More Snow

Nor'easter.  Bombogenesis.  And now something blizzard-like.  It's been quite an impressive couple of weeks here in CT.  But we have been pretty lucky here at our house.  Just a some big branches down on the yard, a few hours of lost power--a few days after the storm--when a branch stuck on a transformer smoldered and blew.  We're hoping our streak continues.  The kids are even tired of snow days, knowing now that the time will be taken out of summer.  And each day I miss at hospice is another day I have to squeeze in to make my hours.  (And that doesn't include the time I knew I'd miss because of our big trip to Italy.)  Still I love a snow day, cozy at home, watching it fall.

And I love it even more now that we have somebody who brings out his plow for our driveway when it just gets too much.

At the Hindu Temple

Today, our RE class went to a Hindu temple here in CT, having learned more about Hinduism last week from our RE director, who had majored in East Asian religions and lived in India for a year (his mother had been in the Peace Corps in India for 2 1/2 years; he was in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, I believe.)

He had told us several stories from Hinduism, about the four faces of Brahma, and the three main deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; about both the oneness and multifaceted aspects of God (which are either believed to really exist or to be symbols of life, nature, etc.); about Rama and his story in the Ramayana; about Krishna and his incarnations when life on earth is out of balance between good and bad; about the elephant-headed god Ganesh; pooja, the ritual offerings; the animal spirits associated with the gods (and so there are many vegetarians); Sanskrit; samsara, or the wheel of suffering; reincarnation; karma, which is not some kind of universal scale of justice, but is more about the sum total of your actions (I've heard it described as intention)--so not "karma is a bitch."

So today was our field trip.  We removed our shoes, saw the shrine to Ganesh, entered the main sanctuary, and did the prayer walk around the room, seeing each shrine and statues to the deities.  The kids asked questions, as did the adults, as we went.  The statues were from India, but the elaborate, gleaming white architectural niches were made here (no pictures allowed inside this area.)  We saw several people praying and making offerings at various shrines--Rama, Shiva, the Jains, the planets, and several others.  There was the sweet smell of incense and lots of ringing bells, plus chanting.  Also, another member demonstrated how ashes at the shrine of Shiva were put across the forehead, left to right; he compared it to Catholic Ash Wednesday.

Then we went downstairs to the Hindu school for the common prayers; we sat on mats or in chairs along the wall.  Led by students, we chanted OM , and other chants (shanti, shanti, shanti), plus two cycles of yoga forms (essentially what we would call salutation of the sun, downward facing dog, and others, each presented with their Hindu name and a short instruction, but I had the strong feeling that this was yoga as it was meant to be--within its spiritual tradition.  i just looked it up--it was a progression called the Surya Namaskara), and more chanting.  There were two presentations on temples by students--one in Tamil Nadu to Shiva and one KaliSa (I think.)  After the kids presented, they asked the gathered children and adults 4 questions--right answers were rewarded with candy!  Everybody liked this part and a couple of our students had a right answer.

Then we went upstairs where there was more chanting and an increasing number of people.  We watched for awhile, looked over a book they had on the temple and its prayer walk.  The curtain in front of the main deity was drawn because the statue was being washed (butter, milk, juice, honey etc., which is later offered as a blessing) and dressed; we hoped to see the curtain opened but think it happened later than we were there.  As we left, I did buy some laddu, a sweet yellow ball with (usually) chickpea flour, ghee, sugar, nuts (almonds or pistachios), cardamom, and this one had raisins.  I shared it around outside but the kids pretty much didn't like it, neither did the adults (well, I did, but I remember having it at my Hindu neighbor's house when I was a child.)

I think we have one major field trip left, to an African American Baptist church.  I've really loved this class.

Updates

Hmmm, I see it's been awhile since I posted.

