A good day

Jury duty finished for the next 5 years! Luckily I was not chosen (for a change.) We were let out during a torrential rainstorm but we all ran the few blocks to the parking deck to freedom. Waiting around most of the day was painful, but at least they let us have reading material, iPads, etc. Drove home the long way through Cape Elizabeth to see all the beautiful marsh areas. Everything is so green now. Egrets are everywhere. The Red Winged Blackbirds look like Stealth bombers coming in to the feeder. The cats and I are enjoying the show.

Hot and humid

Today is one of those few really hot (high 80s) days. The talk is all about AC! We had a fan in the window last night and slept ok, so we hope that will continue! The upstairs is significantly warmer than downstairs, which is 73 at the moment with all windows closed. We open in the evenings when it cools down. Livable for the southerners so far. We do have dehumidifiers in our future, however. And maybe a few more fans. No new bird activity. Egrets around, as well as Great Crested Flycatchers. Poor little Bluebird sitting on the Bluebird house was chased away by the Tree Swallow who has nested there. No takers for the mealworms yet. Happy Summer Solstice.

Sunday afternoon

A beautiful, sunny, warm and breezy day today. Instead of mowing grass I'm out on the deck enjoying the sounds of birds and wind in the trees. Jack is all muddy from snake wrangling in the marsh. Poor black snake I rescued and sent out on his way. Saw a juvenile Bluebird in the tree today. We were wondering why the male Bluebird has been hovering around so much. Today is the Old Port festival downtown and I feel I should go, knowing it will be fun. But I worked all day yesterday and I really just want to enjoy the peace. It's one of those pinch-me kind of days that I still can't believe are real. There are still so many times I think to myself how crazy/amazing a thing it was to pack up our lives and settle in somewhere new. Not a complaint or a wish-we-hadn't, just an awareness. Some days driving through the city and over the water I feel like a stranger in a strange land. I keep going back to the idea of history in a place. Friends. Places, the dentist, etc, etc. And then I turn around and feel this is where we belong. It has been an interesting consciousnes.

Lots of rain this weekend has us with flood warnings on the coast. The riffles actually have a current! Water is quickly making its way back to the ocean, less than a mile from here (as the crow/egret flies.)
We got back from the grocery store to 8 (Great and Snowy) Egrets out back. Three of them you can see above. They've been coming and going all afternoon. Spotted what we think was a Willet also, but it was too far away and the rain is coming down in sheets that are blowing across the marsh. One of those amazing days.
The other day the Goldfinches ate 1/2 the food in the feeder in one afternoon!! There were tons of them. Lots of Tree Swallows taking care of the bugs too. No new sightings of the Baltimore Oriole, but I think we need to get some mealworms to entice it now.
Though summer is close, I'm in a long-sleeved tee and fleece today with the damp rain. We have chowder in the crock pot for tonight. Corn muffins will bake later. Yum.