Monday, April 24, 2023

Northern Lights

 

Last night, after I blogged, Travalon and I went out onto the dock and watched the Northern Lights that we had heard were going on. They were amazing, like waves of magical fairy dust billowing over us, almost seeming as if they were raining down blessings on us. Once in a while, a beam would shoot out of the north like a searchlight piercing those endless waves of sparkling unicorn dust. They were kind of greenish, shot through now and then with pink. I tried to make a video with my phone, but you can't see anything - you can just hear Travalon gasping, "Oh, wow!" I told him we should have brought his good camera and tried to take a long exposure photo, but he said, "Let's just enjoy them in person." It was very late, and we both thought we had to work today.

Yesterday I took a new COVID test, and unlike the dud I'd taken last week that had no lines, this one had two: the blue control line and a very faint red line. I wasn't surprised, because I'd lost my sense of smell. And what a time to lose it, when the hyacinths are in full bloom and the loveliest trees will soon be blooming! I comforted myself by thinking that, if it never came back, at least I have smelled a lot of crabapples and lilacs in my time. Then last night, as I was getting into bed, I smelled lavender! It was Travalon's red panda Ming, who is stuffed with lavender. Travalon heats him up every night just before bed. My sense of smell hasn't come back completely, but I smelled a hint of evergreen as I walked by a fir tree this afternoon, and tonight we had pizza for dinner, and when I held it right up to my nose, I could catch a faint whiff of that heavenly scent.

I had to work from home today, and was it crazy, like BAM! BAM! BAM! Every three minutes I got an email. My boss said I can come into the office after that (tomorrow is my work from home day anyway), but I'll have to wear a mask for the rest of the week. This morning Travalon took a COVID test at the behest of his employers, because someone there had COVID. Sure enough, he had a strong red line, which makes sense, since he is sicker than I am. He has to stay home from work for the rest of the week. It wasn't that warm out today, but it was better than yesterday, and mostly sunny. In the evening we saw four large white birds out in the channel. I was surprised, thinking the swans had migrated further north by now, but Travalon took a photo, and you can see they are pelicans. It's a little blurry, between the rain that started once we got outside and the twilight that was falling.


Earlier in the day we saw blue-winged teals, mallards, and coots.




Our neighbor says he saw a pair of canvasbacks one day, but I never saw them. We have yet to see any wood ducks (there were two pairs one spring), and the buffleheads and other ducks have moved on. Why they don't stay here and breed is beyond me. I think we have an excellent marsh right here. I have seen a great blue heron fly overhead the last two days, so maybe soon we'll have a photo of that to share.


Famous Hat


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