• I pulled a muscle in my back and was down for the count for a few days.  It was a bad combination of driving a lot, sitting at the Zentangle retreat, PMSing, having a confrontation with my chaplain supervisor, and standing up too quickly from a nice, long lunch and visit with our hospice priest.
• The benefit of being in bed and taking it easy was that I finished not one but both of my online chaplain modules, about 50 hours total.  And I passed both.  I still have the 300 clinical hours and the weekly class with its assignments totaling another 150.
• My mom came for a 5-day visit, and, though I couldn't go to see Come From Away with her as planned, we all had a good visit.
• Chinese New Year season has ended.  The kids and Mama celebrated in NY with family (the day my mom went to the musical; I stayed home resting.)  Bud performed in umpteen kung fu productions, culminating at Yale last weekend.  We love watching him, but new-year season is exhausting with extra practices and shows all over the state.
• CPE is going well.  I'm getting a real feel for the rhythm of the hospice facility, all the various nurses (charge, managing, director of . . . ) and techs and LPN and CNAs and who knows who else (nutritionists, pharmacists, PT, social workers, arts therapists) and a legion of volunteers who help serve and feed the patients, do the flowers, play the piano or bring guitars, do pet therapy, staff the reception desk, are Loving Whisperers who sit with those actively dying or those who need extra attention.  And they are all starting to identify me.  I also really like our new priest.  He's got a great way with the patients and always wants to be up there with them (our offices are below the rooms.)  Much more engaged that way than the previous priest.  And we have great conversations on art, travel, whatever comes to mind.  In fact, he seems a lot like Pope Francis, in his focus on the poor and his love for all.  And he is fluent in Spanish, which is great for our patients.  He was also wonderful with me when I pulled out my back during our lunch together.
• We found out yesterday that it's time for Sis's pony Murphy to go back to the farm in Vermont.  No, that isn't some horse euphemism; he's actually returning to his home farm because he's older and lame and can't be ridden often.  Sis is heartbroken and will got with her farm owner (and Mama) to drop him off and help select the new horse to come back.  There have been a lot of tears around here, and not just from Sis.  It's so hard to know how much she hurts.  I have been tempted to buy that old pony--most expensive lawn ornament ever, someone said.  And then she can feed him peppermints to his heart's delight and he can grow fat and happy.  But I think that's not the best idea, even if it would be the easiest from a pain/sadness perspective.  Still, he'll always be the first and we're mourning his loss.  She's made a digital picture album that we're having printed but rejected my idea of braiding some of his hair.
• We saw Black Panther and it was marvelous.  Yep, the hype is well-deserved.  Besides being an entertaining movie with beautiful people, costumes, settings, etc. inspired by Afro-futurism and many African cultural traditions (I forget all of the different ones--neck rings, lip disks, ritual scarification, Kente cloth, etc etc, from Benin,)  the movie has thought provoking socio-political ideas on race and gender (and the intersectionalities of such.)  The MLK vs. Malcolm X continuum of peaceful resistance or violent overthrow, commentary on being black in America, and also African-Americans of the diaspora and their literal and figurative distance from Africa.  Plus breaking all manner of stereotypes about black women and men.
• Parkland, Florida.  What can I say?  Emma Gonzalez and her fellow students are having an enormous effect in the aftermath of tragedy in a way that hasn't quite been managed after a school shooting before.  I really appreciate all of the memes about raising these last generations (not just on school shootings, but) on dystopic novels--Hunger Games, Divergent, even in it's way Harry Potter--where students fight back against an oppressive force.  The teens have it!  And we have your back.
• In RE, the kids are studying Hinduism.  I'm learning a lot and look forward to visit a Hindu temple soon.  Next up:  Buddhism.  Then AME (traditional African-American Baptist church), Quakers, earth-based paganism, and I think a last unit on religious cults.
• Less than 2 months to Italy.  It's almost hard to believe--it still doesn't feel real.

Zenith of Zentangle

Last weekend, I had a marvelous getaway at a Zentangle retreat at Copper Beech.

Before classes started, I wandered out to the labyrinth, which was covered in ice.  I was nervous about walking on the ice and couldn't do the whole loop, but I enjoyed the solitude and the view.  I even left behind a token I had stamped with the word "peace."  I especially liked all of the other footsepts around the labyrinth which were frozen in the ice.  Just the idea of everyone walking the path separately.  It reminds me of that meme (though it existed before internet memes) about footsteps on the beach and there only being one set at times, when God carried the person.  For me, the footsteps at the labyrinth were the community walking separately but together.

Then it was food and tangling.  We always eat well at Copper Beech!  Salads, baked cod, chicken parmesan, tasty veggie sides, fresh-baked cookies, honey butter with bread.  Mmm, mmm, good.

