Day off!

Today was my first day off of my new job and it was spectacular. Fell asleep at 8:15 last night which proves how exhausted I was. Woke up early and did a few household things. Then to the Thaler wetlands near my house for some birdwatching and then on to explore a nearby town. I hoped to do some more house-hold things today but was easily distracted, so hopefully tomorrow I will do some errands and put the final touches on my house. Things are great and I'm learning tons of plants and birds. So far very few mammal sightings, but for now I am completely happy learning bird calls and special things about plants.

A few of the birds today: Swainson's thrush, Spotted Towee, some song sparrows, a Greater Yellow-legs, some geese, assorted gulls, a tern, Wilson's Warbler, Barn Swallows (really beautiful when they zoom right by your ear), a few more Violet Green Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, and some displaying hummingbirds which were really neat. I'm sure there were more that I have forgotten. New plants too! Gradually collecting my list of edibles...and not edibles. And some things you can eat if you are really brave, but that end up tasting really bad.

Wrote a song last night called "In Four"...basically I-IV-I-IV-I-V-IV-I...but is a prediction of how crazy I will go in four months on my own. Right now I am quite busy talking with parents, friends, coworkers, and myself (a lot!), playing guitar, reading, learning plants, and falling asleep outrageously early. Rain started today, which means probably several days of overcast yuckiness. The view across the canal from my house on clear days is the spectacular Olympic Mountains which I will now be saying goodbye to as the ceiling lowers. Still, knowing they're there is enough to keep one in awe of her surroundings.