This morning on the way to work I heard seagulls squealing, so I looked up and saw three of them chasing a red-tailed hawk. I often see several smaller birds chasing a hawk, but the gulls were the same size as the hawk, and it looked terrified. It flew away very fast with them in hot pursuit. Now I'm not saying the hawk didn't do something to deserve to get chased, but I did feel a little sorry for it. Later I saw three gulls, still squealing loudly, and I wondered if it were the same three... and what had become of the hawk.
Today Madison had about the worst air quality in the world, although they tell me that Ypsilanti, where my cousin lives, was even worse. I went for a short walk at ten while wearing a mask, and I couldn't see the other side of our relatively small lake, but I felt fine. Then at lunchtime I took a half-hour walk, and the rest of the day I had a headache and wasn't much use. Also, when I got back, there was a strong paint smell on our floor, so maybe that gave me the headache, not the smoke outside. Or maybe it was self-induced from thinking that I should have a headache from such bad smoke, but I doubt it, because one coworker also had such a bad headache that she went home partway through the afternoon. She blamed the paint smell indoors. There was supposed to be the first Concert on the Square tonight, featuring a famous salsa group, but due to the poor air quality it was postponed until tomorrow. I will plan to go then, unless the air quality is still bad and they cancel it completely... Usually Madison is so beautiful in the summer, but between this endless drought and the horrible smoke, it's a bit of a hellscape right now. It's hard for someone like me, who loves to be outdoors, but I did take my afternoon walk in our building's garage. Weird to think that the air was safer there than outside! I'm busy with fiscal year-end stuff right now, but when I look outside, it all seems a bit meaningless when it feels like the end of days is approaching.
Famous Hat
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