And on the tangling!  So many great projects, including our double-heart-string puzzle, a piece of which was given to someone else to tangle and returned to us at the end of the weekend.

And the gorgeous bleeding tissue paper that colored our opus tile for our tangled heart.  I experimented with lots of "frills" or "doodads" outside the heart, also with random white dots to highlight the patterns.  And of course, I don't usually work in color.  This was a great way to use color without worrying about coloring or painting in the tangles.  

We also made gratitude bouquets (the vase is made from acrylic paint applied onto paper with baby wipes!), a little book (acrylic paint scraped on paper with a gift card or hotel key card), and a little Bijou tile book which will contain 26 tangles A to Z.  I made the book but will add the Bijous later.  I was mostly focused on the bigger, higher concentration projects like the heart and the puzzle.

I really liked the group of women (and one man) who attended, several of whom I'm now in touch with online.  Of all my Zentangle classes, this one really stands out.  Just lots of fun and inspiration.

Affirmations

Here we go, more achievements and affirmations:

• part-time hospice work (about 15 hours a week, for 300 hours in 5 months)
• starting CPE modules and unit cohort work (about 200 hours)
• Zentangle retreat--DRIVING myself, lots of tangling, walking to the very icy labyrinthe!
• Driving--30 minutes to hospice, 40 minutes to see a play with Girl Scouts, 55 minutes to Zentangle retreat--new personal records all in one week!
• Girl Scout overnight--archery, sleeping on the floor, walking on snow in dark
• bike riding on a few warm days in a row, going fast (for me)
• treadmilling at my highest rate yet!
• applying, interviewing, and earning spot in CPE spring unit!
• Speedskating weekend, including:
• driving farther than I have since my back issues
• driving after a blizzard (though the roads were great!) at night
• lugging all the supplies for the competition
• taking care of Sis by myself out and about for the whole time (pretty easy, but still!)
• overseeing the hospitality room at the competition
• working the hospitality room for 10 hours!
• driving home despite being tired
• and then driving to church the next morning!!!!
• our trip to DC, with very cold weather and full day spent at museums
• holding down the household when Mama had the flu
• braving a back spasm in October and recovering after a few days
• not wearing my brace for hospice, shopping, birding, piano playing, zoo, etc.
• restarting my treadmill habit!
• walking in ice and snow, which usually scares me
• wearing jeans (which have bothered my back, in the past)
• and a few I didn't ever list from last year
• all the sightseeing in NJ in the awful heat
• Hog Island Camp, especially the full-day hike!!!  
• Opera, Broadway shows, and lots of movies (all that sitting)

For the old lists, see my original list of Affirmations is from March, April, October 2015, then March and June 2016, and June 2017 and here)

Tidbits

Here are some notes on the week since the Super Bowl:

• I'm so glad the Patriots didn't win.  Yay, Eagles!  It was a pretty good game.  
• My mom arrives in about an hour, having canceled her last trip when my uncle died and then not coming for Christmas.  I don't think we've seen her since the summer.
• My back is out.  A cocktail of lots of driving, lots of sitting at the Zentangle retreat, starting my period, stress at hospice, and sitting in a booth for lunch ended with my standing up from lunch and not being able to take a step.  Mama even had to come fetch me and get me to the car in a wheelchair.  With meds, rest, and my great adjustable bed, I'm already taking a few steps on my own.  Still, I had to skip hospice today and it was a bit embarrassing to be so helpless there yesterday.  And a good reminder to take it easier.  I had been making back progress though--I don't wear my brace at hospice and I've been on my treadmill a lot recently.  Just bad timing, I think.  
• Zentangle retreat:  another beautiful experience at Copper Beech Mindfulness Institute for a weekend of Zentangling.  I'll write about it later.
• I had fun at last week's speedskating practice.  While sitting in the stands watching, I met a young girl, who was interested in skating, and her mom--who had been on the national speedskating team AND been an alternate at the Calgary Olympics.  So cool!  And Sis had a big fall--she was letting it fly in a race, letting go of all caution, and wiped out trying to pass the leader.  It was too fast even to get nervous--I saw the fall and she slid a lot and then hopped back up.  Whew. Relief.  It was only nervewracking after the fact.
• It's Chinese New Year season and Bud has had a lot of kung fu performances.  I think there's at least one this weekend and then perhaps two the weekend after.
• I'm really enjoying the Olympics, as is the whole family.  Bud picks up on the lingo of whatever sport he's watching--luge, slopestyle snowboarding, half pipe, figure skating.  Sis is excited about all of the short track speedskating, her own sport.  One of the team members even got his start on her team, though way before us.

