A Cage Of My Own



My favorite shot of the week.

 Recently, I have been inundated with work and personal responsibilities.  On one particular day last week, my entire Thursday was booked from sun up to sun down.  Birding would again have to be put on hold. Gardening would have to wait until the weekend.

My day began with the shot above.  If I can't find birds, I look for the overall beauty to keep my mind balanced.  It's not that I'm anti-social, but I work with hundreds of people everyday and it is exhausting.  No matter how hard I try, I can't turn my brain off to help resolve issues.  My morning ride to work with a cup of coffee, some music and lovely landscapes help prepare me for the day ahead.

Here I am trapped at a wedding.  And at a theme wedding of all things!  I hate weddings.  I really really do.  There's no way around them sometimes.  It was a beautiful wedding.  The couple was lovely as was their big event.  But I was trapped.....with my leopard shirt.  Any place that has public gatherings makes me uncomfortable.  At work, I don't mind.  But when I'm home, I enjoy the one on one time.  There was a certain woman(no names:) with her husband that think like I do about big events.  However, they were much more clever than I.  They escaped.  I knew it as I saw the masters stand up and "get some air". She pretended to kiss him but whispered into his ear instead. Oh they were good! Houdini's really.  It just reminded me that I have to develop a code word with Pat.  Maybe, "Cacao." or something like that:)

So I began to focus on random things with my camera.  After dinner, we said our good-byes and walked out into the dark Mesa streets.  Pat just purchased a new camera and was proudly wearing it on the shoulder.  A man from the dark came out of nowhere.  Being the person I am, I always have a plan.  Keys slipped between my fingers to jab the man in the eyes followed by a quick knee to the groin.  However, prevention is key.  I stopped and looked the man straight into the face and told Pat to stop.  As Pat turned, the man quickly ran off.  My birding instincts are quick.  No one will ever hurt Pat.  While there is beauty and art found within our human communities, there is also evil waiting to take advantage of an opportunity.  During those dark times, I transport myself to places I've been and clear my mind of these bad things.  These events happen and when they do, I'm ready. So it's important to find a laugh when I can.  My birding for the day?  One Greater Yellow duck with 4 chicks at a staff meeting.  One, unfortunately, did not make it:)  Mother Nature can be so cruel. At the end of the night, I went to bed and prepared my mind for the next day.