every now and then.
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Quit-o-meter I have been Quit for: 3 Weeks 22 Hours 32 Minutes 53 Seconds. I have NOT smoked 219 cigarettes, for a savings of $28.52. Life Saved: 18 Hours 15 Minutes.
______ of the Day Today's landmark is that I have reached three weeks without a smoke. I had a slight craving for one tonight as I stood around talking to one of the mechanics, but I fought it off.
More Epinions Just some more of my stuff that's up on Epinions:Beast Machines (cartoon show) Between the Lions (educational show)
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