The Weekend

We're watching the Super Bowl, though we have misgivings about the NFL.  And about the Patriots, even if they are widely loved up here.  The kids wanted to understand football and what all the other kids are excited about, so it's on and we're sorta watching.  I've explained the mechanics of the game. And we're evaluating the ads.  Liked Toyota's ad on the Paralympics. And Chris Hemsworth promoting Australia.  Not impressed with Dodge Ram using MLK's words to sell trucks, a focus on "service" or not.  The meanness of the Cure ads were funny, just barely.  And we're ready to see Solo. We liked Justin Timberlake at the half, though we didn't know most of his songs.  Bud liked his dancing, which is like the moves of the K-Pop band BTS that he likes so much.  We liked the tribute to Prince and the Trolls song.

Otherwise, it's been a busy weekend.  Mama worked from home Friday and we were able to have lunch together at a local Indian buffet.  As we were driving to the restaurant, I spotted a lump on a branch in a tree by the river.  An adult bald eagle!  Mama turned around and we were able to cross the road to see the beautiful bird, still at a safe distance from us.  I even got a few pictures.  You could see its head moving back and forth, presumably as it scanned for lunch, because several minutes later, it took off.  Gorgeous.  In fact, now we've seen eagles in pretty much the same area three days in a row--one on Friday (twice--before and after lunch!), two on one branch--one adult (with the telltale white head and dark body) and one juvie (splotchy brown but still really big) on Saturday, and then one adult today.

And of course we're rooting for the Eagles!  Friends think it's a sign that there are Eagles in New England territory!

Friday night, the kids had a birthday party dance to attend--one of the first kids to turn 13 in their group.  Mama enjoyed our second "date" of the day by eating pizza and watching Wings of the Dove, featuring lovely Venice.  Saturday had Sis helping with pony rides and Bud performing in a kung fu show for Lunar New Year.  Today we were similarly split, with Bud off for another performance.  Sis was supposed to go to speedskating, but her tummy was upset so she stayed home.

Ponies and horses are a bittersweet topic around our house these days.  We learned a week or so ago that the farm where Sis rides is going to send her beloved leased pony Murphy back to his owners in Vermont because he's too old to be ridden often and is having some leg troubles.  Sis is heartbroken.  We are heartbroken.  He was her first pony, pretty much, and can't ever be replaced in her heart.  And so she wants to see him as much as possible but knows that time is limited.  He'll probably leave in March.  Her coach has invited Sis to go to Vermont to help choose the next horse to come back to Connecticut.  And while she's sure she still wants to lease and loves horses, she's just so sad when she thinks of them right now.  It's going to be a tough month.

Okay, confession:  this is going to be long because I already wrote it as one of my papers for my CPE.

I had a wonderful experience in the religious education (RE) class I co-teach.  As I think I've explained, this year the focus is on the “Neighboring Faiths” curriculum, which requires participants to learn about various religions in our area, speak with their practitioners, and, when possible, attend a service.  Thus far, the class—with our kiddos included—has visited a rabbi from a conservative Jewish synagogue, a Roman Catholic mass, and a Presbyterian service.   This class is particularly important for Unitarian Universalists (UU) because we value the voices of prophetic men and women from many faiths.  We also recognize that we live in a global community and believe that multicultural competence, including interfaith dialogue, is an important part of being a citizen of the world. 

