Being inclined to take such things seriously, we hid the welcome mat and hunkered down for the holidays this year. Greg stayed up north, and Willow stayed at her mom's. Jeanine, Eva, and I exchanged gifts mid-morning while the sky darkened and the wind picked up. I had planned to go out in the afternoon to look for Wood Ducks along Coyote Creek, but decided to stay in due to rain. I've leveled up my bird nerdiness to the point where my outings are sometimes determined by posts to a birding e-mail group. So far, these e-mails have paid off in the form of a Phainopepla and a pair of Ferruginous Hawks, although disappointingly, not a Northern Pygmy Owl.
The day flew by, and now my reflection stares back at me as I look out the window, ghostlike in the light of my laptop screen. The house is a bit of a mess, but I have new coffee and chocolate to look forward to, plus a slew of practical gifts to subtly make the coming days happier ones.
Despite my intentions, posts here have slowed to a strangled trickle. I wouldn't say work has been busy, since for much of autumn we've been in a holding pattern preparing for a winter of virtual camp with a spattering of actual day camp, not to mention some Covid test proctoring. It's funny how quickly things become the new normal. I've spent more time that I should have photographing wildlife around camp, but we've managed to put together a pretty respectable project on iNaturalist using the photos, so I can justify my actions.
I have another week off before diving back in to what is sure to be an interesting January.
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