Where Are All the Trains?

 

Lately I have not been hearing trains pass by our place. This is not only sad for me, but it's very bad news for the economy, because it means people aren't buying things or the supplies are low. Anyway, they're not sending goods via train as often as they had been just a few months ago. But then this evening as I was leaving for adoration, I heard a train. I almost ran out to watch it, but I had to get ready to go. It just made me happy to know it was there.

Today I worked from home in the morning, then I took the afternoon off for my annual physical. I'm healthy, just old - they told me I needed a shingles vaccine, and they asked if I wanted it today or later, since it can give you flu-like symptoms and I already have a cold. I said today because I didn't want to come back... and only after they gave it to me did they tell me I need a second one between two and six months from now. Also, because of my advanced age I have to get a delicate part of my anatomy squished every year, as if every three years wasn't bad enough. Oh joy.

At least I am feeling a lot better today, not 100% but maybe 80%, and the weather was so much nicer today. Travalon and I went out in the morning to look for birds off the dock, and then I went at lunchtime and saw coots, a motorboat, and a kayaker. Spring is really on its way! Several times I have seen two pairs of common mergansers from our dock, so hopefully they stick around for a little while. Here are some photos of ring-necked ducks with their fancy bills with designs on them.

I think this one is doing a mating dance, and that is why he has stuck his head up like this.

This is a male bufflehead.

And another shot of the male ring-necked duck.

Here are some coots.

And I believe this is a common merganser in flight.

You can see what stunning birds they are as they fly by. It doesn't look like Travalon got a shot of them swimming, but I posted a shot of them he took the other day. Today we didn't see any swans.

Famous Hat