First Fawn!

I saw her tonight on my way to the gym.  The first fawn of the season.

Funny thing, as I was speaking with someone just yesterday or today, I said something along the lines "if you were going to be here in 2 weeks, you would probably see a fawn."  I said this because at that moment in time I somehow forgot it was May; I thought it was mid-April. And, in my thinking that it was mid-April, I was telling them to look for fawns beginning in May.

I have seen my first spotted fawn.  She is not in our herd, I saw her behind the deer fence on US 1 (please, please, PLEASE drive with caution through Big Pine) and thought "wow how beautiful." Her fur was such a dark brown, her spots so vivid white. Mom was right next to her, keeping a watchful eye.  The little fawn was so small, so very small.

"Be Kind to the Animals. Especially the Small Ones. They're Very Delicate."

Time Marches On, Rain or Shine

It rained for 5 days straight down here, almost unheard of for April which tends to be one of the driest months, if not THE driest month traditionally.  Not just a little rain, but continual windswept downpours which had little mercy on any of us whether we live here or were visiting here. My runs continued for the most part, dashing through the drops.  Life goes on, whether there's rain or not. One of the really good things that came from this rain is fresh water for the wildlife.  Lots of little birds and the Key deer seem to be frolicking in the aftermath of the rain.

Since my last post, not much has happened, so don't feel you've missed too much. We had a giant rainbow this morning which seemed to herald the end of the rain and welcomed back the sunshine that I longed for.

So, we're drying out. During the rainy days, I experimented with a few new recipes, none of which I really liked. It wasn't a matter of even tweaking things a little, I think the recipes were just bad. Not bad enough to do the compost walk of shame, but bad enough that I'd never serve any of it to guests or company. The other happy vegan and I, well, what can I say, we ate what I cooked because that comes with the territory, especially when dealing with organic and fair trade ingredients.

Now that the sun is shining I don't feel like experimenting in the kitchen for a while.  I'm still pretty much off sugar for the most part (torture, sheer torture I tell you) but after this many days, the cravings are finally diminishing, and the headaches are (mostly) past.

Things are slowly beginning to shift into "summer" mode here in the Keys.  The roads aren't as busy, the shops aren't as busy, and some restaurants are already converting to their "summer hours" schedules.  It's really hard to believe that we're headstrong into May, but here we are. With each passing day, we creep closer and closer to the summer solstice and my favorite season.  Even in the Keys I still embrace summer in all its glory. The turtle nesting activity becomes busier as the summer wears on (walks are going on daily, but no nests here on Long Beach... yet) which is something that never gets old.

Peri gets longer in the summer time too, he and I are still thick as thieves.  Tonight when I got home from boot camp, he was trotting down my driveway to greet me.  We spent some quality time together, and then parted ways; he to have his evening adventures, while I had a handful of chores to do before settling in with my own feline family.

I'll see you tomorrow out on the street for sprints and jumps in my finally-broken-in Brooks. The forecast calls for 80 and sunny. I think I'm going to like tomorrow, like it a lot.  See you later!

Getting There

I've been all atwitter lately, out of sorts... off kilter... not running on all cylinders I guess. I realized today that my problem was partially stemming from a bad habit I broke long ago, but somehow crept back into my recent daily life... the inability to say "no."

I didn't realize all the extras that were pushing my daily "to do" list further and further from completion were because I was agreeing to virtually every single request that was put upon me from every angle possible.  I used to run my life this way; didn't realize why I had so much work, and so little spare time.  Then when I started my own first business years ago, I realized the power of "no." Being that I'm only human, I fall off the "no" wagon from time to time if I'm not an advocate for my own priorities.

Where am I going with all this you may ask.

Well, when I figured what was the problem, I took action.  I wiped the slate clean.  Yes I finished all the things I had agreed to that I probably should've said "no" to, but once my word is given, its rock solid. So, I finished up all those loose ends.  And I re-wrote a "to do" list which included some closet purging, a nap, time with my cats (and Peri) and a run.

I'm happy to report that I crossed off all of those items from my list, including a run which began at 7:39pm tonight.  I wasn't going to to go.  It's been gloomy weather wise here all day.  Two times the Sun King broke through, but two times clouds swallowed him up.  I wasn't ready to run at either of those 2 very short windows, so I simply prepared to run in the rain, whenever I got to it.

