Sunday Scavenger Hunt

My search for a nice photograph is sort of like a scavenger hunt. But I don't really have clues. And the ones I have are really weird.

After talking about eagles yesterday, someone asked if I'd seen any snowy owls? I haven't but I remembered a friend photographing several a few years back on a road kind of near here. There's a first clue for a photo hunt.

So this afternoon I drove other there and followed that road a lot of miles, only going about 45 mph so I could look both ways and up and down and drive. Did not see any animals with or without feathers. Took an artistic photo of this old barn, figuring that was it for my hunting outing.

Finally decided to get off the main road and took some side roads, trying to keep it in a square so I wouldn't get lost. Was just about to turn back when I saw a bird flying in the distance. A bigger one. I thought maybe a hawk or eagle but had to snap a picture to be sure. 

When I zoomed in and saw the white tail, I knew I at least had an eagle in my general vicinity.

That one flew off before I could follow it, but when I glanced to the south and saw a black. spot on a tree, my hope and curiosity made me check it out. 

Had to get close before I confirmed it was an eagle, not a hawk. Tried shooting a picture but it was hidden behind branches and my camera loves to focus on little branches in the foreground. Grrr. Decided to drive past the tree and hopefully get a better view from the other side.

And I did. Hopped out of the car, not caring that I was standing in the middle of the road and looking up. Thankfully a dirt road in Wisconsin rarely has traffic. So I sneaked closer to get a shot. By the way, you can't sneak up, under, or near an eagle. They are smarter than your average bird.

So Mr. Eagle promptly took off and I could only snap a few pictures because red pickup truck was barreling towards me. Well it sounded like it was barreling. 

When he got past, Mr. Eagle was already in the distance. I didn't follow him back down the road from where I just came. Selfishly I thought I might see him on the other side of the block. Or finally see some snowy owls.

Nope for both.

I guess they crossed "human" off their Sunday scavenger hunts and had something better to look for.

Self-Maintenance Required

When someone says something – like gaining 20 pounds or the national debt – "didn't happen overnight," they're not wrong. 

We recognize when things are going in the wrong direction but it isn't until we have some sort of spiritual awakening – like a nervous breakdown or violent episode with the bathroom scale – that we say, "Oh I should have done something about that a long time ago. I could've stopped it from getting out of control."

Case in point: our neighbor's leaning barn.

We've noticed for years and years that it seemed like only the hay inside was keeping it upright. See this picture from 2014...

In this prom photo from way back in Carter's sophomore year, you can see (upper left) there's a gap happening as the doorway is getting out of alignment. (You can also see he was a cutie and looks so young!)

Since then, the gap has widened and the barn continues to angle. 

Yesterday, when it coincidentally was a day of winds gusting to 40-50 mph, a team of helpers erected some big braces to stop the leaning.

I sure hope it works. For a long time. I guess it's sort of like putting a big Band-Aid on a problem and hoping it doesn't get any worse.

Do you ever do that? Ignore your own self-maintenance until it's too late for a fix? I've been guilty of that plenty of times! Burning the candle at both ends without refueling myself in any restorative fashion. Today, albeit with some misplaced guilt, I took a vacation day.

For no good reason.

Yes, I mowed the lawn and got my 10,000 steps, but I also watched a Hallmark movie, read with Mr. Deck Chair, and enjoyed fish fries with the in-laws, who celebrate 58 years of marriage next week. So it was a 100 percent stress-free day.

Not that I needed it. But that's the point. Once you need it, you might be too late and you'll need to be looking for barn-sized Band-Aid. Take care of yourself. 

You're worth it.