Dawn Chorus

I was out quite early this morning with my little obsessed buddy. As I threw his Kong for him I became aware of the chorus of birds in the tree outside the back door. I can remember when I was a child and would look out my bedroom window and count the birds in the trees as they woke up and began discussing the day ahead. I think there were a lot more birds back then.  Or I made them up because of my self made notion that by the time a certain number of birds were up I could officially get up too....

This is just one branch. It must be the fact that most of the fried leaves have finally fallen and  the birds stand out more. There seem to be a lot more birds here this year. Maybe it is just that there are a lot less houses...especially ones with bird feeders. I didn't take this picture in mono. It was just a mono kind of morning.

Leaving the birds in silhouette and Spike under a bush with his Kong, I came inside to turn my attention to the Sunday paper. There didn't seem to be an unqualified good story. The transmission of the virus appears to be slowing BUT new variants are turning up that may be resistant to the vaccines now being administered.  The Senate is about to begin hearings on whether to convict Trump of impeachment  BUT the Republicans seem to have forgotten that he incited a riot against the government and he is plotting with some of them to help him to run again in four years. The right wing extremists have been controlled for now BUT the FBI is looking into their internet activity and it is alarming. Banning them from Twitter and Facebook accounts means they just turn to more extreme platforms...or create them. It's like a mad game of whack-a-mole.

The sun  eventually come out for awhile and it was quite warm if one stood in it. I was finished with the paper  so we went over to Dan and Tobi's to stand in their sun, admire their new greenhouse, visit the chickens and get some succulent cuttings for the fire garden. I brought them home and stuck them in water to root them although most of them don't even need that.

And so another Sunday has passed, as has the first month of the year.No resolutions were made this year because it was just all too exhausting to think about. Not that it matters because they have already foundered by this time of year even when I do make them.....Change is difficult, especially when it is forced upon us whether by unrealistic expectations, or government officials.