Category Archives: Birdwatching

Jan 15

Catalyst

The Sun Will Shine Again

We’ve had a beautiful week here in North-west lower Michigan, finally getting some sunshine. Michigan isn’t known for its sunny days, especially in winter and this winter has been very cloudy. I’ve seen some reports saying we haven’t had a full day of sun since November, and it’s been weeks since we’ve really seen the sun at all. This week, the sun came out for several days. We enjoyed walks outside, and a beautiful stary night in January.

It felt strange to be able to walk around outside in January. We often have several feet of snow this time of year, so having bare ground and not needing snowshoes to get around feels odd. It was really nice to be able to spend so much time outside this week though, without worrying about a lot of snow gear, or getting worn out quickly in the deep snow. I don’t know what lies ahead. We will likely get a lot more snow and cold temperatures in the days ahead, and probably a lot of cloudy days too. But eventually, the sun will shine again. There is beauty even in cloudy days, and they will not last forever. The sunshine this week was just what we needed to start off the New Year! A photo dump from this week:

Catalyst:

We originally started this blog back in 2012, transferring from another site to WordPress from another blog I’d started to share our adventures in north-west lower Michigan. For a couple of years, I posted occasionally, and then posts became even rarer as I started working on my first Master’s degree. For a brief time, I started posting again but it wasn’t much at all.

Then, in December of 2020, the accident happened. If you are just now starting to follow this blog, you can read about that here: A Christmas To Remember. It changed everything.

A catalyst is defined as “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action (Merriam-Webster.com., 2023).

The accident was a catalyst to so many things in our lives, including writing more on this blog. At first, it started as a way for us to update people all at once. Then, slowly, it has started becoming what it was originally meant to be to begin with; a way to share our lives with others and keep track of life. A journal in a sense.

For years, Ben and I had discussed the possibility of me working remotely from home, especially as his health deteriorated. After the accident, that became more of a necessity and a possibility than it ever had before. With Grad school between 2013 and 2020, with only a year break between 2 Masters degrees, there were so many things I stopped doing and had to give up because Grad school and working full time came first.

When the accident happened, I was still trying to figure out how to get so many of those things back, like my writing time, birdwatching, playing piano and guitar, crafting, gardening, and doing so many of the other things I like to do. The accident forced us to rethink things. I’ve always been away of just how short life is, but the accident made me even more aware of it, and left me wanting to do so much more before my time on this earth is done. I was already writing a fair amount, but I wanted to write even more. I was barely going out birdwatching, taking photos, or doing crafts because we just never made the time for it.

The accident, in so many ways, became the catalyst to getting my life back. Not only in the physical sense, but getting back to what truly matters. Slowing down. Taking time to sit out in the sun and read a book, hike through a forest in the middle of winter, and jam a tune on the piano. Taking the time to put together a craft, or play with the dog, blog, or try new things I’ve been wanting to learn. It isn’t that I wasn’t doing those things at all before the accident, but I wasn’t doing them much. The accident made both my husband Ben and I aware of what we were actually taking for granted without even realizing it, and what we needed to change to get to where we wanted to be.

So, we started making those changes. I now work from home. I’m blogging this year more than I have in a long time, and I’m writing pretty close to daily. I’m reading books faster than I have in years and taking the time to enjoy the sunshine on my face, and the cold air in my lungs. Life is too short not to.

When temperatures and system pressure change, they become a catalyst to the weather. Clouds move in or get pushed out, either covering the sun, or making room for it to reappear. Just like the weather, pressure and changes in our own lives, whether negative or positive, lead to change. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. But eventually, long enough into the seasons, the sun makes it way out from behind the clouds again. Difficult days don’t last forever. And sometimes, they become the catalyst that leads us towards days better than anything we could ever imagine.

Until next time,

Cindy

Citations:

“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catalyst. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.

Jan 8

What is to Come

As we enter this new season in our lives, where life has slowly returned to “normal,” and yet will never be “normal” again, we begin to find a “new normal.” We are slowly building new routines and finding ways to enjoy the little moments in life, even as different as things are now.

Physical and Occupational Therapy

I’m still trying to do some physical and occupational therapy exercises. In many ways, this is now combined with what would have just been exercise before, but I still struggle with balance some and weakness on my left side. This may always be the case. I can do most of the things I used to do before the accident, I just have to be careful I don’t fall. I also have a hard time still getting up and down off a floor and cannot turn my wrist all the way over, but I’m learning to function as it is. In future posts, I will still update on PT and OT occasionally, but since there is not a lot new each week to update, I will not talk about it every time.

Update on Ben

If you follow us on Social Media, some people questioned one of the photos I shared as a year-end wrap-up, as Facebook doesn’t always show posts exactly as they are shared. The photo was this one, taken just before Ben went in for Cataract surgery in July, and I think some people thought Ben was in the hospital currently. He is not, as this was just a day surgery, but his peripheral neuropathy continues to progress.

