…but first a visit to the orthopedist in Corpus. The diagnosis for Judy is cartilage damage between the femur and the tibia. Historically she’s had meniscus tears under the kneecap. This is a little deeper, but can be fixed with a scope. That’s actually great news! Her hurting knee can be fixed and it won’t require knee replacement. She is scheduled for surgery in January. My shoulder was trickier to diagnose. So many signs point to rotator cuff tear, but the MRI did not support that theory. Further conversation produced a breakthrough. I had observed that when the ache in my shoulder woke me up in the middle of the night, I could twist my elbow up over my head with my hand pointed back down toward the middle of my back (I notice these kind of things), and after a while the pain would subside. That was the key! The doctor recognized that arm position as one that would relieve neck pain. We’ve been looking at the wrong body part. Pain can refer from one place to another. He got me right back into an MRI machine within an hour. We did my neck this time. They phoned the MRI results back to the doctor and he must have seen what he expected. He got me scheduled next Monday with their neck and spine guy. I’ve got some nerve impingement. It’s not resolved yet, but at least we’re focused on the appropriate body part now. So off to get the black swans… A swing and a miss. They’re gone now. We traveled on. Still at 397. We’ve stopped for the night in Georgetown, Texas, north of Austin.2014 Dallas Trip Tomorrow, Dallas.
394
That’s how many bird species we had for the year when we got home from our trip the first of November this year. I want to make it to 400 by the end of the year. Seems simple enough; only 6 more birds. Problem is, we’ve already spent most of the year here and have seen most every bird available in our part of Texas. After 3 weeks and no new birds, we went out after a specific Sprague’s Pipit at Anzalduas County Park and got it! 395. Then nothing. No more. It got to be late November and no new birds. On Thanksgiving Day, a red-legged honeycreeper was spotted at Estero Llano Grande State Park. We went to look for it on Friday. It was still there somewhere but we missed it. Other people saw it. I went back for a stakeout all afternoon Saturday. The last time it was seen was Saturday morning before I got there. I went back Sunday morning for an all day stakeout. Nothing. The last time it was seen was still Saturday morning. As far as I know it hasn’t been seen again. Still at 395. Got serious this last weekend. Figured out specific target birds. Drove west to some grasslands on Saturday in search of a grasshopper sparrow and got one! Got several in fact. 396. Devoted Sunday to the Aplomado Falcon. Drove to all the best Aplomado Falcon spots out by the coast. Lots of birds. Nice day. No falcons. Stuck at 396. Now, in December, we’re on a trip to Dallas by car. An overnight stop in Corpus Christi presents an opportunity for a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Jon told us right where to find it. Drove out and there it was. 397. It helps to have friends help. Only three more birds to go. How hard could that be, getting three more birds? Chinese food with Russ and Glenna in Corpus Christi tonight. They drove out from the island to meet us.
A poorly lit picture, but it was great catching up.
A poorly lit picture, but it was great catching up. It’s our family tradition
On her birthday, Judy gets to do anything she wants all day long, be right all day, and I have to be nice to her no matter what! So far it’s working (and we haven’t really bought all that much…). Happy Birthday to my charming wife. You’ve hardly changed at all.
It’s a good bobcat year
Some years we don’t see any. This year we’ve had two sightings in two days. Saturday I saw the mom and baby while walking in a preserve about a mile from our house. Yesterday we were walking both dogs in Bentsen Rio Grande State Park. Judy and I saw the cat at about 50 yards. Henry saw it. Annie didn’t. We all paused to admire each other; except Annie, she was sniffing the ground for food. When we got up to where the cat had been, Henry got pretty excited sniffing the shrubbery where the cat had slipped into the underbrush. We held Henry back with the leash as he attempted to follow his prey into the undergrowth. The leash didn’t hold up so well an hour later. We had stopped to admire a flock of twenty chachalacas feeding on the ground. Henry watched them as long as he could stand, then suddenly went red-zone and broke the leash right off. Chachalacas are fun birds to chase. They’re about the size of chickens. Irresistible. Henry blew off into the brush, the happiest puppy on the planet, scattering birds and squirrels everywhere. He returned to his senses and came back within a minute or so. We stayed and watched the birds a little longer, but the chachalacas and squirrels chose to remain in the trees and scolding Henry until we left.
The Green Jay
Such an elegant bird.
But looking this good can’t be easy.
But looking this good can’t be easy.