I got to it at 7:39pm, as noted.  It was misting lightly, so obviously it was damp. No matter that the temperature hovered in the mid 70s... I was still cold.  I put on a "winter" running shirt; long sleeves.  My iPod has been exposed to countless downpours, what was a little mist, right?  Then I put on my new sneakers (I'm still breaking in my first pair of Brooks, I have bid farewell to Asics).  As dusk loomed, I took off.  I ran.  Then I sprinted. Then I added jumps into the sprints (oh, this is so necessary; during boot camp one night our instructor took those giant orange road hazard barrels, turned them on their sides, and commanded us to jump over them.  Let's say it didn't go well and I'm practicing my jumping much more ever since). I packed all this into a 35 minute burst of energy.

A recent iced tea cap told me "the cure for anything is salt: the sea, tears or sweat."

I would tend to agree, especially after my own 35 minutes of rain soaked salt.

I Wish

I think a lot about things I cannot have; about things that are essentially impossible to manifest.  When I consider my top three "wishes," I think I would have to say "I wish I could manifest more time" as likely right up there.

Time.  It is truly one of the only things that cannot be bought on this Earth. Philosophers have devoted their lives to ruminating over it. Many people at work practically live and die by a deadline, constantly watching that clock, while maybe there's others who seemingly have no worries at all about time.  Then again there's those of us like me who are over scheduled and no matter how effective our time management appears to be, it just isn't good enough at some point.

Welcome to my today.

My pre-planned "to do" list is essentially untouched today.  The "woah, surprise!" items that took precedence throughout my day over my "to do" list just seemed to grow and grow and grow as the hours of the day ticked on.

As I write this, it is Saturday night.  Right about now a wee bit over two decades ago, you would have found me in my teeny apartment preparing for a night out with friends for clubs and dancing.  In the background would have been some lame television program (however if it was a Friday which was also dedicated to friends, clubs and dancing it definitely was NOT a lame program, not lame at all, it would have been Miami Vice, yay!)  Flash foreword a "few" (a-hem) years and here I am on a Saturday night working to fill some orders. As I was whirling the biscotti dough in my beloved Kitchen-Aid (after grinding my own almond flour in my just-as-much beloved Vita-Mix), for some reason I began to think of those times.  And, I wondered how wonderful it would have been if there was a way I could "bank" free time from then for when I would have needed it, times like now.  And, maybe not just "bank" it, instead I could exchange it as time not just free, but extra time I could tack on any day I wanted to miraculously and mysteriously have 29.5 hours in a 24 hour day, yet the space and time continuum doesn't deviate through the Universe. Only for me.

How great would that be.  I calculated that I need about 5.5 extra hours today to complete everything I need to, and still have a little time to put up my feet, drink a tall glass of black cherry ice tea and allow myself my own philosophical ruminations about space-time staring at the ocean.

Its not to be.  I don't have the magic theory, and no scientists I know of have cracked the time travel code. Instead I'll just keep plugging along watching the dough swirl and think about Crockett and Tubbs I guess.  That's much less painful than thinking about space-time anyway.

Could Have Been Better

I had plans today, big plans.  Of them all, I only accomplished one chore that was actually on my "to do" list, and I didn't get out for a run today either.

Although I woke up earlier than usual, I found myself chasing the clock all day long.  After usual morning work of breakfast and cleaning, I found myself assigned a surprise turtle walk, because the assigned person suddenly could not cover it, and I didn't find out until after breakfast.  I got out on the beach as early as I could, which was not early enough to beat the heat.  I turned to the right on the beach, walked far less than 1/4 mile, and there at the edge of the wrack line stood a cormorant.  She didn't try to flee.  I knew something was wrong.  Again, the rule with birds essentially is: if you see one where you normally wouldn't, or doing something it normally wouldn't, it is in distress.

I evaluated the bird from a distance and walked up in the dune around her.  I was alone, with no rescue gear.  I called Maya.  She was up in Marathon, but said she would come by in 1 hour and we could do the rescue together.

I walked to the one end of the beach looking for evidence of turtles (none), and then back to the cormorant.  I didn't want to wait an hour, the thought of this distressed bird sitting in the wrack for an hour was something I couldn't allow to happen.

I should have left well enough alone.

I got back to the inn and saw 2 guests who had been kayaking.  I asked if they would assist me in the rescue, they agreed.  I got large towels and a carrier, and we headed down to the cormorant.  We set up a blockade, and made the plan.  It was futile, and in the end the bird ended up heading to the sea.  She could fly (thank goodness), but barely, and only skimming the surface.  I lost sight of her in the water.  I walked the beach and surrounding area through the day searching for her, to no avail.