If you’ve followed my previous posts, you’ll know that Ben has peripheral neuropathy, with no known cause. He likely has a rare autoimmune disorder, but after many different tests for what it could be, there has been no clear direction or definite results. Ben met with the University of Michigan hospital this week. We found out his previous doctor has passed away and he has a new doctor. The latest doctor is recommending Ben not get a nerve biopsy at this time, as the risks outweigh the benefits right now, and it would likely not give us any results. He is placing Ben on a new medication to try out. Winters are rough for both of us, with increased pain levels.

A Michigan Big Year

One of my goals for this coming year is to do a Michigan Big Year. I hope to see as many birds as I can in the state of Michigan during 2023, with a minimum goal of 10 birds per month, 120 birds total. You can follow those adventures on the Northern Michigan Birding blog. https://northernmichiganbirding.wordpress.com/

Happy Birthday!

This week, we celebrated our basset hound turning a year old. It’s hard to believe she’s already a year old! She’s grown so much and added so much joy and laughter into our lives.

A Hint of What is to Come?

Living in north-west lower Michigan, we seldom see the sunshine in the winter time. Sometimes winter can feel like it drags on forever, with the first snow often falling by October and the last snow sticking around until June many years. But like so many things in life, winter will not last forever. Today, even with the super cloudy skies we’ve had, we saw a hint of blue skies, and hopefully a hint of what is yet to come. We will see the sun again. Just as in life, when seasons are tough and dark, they won’t last forever. One day, perhaps not even all that far away, the sun will peak through the clouds and slowly make its way back around. The earth will warm again, things will begin to grow and change. But for now, everything rests. It prepares itself for what is yet to come, even if what is yet to come seems better than what is now. Winter is not forever, but it is a time to rest and prepare for what may lie ahead.

We may face many trials and difficult times, but it is not the end. It is only a season. This is our winter, our season to rest and prepare for what comes next. As we find ourselves slowly moving out of that season, we look with anticipation and longing for what is yet to come. Winter will not keep its hold forever. One day, we will see sunshine and feel its warmth again. And until that day, we keep on waiting and preparing for whatever that will be.

Aug 25

Birdwatching Photos

This week, I have a lot of photos to share from birdwatching this summer, so I’m doing an extra post to make it a little shorter. As part of occupational and physical therapies, we’ve worked in my personal interests, as you are more likely to stick with something if you enjoy it. So photography, writing, birdwatching, art projects and hiking have all become a part of my daily and weekly routines. Over the summer, I’ve tried to get in a small amount of birdwatching between appointments. I have yet to hike very far, but you can see a lot from a car too. Some photos are better than others. I’ve been having some problems with my camera, and I also struggled to hold the camera at first with the weakness in my wrists. As it gets easier to hold the camera, I’ve been able to take better photos as long as the camera isn’t acting up. I also put in a couple of photos of other critters, like a chipmunk that likes to visit our backyard and our black lab, who LOVES to birdwatch with me.

Photos:

May 21

Long-Awaited Update

It’s been awhile since I’ve given an update. I’ve been super busy with therapies, and started outpatient therapy several weeks ago. I go several days a week to physical and occupational therapy, and also get medical massage and trauma massage therapies. Between these appointments and everything else, it keeps me busy!

I have continued to make progress, and am now sometimes able to walk without a cane. I have to be careful I don’t lose my balance, but I’m gaining more strength and mobility each day. I am also making progress with my wrists. The right one is stronger, and almost back to “normal.” The left is still pretty weak, and we are working on getting a better rotation with it.

As part of my physical therapy, I walk 8-10 times or more a day. Often, I head to our backyard and have been able to see quite a few birds this season so far. My current list includes:

  1. Mourning Dove
  2. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)
  3. American Redstart (female)
  4. American Robin
  5. Common Grackle
  6. Common Raven
  7. American Crow
  8. Killdeer
  9. Black-capped Chickadee
  10. Downy Woodpecker
  11. Northern Flicker
  12. Northern Catbird
  13. Blue jay
  14. Ring-billed gull
  15. American Goldfinch
  16. Baltimore Oriole
  17. Chipping Sparrow
  18. House Sparrow
  19. Swallow (Couldn’t identify which type)
  20. Warbler (Couldn’t identify which one, but it was mostly yellow)

I know there are some I am missing, but we are getting quite a variety this year. Ben also found something that many people like to think of as a bird, but it’s really a mammal. See the photos below.

I have a fear of bats, but at the same time, we know they are really good for the environment, so as long as they are living outside. They get a bad rap for carrying diseases and more, but they are really important to the eco system so I’m glad Ben was able to save this one.

I will do my best to keep this blog updated better. Facebook has not been wanting to allow me to share nature photos and posts lately anyways. Apparently nature goes against community standards. So, I will be using other media to share photos and updates more frequently.