On this at first cold, then beautifully sunny day, we waited.
Oh, I did the usual -- feed animals, do household stuff, fix breakfast. We ate part of it out on the porch because Ed got giddy with excitement when he saw that some of the cats were hanging out there...
(We did retreat after a while. It was barely 34F (1C). My coffee and oatmeal had turned cold instantly.)
And then we waited. For Ed, it was to get the motivation needed to do the final big leap into the installation of the new water heater. He says it's the most difficult step and he needs an inspirational boost for this last huge job.
For me it was to decide where to take this day. I had letters to write. Okay. I wrote them. I had steps to take. But where? There was another calico cat sighting in Stoughton. Do we follow up on these constant calls claiming for sure that they saw THE cat, that it can be no other, that she was RIGHT THERE? The owner who lost the cat no longer wants it. The sister cat is in a good permanent home. What's our game plan here anyway? As Ed said -- if we're going to help a feral cat, why that one? The retort would be that it's because the missing cat was inadvertently separated from her sib. Sure, but now her sib is with a new owner who wants only one cat. Should we quit responding to the calls with alleged sightings? One reason to suspend them -- they are even less likely to be successful now than they were many moons ago.
As I wait to figure out what to do next, Ed comes in to remind me that we have almost no cheeper food left. Forget the water heater, forget cat dilemmas and head out to Farm & Fleet for a curbside pickup, stopping on the way at Edna Taylor Conservation Park, because there is no step movement in a curbside pick up and I need my steps and the sun is just brilliant!
Edna Taylor isn't an especially large park, but it's right by the Farm & Fleet store and it is surprisingly pretty considering its central location. Here, take a walk with us! All 4,300 steps!
Afterwards, we pick up our Farm & Fleet stuff and drive home and for this beautiful sight alone, the trip was well worth the indecision, the waiting, the detours and procrastinations. Dozens upon dozens of sandhill cranes. Here's just a wee fraction...
A frittata evening. With broccoli and potatoes and onions and garlic and mushrooms and lots of shredded Gruyere cheese. Like a pizza only different, right?