Sometimes "it" is not as bad as "it" looks when animals are in distress. This bird clearly did not have a fractured wing, if she did, she could not have flown and likely would have been dragging the hurt wing.  She did neither.  I can only hope that she was stunned, maybe flew into a power line, and needed some quiet time to re-group.

I'll be back out tomorrow searching for her, just in case.

After that failed effort, I had to finish the rest of the turtle walk, which was about 1 mile.  It was sobering. There was no evidence of turtles, but plenty of evidence of humans.  Plastic.  Line.  Rope. Plastic. Cans.  Bottles.  Plastic.  Did I mention plastic?

When I do turtle walks, I have to keep my focus.  I am there searching for evidence of turtles, and I do this very carefully.  One time a couple years ago I was walking with the other happy vegan (an absolute expert at Turtles: CSI) and I missed tracks.  He saw them, quizzed me on them.  Wasn't going to let my mistake get by. But, the thing is, some of the beaches we walk are very difficult to spot turtle nesting activity, and yes, I once missed tracks and never will forget that.  So, I must keep my focus when walking for nesting purposes. Sure I collect trash.  I pick up line, monofilament and rope which are especially hazardous to turtles.  I collected 3 bags of trash today but was heartbroken leaving the amount I couldn't handle on my own.  The stretch of beach I cleaned on Earth Day is still mostly clean.  I picked up a few things that had come in on the tide, but was pleased that my efforts yielded still clean nesting territory.

Turtle walkers on our beach carry bags and collect trash.  This is a long beach to walk, broken into 3 assigned sections for walkers.  In short order, the territory will be looking much better.  I just wonder with a broken heart what will it take for humans to learn?  Stop with the plastics.  Buy in bulk.  And, yes, my pet peeve as I've written about before... those "Capri Sun" juice bags... well I saw far too many bags today than I could count. One minute of juice, forever in a landfill.  All in the name of convenience.  I pick on Capri Sun because they are so identifiable. Perhaps their "great" marketing & branding department has done too fine of a job, because it seemingly takes much longer for those labels to fade than almost anything else I find. I always know Capri Sun thanks to those long lasting labels.

Today could have been better.  The cormorant escaped.  More trash existed than I could collect on my own.  I fell hours behind on chores, and didn't stop and smell the roses so to speak.  I have only myself to blame if I'm disappointed with what I did today so I find myself resolving to make tomorrow count double.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Blue Buntings!

This post is about blue buntings.  Be patient, I'll get there.

Today was one of the top ten days of the year down here.  The weather was absolutely perfect. The humidity dropped low enough that for the first time in months my AC was turned off, doors flipped open, and breezes flowed through my home.  The sky was sharp blue from the moment the sun rose to the time it set.  The winds were finally gone, the sea was flat.

Being that it is Tuesday, it was a "Pop" day.  Up and back over that 7 Mile Bridge.  Twice.  I'm never a fan of the actual trip because of the bridge, but have resolved that this is life down here; when I must go north off my tiny island, that bridge is involved. I was running ahead of schedule this morning, so I picked up Pop a bit earlier as well. I drive his car when I take him places.  This is the way Pop wants it to be, I think it gives him a sense of control being that he still has a car, so theoretically he is still in command.  Maybe that's a man thing, I'm not sure.  It's an older car, not overly fuel efficient, and lacking in creature comforts like a cd player or satellite radio. I mention this because there's very few stations that come in clearly between here and Marathon, so I'm often tuned in to NPR instead of music on the Pop rides.

I dropped Pop off for his game, and was left with his shopping list and my own shopping list.  I headed to the store in Marathon I hit once a week and immediately found a prime spot, in the shade.  This has not happened since December.  As I strolled up to the entrance, I saw "B" in his trusty spot.  B is a Korean war veteran who has a motorized scooter that he rides around on in Marathon.  Almost every Tuesday when I'm at the shopping center, B is holding court at the entrance, much like Pop does here on Long Beach in the morning.  I stopped and chatted with B.  Today he had on a new cowboy hat.  I really liked it, suited him well.  He looked a bit like John Wayne, and I told him so.  I think he liked hearing that.  His hat was emblazoned with "KOREAN WAR VETERAN" and some patches.  I didn't ask what the patches were for, there were too many people coming and going that wanted to talk with B, I couldn't be selfish and hog the dialogue with him.

