Little Blue Heron

When a rare bird is spotted in Utah, the online birder threads light up, and everybody gets out to "chase" the bird.  Last week, someone spotted a rare Little Blue Heron just at Farmington Bay, very close to home for me.  This bird's normal range is more around the Gulf coast and down into South America.  But every five or ten years, one is reported in Utah.  This one drew a lot of attention and photographers as it was hanging out at a pond near a road, easily seen.

I waited about four days before going out.  But on my way home from Ogden on Thursday, I decided to stop and see if it was still there.  It was.  And a couple of birders were already there and pointed it out to me.  Even though it was afternoon, the light was bad and the heron was far out, I was able to get a couple of decent, if dark and blurry, shots.  The bird is still there and I may try to get out again but in the morning when the light is more favorable.  But I'm thrilled to have seen this life bird for me.

What I'm up to

I'll admit I'm neglecting to post here lately.  I'll be back eventually.  But right now I'm doing all my blogging in a private diary with a focus on taking better care of myself.  I write in that blog every single day, keeping track of how much sleep I get, what I eat, the activities I do, how well I do at drinking more water, and how I feel emotionally.  I'm finding this is also a good opportunity to make short lists of important things I need to get done each day as well.  It's all very mundane, but extremely important to me and no-one else.  I write a short entry in the morning and again just before bed.  

This devotion to a daily diary has been very successful in getting me back on track.  So I will continue with it as long as I see a benefit from it and as long as it takes to get some good habits and a good routine in my life.  

I still have a lot of care taking responsibilities, but I finally feel I'm not putting myself forever on the backburner.  I am giving myself daily attention--no more putting that off for the vague future.  But I'm still getting much done around the house and yard, too.

At some point I will return to blogging here, posting pictures of flowers and birds, but hopefully also some original essays and poetry.  I am spending more time again at the piano and and finding a new desire to return to painting and writing. So in those famous words, I'll be baaaack.

Anniversary

This time of year brings remembrances.  And a whole lot of unresolved issues and feelings.  But that's life: things tend to be left open-ended, unanswered.  Five years is a milestone of sorts and a chance to rethink and resolve and look anew to the future.