We have been preparing to visit a mosque and so met last week with a Muslim woman (NOTE:  Islam is the religion; Muslim is the practitioner) who travels the area teaching “Islam 101.”  She gave a wonderful presentation to our students, explaining core beliefs, the Five Pillars (belief, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage), the reasons behind and techniques for the wearing of hijab, the timing and format of five prayers a day, the gestures and verses that comprise those prayers, and more.  She taught the children how to sing a song about the months of the Islamic calendar, recited many of the 99 names of Allah, and shared with us some sweet bean pie, a traditional African-American Muslim dish.  She spoke of her love of scarves and different editions of the Quran.  She even showed us her special app that alerts her to the time for prayers each day and also orients her towards Mecca for those prayers.  The kids were fascinated by the niqab she passed around so that we could look through the sheer material that would cover a woman's face and intrigued by the bowing and kneeling and rituals of her prayers.  As she had hoped, she made Muslims seem just like everyone else—not weird or scary or dangerous.  And she thanked us for inviting us because she believes it will help our world if we all understand and respect each other. 

On Sunday, we visited a local mosque and met their Imam, youth director, and young members of their community.  We were welcomed heartily into the mosque, removed our shoes as a sign of respect, and then sat in chairs in the main room.  The Imam talked to our group about the basis of Islam, focusing on the Six Pillars of Belief (as opposed to the practices of the pious that we learned about the week before):  1.) God (the Oneness of God, as opposed to the Trinity) 2.) Angels (“The Unseen,” like Gabriel 3.) Sacred Books (The Quran, but also the Torah, Psalms, and Gospels--aka Bible) 4.) Prophets (The Quran names 25, including Abraham, Noah, Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus, Mohammed is the last.  Jesus is not meant to be worshipped, only a messenger) 5.) Judgment Day (there are three lives—spiritual life before birth, terrestrial life, and then resurrected life after Judgment) 6.) Free will (God knows everything, but we choose.)  The students in our class were overwhelmed by all the teachings—especially when one of the adults tried to ask about jihad and Sunnis and Shi’ites. The Imam was very careful and clear in his disavowal of violence and hatred between faiths and races.  But he was talking to such a young group that many of them didn’t understand his words in quite the same vein as the adults.  Soon we shared doughnuts and the kids from both youth groups were smiling!   The Imam also based out thematic translations of the Quran in English to each student and adult present.  (We were all surprised to hear the telling of Jesus’s birth, when he spoke out as an infant, which appears in the Quranic book of Mary.)

We also witnessed the afternoon prayer, starting with the Athan called by the youth director.  I remembered my college summer in Tunisia when I was on an archaeological dig in Carthage and we could hear the calls to prayer resonate across the city from its many minarets five times a day.  Then, with the Imam going first, the long row of men and a shorter row of young women further behind, bowed and knelt repeatedly to pray.  In all, it lasted about 15 minutes.  Though, the Imam didn’t point it out, I could see the door to the area for ritual cleansing that many of the men who had stopped by for the afternoon prayer entered.  Apparently, there is a separate room for women—for their privacy, the Imam said—but they do not have to pray in there but can pray in the large room.  Still, the rows in front are for men, to protect the modesty of the women, who are behind.  (We had noticed separate entrances for “Brothers” and “Sisters” but they did not insist on their use today and had us all come through the Brothers’ door.  Also, one of our female teachers went to shake hands with the youth director who politely declined touching her.)  We were told later that it is important to pray close together—even touching feet—because it consolidates the spirit of the prayer.  I wondered why the men were so close together (even the carpet, with its decoration demarcating separate but small spaces, like individual prayer rugs.)  At our UU church people would never sit that close to anyone but spread out as a form of politeness and personal space.

I'm really loving this RE class, especially when we're looking at religions I don't know as well, like Islam.  It was all really interesting and great for the kids, and for me in my work as a hospice chaplain.  Soon, we'll study Buddhism, visit a Hindu temple, meet with some Quakers, and go to an AME church.

Today's the Day

My CPE (clinical pastoral education) unit officially starts today!  In the next five months, I will do 300 clinical hours at hospice and 100 educational hours.  That's about 16 hours of volunteering a week, plus seminar and study time.  Already this week I have two papers due.  But I realized last night that I haven't forgotten the format of a footnote in the 15+ years since my dissertation!  Nor have I forgotten academic anxiety and stress, unfortunately.  And I've never been a student or a worker while caring for a family.  I know so many people do this--and more--but it's going to take some getting used to after more than a decade as a stay-at-home mom.  Still, I know it's a challenge I'm (and we're) up for.  And I'm not forgetting down time to recharge.  In fact, meditating everyday is part of the learning goals I have to submit in a week.