I went into the store, got my cart, and began to pluck the items I needed with great precision.  The aisles were devoid of any people for the most part.  The organic produce items I needed also didn't exist.  The clues added up at that point:  parking available in the shade, lots of locals chatting with B, no shoppers in the store, supermarket shelves cutting back on regular items....this can only mean one thing, that the majority of the snowbirds are heading home.

I made my rounds in record time, finished both my shopping and Pop's shopping.  Heading back to the car, I waved a "see ya next week" to B, and loaded the loot into the back seat. As I shut the door I realized I was being watched.  To my left was one of the most beautiful and gentle golden labs I've ever met. She was sitting in the shade, with all the windows open (I promise you, it was not a situation where she was locked in a hot car...any time I see that, I do call police). This beautiful island dog wanted to be friends. So, as I spoke to her and offered a gentle pat on the head, she actually began to nuzzle me, and won my heart. Her fur was so soft it was almost like that of a feline. We had a great visit. I noticed a few amused glances and short commentary thrown my way by passers-by. Animals are a great way to connect humanity to one another.

I headed back south over that big bridge, and tuned the dial off NPR "just to see" what was on the music station.  Incredibly, it was a "two for Tuesday" on the station, and they were headstrong into some of my most favorite stuff.  I turned up the volume as best I could in Pop's car, rolled the windows down, and drove.  No one in front of me on the bridge, no one behind.  Just the way I like it.

As I drove (over the bridge) to some of my most favorite music surrounded by water and weather I thought to myself how beautiful the place I call home really is. I imagined I was a visitor seeing all this for the first time, and understood better why I see so many people with camcorders hanging out their windows down here.  I felt happiness, but wistful, wishing that I had the day off.

My most favorite music keep spewing out of the little speaker in Pop's car, 4 in a row.  Enough to get me over the bridge and almost home.

When I got home, I was enveloped again in chores.  Hours of work. Then I got mad because I saw a stack of recycling on my counter from this morning that the other happy vegan had not yet taken out. I was annoyed, it was clutter and I didn't like the way it looked.  I grabbed the pile and headed out my back door.  Then I got even more annoyed because on top of my recycling cabinet was a giant saw for a project he's working on.  I decided to walk to the curb with the pile in my arms, still annoyed. I looked skyward, there he was.... a blue bunting.  I could not believe my eyes.  There has been only one other time I have ever seen an indigo bunting since I have lived here, and it was at the north end of the street... never here at my home.  Within a split second, there was another one.  A pair, yes, it was a pair of blue buntings.  I became elated.

The pair was bouncing from limb to limb on a tree just outside my door, then flitted towards the ocean.  I watched them til they were out of sight, then took the recycling to the curb, and went back inside.  I couldn't believe what I saw, so I decided to see if I could find them.  I went outside to the ocean. I began to walk the beach and headed towards the woods between my house and the burned out house a few lots down.  I walked up the dune into the woods.  I saw many small finches and realized that I had not even noticed we're in the middle of the annual finch migration; something I look forward to every year.  Well, it was happening and I was too busy to even notice!  All sorts of tiny finches were seeking refuge in the woods.  I was quiet. I waited, then there he was. The blue bunting! And there was his mate too.  Chirping and flitting, flitting and chirping.  There is no mistaking a blue bunting.  Mostly I'm so enamored with them because pretty much never in nature, as far as animals go, do I see blue.  We don't have blue jays here, or any other blue birds.  Key deer aren't blue, and neither is Peri.

I watched the pair til they disappeared into the brush.  I headed back upstairs to finish my work, then got ready for a run.  2.5 miles into my run, there they were... 5 or 6 blue buntings hopping up and down over blades of grasses on an empty lot.  Maybe there were even more than 6, I cannot be sure.  They were moving so fast I couldn't count.  They headed seaside, and vanished.  Incredible, right?

After I got home, I had a few more chores to do, and a delivery.  I loaded the car and headed down the street.  At least 3 more blue buntings swooshed in front of my car. Cobalt. Indigo. Electric. Royal. Choose any of those words, put a beak and feathers on it, and you have a blue bunting.  So bright they cancel out the blue of the sky.

Today was as near to perfect as a work day could be.  Changes in latitudes man, changes in latitudes.

