Journal of a Sabbatical

July 21, 1999

cats, birds, the usual stuff

July 21, 1999
Newburyport Boat Ramp
17 lesser yellowlegs
3 greater yellowlegs

Plum Island
1 goldfinch
1 great egret
6 eastern kingbirds
3 greater yellowlegs
5 gray catbirds
5 killdeer
7 gadwalls
12 least sandpipers
1 American robin
3 redwinged blackbirds (2 female, 1 male)
2 purple martins
37 double crested cormorants
1 cedar waxwing
1 northern mockingbird
1 sanderling
52 Canada geese
2 common terns
8 herring gulls
1 snowy egret

Turtles
3 eastern painted turtles - 2 at north pool overlook and 1 at Hellcat 

Today's Starting Pitcher: Bret Saberhagen

Today's Reading: business cards of pet sitters, e-mail, snail mail, catalogs

The sky is clear and blue today. No haze for the second day in a row.

Remarkably, Joey has regained dominion over the top of the big yellow bucket. Midgee didn't contest him for it, she just seems to have lost interest. I guess she's found better perches from which to survey the scene. (Midgee would love this cedar waxwing's perch commanding a view of all of Sandy Point.)

Blackberry and Muffin

Lakota, Diana, and a host of others have been adopted. Susan was running out of room to write them down on the adoptions board. But we never get ahead. More cats come in. Shanti, whom long term readers will remember, came back. Her people moved and couldn't take her. I didn't check to see if she brought the beanie baby back with her. Comings and goings seem to be the order of the day.

Harley

Jaguar has been pretty feisty lately. Yesterday when I brought Tyler back from Brigham Manor, I witnessed Jaguar chasing Jazzpurr from the socialization room all the way across the main room and up onto the credenza. I didn't know Jaguar could move that fast any more. He usually walks gingerly from his cage to the laundry room at walking meditation pace. I guess Jazzpurr just bugged him one time too many.

Loverboy

Roy gave me a cucumber from his garden. I haven't had garden fresh home grown cucumbers in a few years. It'll be fun to have with dinner. It's amazing how much more work we can get done with Roy concentrating on drying and putting away the dishes and litter boxes. There's a synergy or something going on because the two of us working together get done more than twice as quickly. I think it's partly because he can actually reach the shelves, which I need a step stool to get to. Anyway, we worked along very efficiently today and still had plenty of time time left to pet the cats.

Samson

Even the mean cats like Roy for some reason. He can get away with roughhousing with some who would shred me or Bob. Guess he's just got the touch.

After petting Jaguar extra and taking pictures of the new cats for Bonnie's web page, I drove into Newburyport for lunch at Angie's. The guy from Olde Port Book Shop was sitting next to me reading the New York Times. I don't think he noticed me so I didn't say hello. Domino would have meowed and rubbed against my legs, but one would hope the guy who runs the place (whose name I forget) wouldn't do that :-)

With such beautiful weather and the shorebird migrations starting I couldn't pass up a chance to look for birds on the refuge. The guys at the gatehouse must think I have no life...

I nearly got rear-ended stopping to photograph the cedar waxwing whose bright yellow tail tip was shining prominently in the sun.

There are way more yellowlegs of both species than I counted. I lost track.

The mold spore count must still be high because my ears feel congested - like my head is underwater - and I'm wicked tired. I only stayed on the refuge birding for about an hour before I got too tired.

Back at the condo, I phoned pet sitters and the glass company - acting like I have some adult competencies. The refenestrator is coming tomorrow with my custom made window balances. At last I'll be able to open the office window without having to prop it up with a stick. Possible pet sitter coming tomorrow too.