So, here I go!  Time to shower and be off.

For . . .

Lambeth's a jolly, good fellow.
For Lambeth's a jolly, good fellow.
For Lambeth's a jolly, good fellow,
which nobody can deny.

Which nobody can deny,
Which nobody can deny,
For Lambeth's a jolly, good fellow,
which nobody can deny!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAMBETH!!!!
We love you and hope it's a day even half as wonderful as you are.

Sending Love

Sending love and our deepest sympathies to our dear Granny Quinn, whose husband died on Monday.  May wonderful memories of a life together comfort her, her children, grandchildren, and their whole community, including my mom, at this sad time.

In Honor

Last week, I had a conversation with a hospice patient that touched me deeply.  He was an African American man born in the South in the 1920s.  And as he told it, he had seen so much violence and hatred in his lifetime--in fact, he said that when he was a young man, he would have been killed for talking to me alone as we were.  What was it all for, he wanted to know.  And where was religion?  Did I think that the world was a better place because of a belief in God?  He was thinking not only of our present challenges--terrorists in the name of Islam, Catholic priests who molest children--but of all the white preachers who supported racism especially in the Civil Rights era.  He was incredulous, saddened, at the anger and hatred.  He said he believes that God is love and wishes more people knew that, acted like it. I said that I vacilate in my thoughts on religion--that there has been much violence and prejudice and hatred in the name of God and belief systems, but that I had also seen many people trying to help their fellow humans and the world--feeding the hungry at our local soup kitchens and food pantries, collecting clothes and coats for those in need, housing the homeless in our churches during the winter, working for non-violence and social justice and the like.  He asked me if I had any good news.  I told him that I had hope for the future, paraphrasing King, that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice. That while we couldn't have talked like this in his childhood, we can now and I teach my children so that they recognize the inherent worth and dignity of all people and work for justice and equality.  He seemed to agree. We said goodbye soon after.  I hope I get to talk to him again.

Up to Speed

Two weeks or so ago, Sis had her first speedskating competition of the season.  And for awhile beforehand, everything just went awry--Mama was diagnosed with the flu, we got 13"+ of snow in a wicked Nor'easter, and the blanket I had been racing to finish for the competition raffle was accidentally left behind at kung fu (and unretrievable because of said snow.) But we made it work.  Bud stayed home with Mama and I took Sis all by myself--driving farther than I have since my back issues, in post-blizzard freezing weather, hauling all sorts of extra supplies because I was in charge of the officials and coaches' hospitality room.  And it went beautifully!  I finished a scarf for the raffle, did all the shopping, made the drive just fine, the hospitality room came off without a real hitch, thanks to a lot of volunteers, and Goo joined us to cheer on Sis and help out with everything in his sister's stead.

And Sis skated up to 10+ seconds faster this year than last!!!   I saw every race--I love watching her skate.  Her form is clean and she's really steady.  Her coach said she got stronger and faster throughout the day.  So proud of her.

And of me.

2018 Affirmations

Here we go, more achievements and affirmations:

• applying, interviewing, and earning spot in CPE spring unit!
• Speedskating weekend, including:
• driving farther than I have since my back issues
• driving after a blizzard (though the roads were great!) at night
• lugging all the supplies for the competition
• taking care of Sis by myself out and about for the whole time (pretty easy, but still!)
• overseeing the hospitality room at the competition
• working the hospitality room for 10 hours!
• driving home despite being tired
• and then driving to church the next morning!!!!
• our trip to DC, with very cold weather and full day spent at museums
• holding down the household when Mama had the flu
• braving a back spasm in October and recovering after a few days
• not wearing my brace for hospice, shopping, birding, piano playing, zoo, etc.
• restarting my treadmill habit!
• walking in ice and snow, which usually scares me
• wearing jeans (which have bothered my back, in the past)
• and a few I didn't ever list from last year
• all the sightseeing in NJ in the awful heat
• Hog Island Camp, especially the full-day hike!!!  
• Opera, Broadway shows, and lots of movies (all that sitting)

For the old lists, see my original list of Affirmations is from March, April, October 2015, then March and June 2016, and June 2017 and here)

Owliday

I had an amazing "owliday" yesterday.  I saw three owls!