Happy Earth Day! Be Somebody

Today is Earth Day.  Did you do anything special?  I saw a brief blurb on TV that people are being encouraged to do "random acts of green" but didn't see who is doing the encouraging.  Personally, I think it comes from within, but that's just me.

Today was a day full of work for me.  I didn't get to the newspaper til well after 2pm, and didn't finish my coffee until well past noon... after re-heating said cup at least 8 times.  I didn't even get out for a run today, pitiful considering its all clear now after the last day's deluge down here.  I had planned to run, but essentially when push came to shove, I had to choose between my run, and doing something for the good of the planet.

I chose the planet.

It is turtle nesting season down here.  Lots of fresh new faces showed up for the nesting training, but permits haven't been issued yet, so no beach assignments have been made to all the new surveyors.  For now, our beach territory is getting by with the few permitted walkers who still hold permits from last year.  No action on nesting here (yet), but it is sure to come.  With that in mind, I had to get out and do a beach clean, I just had to.

There is almost no sadder sight to behold than that of wildlife foraging for food in nature among litter, or wildlife entangled, injured or dead from litter.  I had to do something to clean parts of beach down here that normally don't get cleaned, I couldn't bear the thought of a turtle hauling out to nest and crawling across garbage.  I grabbed a stack of heavy duty contractor's bags from our supply, my camera, sunblock, and a phone and off I went.

It was a grim sight when I reached my destination  This is a portion of what I saw:

A very small portion of the stretch of beach I cleaned today, prior to efforts.

As usual, when I collect trash, I also constantly search for sea beans.  I actually think of the sea beans as a reward for my work. Many times when I feel overwhelmed during beach cleanups, at just that moment I will find a sea heart, nickerbean, or some other bean treasure.  I spent 2 hours cleaning, and collected 6 very large contractor's bags full of trash, which I estimate to be at close to 400 pounds in total.  This is not including the items that were too large for the bags which were a large wooden box for gun ammo, a large round barrel cover made out of resin which weighed close to 30 pounds, and a hatch door from a boat. I'm very good at estimating weights considering the amount of cat litter buckets I haul up and down my back steps.

This is what the same portion of beach looked like after my work:

Make it so.

My mind wandered as I went about this work.  I would be elated when I found beans (today's treasures: 1 sea heart, 2 nickerbeans, and 1 sea purse); puzzled when I found some things (I found items today which had the Hebrew language, Spanish language and Greek printing on them); and absolute rage when I found other things (debris from fishing always gets me irate... I found close to 400 feet of line today, plus shotgun casings, light sticks, bait boxes, monofilament line and lures--some with hooks, some without).

Not too long ago, someone said to me something along the lines that there is a lot of trash on beaches, and someone should do something about it; someone should pick up the trash.  Being that I AM one of the someones who constantly picks up trash on beaches, roads, parks, parking lots, stores, and well, basically anywhere I find it, the first thing that popped out of my mouth was "have YOU ever stopped and picked up trash on a beach?"  The stunned silence that followed was the answer.

I get discouraged when I see things like the excess of trash and debris from people who fish, and don't care about consequences at all.  There are people who take things out of season, undersized fish, over the limit, rob from traps, throw garbage from their boats into the ocean, lay more traps than they legally pay for so they can over harvest, and on and on.  They don't care about consequences, the attitude is "I got mine."  That sense of entitlement is really a pet peeve. Down here where the sea is as much part of the culture as breathing is for some of us, well that that sense of entitlement runs rampant in some people.  They are environmental criminals, and they are the lowest of the low, right down at the bottom of the list with those who prey on children, animals and the elderly.

Consequences.  There are consequences for our actions, sometimes good, sometimes bad.  Not enough people think about the consequences when they throw garbage out a window, a lit cigarette from a car, rob from the environment, or live without a mindful attitude.

Every day is Earth Day in my world. Some days I accomplish more than others, but every day I make mindful choices to help lessen my footprint on the Earth. Sometimes those choices are easier than others, but with every positive choice, I effect change for the good.

Today I cleaned a half mile of prime sea turtle nesting beach.  As I walked back towards home, I spoke aloud inviting the turtles onto the beach to safely nest. Soon, the new beach surveyors will have their permits and will be "on the job" as well.  We all carry trash bags when we walk, so in short order miles of beach will be cleaner and safer for turtles.

Today is Earth Day.  Happy Earth Day to you.  As my gift to you, I cleaned a beach.  No need to thank me, but it would be nice for you to pay it forward and be somebody.