Crane Migration

 

Now that I am back at work (from home for the next few weeks), I don't have too much to blog about. However, a very magical thing happened to Travalon and me today. It was a frigid day out, and I poked around so that our morning walk was twenty minutes later than usual. When we had turned around to come back home, we heard a flock of birds approaching, and I couldn't tell if it was the tundra swans or the sandhill cranes. Then they flew overhead, and it was about two dozen sandhill cranes. Travalon was bummed that he hadn't brought his good camera, but I'm not sure it would have captured how amazing it was having the cranes fly right over us, calling and calling to each other. If we'd gone out at our usual time, we probably would have missed it. I can't help thinking they are the cranes from the secret pond in Waunakee, fed up with all this cold and ice so they finally decided to head south. Cranes are lazy, just like people, so they'll stick around until they just can't stand it, and apparently today was that point for them.

Here are some recent photos. This is Ma and Pa Hat's nativity scene.

This is the music box I gave to Ma Hat. It plays "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as the sleigh goes around and around.

This is the angel tree topper they have had since my first Christmas. They said they got it because it looked kind of like me. (I was a very blonde kid.) It lights up.

Yesterday at the end of my workday I saw there was a spectacular sunset, but by the time I got all dressed up to go out, it didn't cover the whole sky anymore. I did get a couple of photos.

Other people had posted much more spectacular photos on social media. With sunsets, every moment counts, and we don't have any west-facing windows, so I had to get on boots, coat, and gloves, go outside, and walk to our dock to see past the other buildings in our condo association. When I first noticed it out our kitchen window, which faces south, the whole sky was ablaze, which matches with the photos I have seen online. As the days are getting very slowly longer, I can be all ready to go before the sun sets. I can't really get out there until five, when I get done with work, and right now that's just a touch too late.

Famous Hat