There had been reports of a short-eared owl in the area and so I thought I'd see if I could catch a glance.  As I arrived at the entrance to the site, I asked a woman with a big camera lens walking along the road if she'd seen the owl.  She pointed right in front of us, in the upper limbs of a tall tree!  I immediately pulled over and hopped out of the car, but as I turned around, it had flown off.  But I had seen it!  Inspired, I pulled into the park, where about 10 other birders cum cameras were.  And sure enough, the owl was hunting all along the meadows, back and forth.  Beautiful.  I watched for a long time, not even pulling out Mama's camera, which she had sent with me when I said I was going owling. I did finally pull out her fancy digital SLR but wasn't sure if I were getting any good pics.  Using what my dad calls the "shotgun approach," I took many and a few are even in focus!  It was amazing to see her (the others called it a her, though no one was sure) swoop and soar back and forth. A life bird!  (Meaning it's my first time to see one.)

I love this photo, even though it's out of focus.

The other photographers told me that there was a Snowy visible from the parking lot in a nearby park.  So, when the Short-eared Owl seemed to find lunch and disappear into the grasses, I left to look for the Snowy.

She wasn't in a tree near the parking lot, but she was out on the ice, indicated by the 10+ people with cameras and scopes looking in one direction.  There was even a film crew.

Can you see her?

We're pretty sure it's a "she" based on the amount of flecking, though young males have flecking too.

Can you see her now?  Yep, Snowy's camoflauge works well.

She sat on that ice shelf for quite awhile because she knew her lunch was under there.  The other birders told me that there was a clapper rail under the ledge and that she'd already tried once to get it. Now she was waiting it out.

And waiting.  And waiting.

And we were waiting.

Utnil she swooped down from the ledge and lunged into the crevice.  We even heard her cry out a few times!

And she got it!  Everyone was amazed.  The longtime and professional birders said it was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.  And the film crew captured it for their documentary (they said they'll put the footage out soon.)  It really was amazing, even if it was a bit sobering to think the clapper rail had been alive a minute before.  The cycle of life is not always beautiful, even if it still looks pretty in these photos.

Eating her lunch.

One of the birders let me take some photos through his great Swarovski monoscope with my cellphone. Wow.
(I laughed that I put that scope on my Christmas list but I must not have been a good enough girl!)

We stood and watched a long time, hoping she'd actually finish and fly off.  But she waited . . . and outwaited me.

There was actually another Snowy--more white, probably a male--about a mile off and visible only with that lovely Swarovski scope.  Three owls.  I saw three owls yesterday!

I smiled the whole rest of the day, especially once Mama helped me see the photos I took and when I could tell the kids and Gommie and Pop about it.

OWLS!!!!

Another Favorites List

Because I have always loved questions and favorites listicles. . . .

👰Marriages? 1
💍Proposals? 1
🚑Surgeries? 5
Piercings? 2
🔫Shot a gun? Yes, target practice
✋Quit a job? Yes
📺Ever been on TV? No
🌅Been to an island? Yes--Manhattan, Block Island, Greek Islands, Matagorda Island, Hog Island
✈Flown on a plane? Yes.
🚙Hit a deer? No
❤Fallen in love? Yes
😪Watched someone die? Yes
🚑Been in an ambulance? Yes
🎤Sang karaoke? Yes, during my Natural Singer class
❄Been ice skating? Well, I stood on ice in skates once as a kid
🛳Been on a Cruise? Yes, Greek islands
🚲Been on a motorcycle? Nope, no way
🐴Rode a horse? Sat on a horse once
🏥Stayed in a hospital? Yes, twice--babies and emergency surgery
🍽Favorite fruit? Blueberries, cherries
🌽Favorite vegetable? Broccoli, kale, collards
🍨Favorite dessert? Victoria sponge or anything with almonds or oranges or dark chocolate
🌓Morning or night? Night
🌈Favorite color? Purple
📞Last phone call? My brother in law
📀Favorite Song? Hamilton...pick one
🏈Favorite sport? Kung Fu and speedskating
☀️Favorite season? Winter
🎄Favorite holiday? Christmas (and also my birthday)