This past week we have been treated to some very beautiful and unique sunrises. Our kitchen dining table sits next to a window that faces East and the views are sometimes spectacular. My favorite sunrise this week, and in quite some time, is the one you see above.
Here’s another in which we caught the sun peeking over the horizon.
Here’s one more, from this Saturday morning, which has its own kind of beauty. It was foggy and the fog eerily highlighted the street lights.
Each day I try to take a 3 to 5 mile power walk. This year I’ve worn out two pairs of Skecher hiking shoes and just started on my third pair earlier this week. We have a walking trail that is 2.12 miles around and by the time I walk to the trail entrance and back home, it adds about a half mile. I am trying to walk four miles per hour but, so far, my best is 3.6 miles per hour. At 4 MPH I’m practically running – so I’m okay with the slower speed. When I run it is like when I wear shorts – it tends to scare small children. It really is better that I just walk fast.
On my walk I frequently see a beautiful great blue heron who lives on a pond in our neighborhood. A few weeks ago I saw the bird sitting at the very top of a tree and was struck by how large the bird looked compared to the branches it was perched upon. I took a couple of pictures and one of those is below.
I had to use the zoom function on my camera to get this picture but, unfortunately it doesn’t do the beautiful bird justice.
Here the heron looks like a fudgesicle on a stick tucked into the branches. Not very flattering for such a majestic creature. However, yesterday I saw the bird at its favorite pond and got a picture that does it justice and in which you can see where the blue in blue heron comes from.
With Appreciation
Since my Mortality and the Season of Joy post last Monday, December 7th, I have received several very kind comments on Facebook, in Messenger, and even as blog comments. I read each and appreciate them all. A couple of them have even resulted in deeper conversations from with readers. Again, thank you for reading, for your interest, and for your comments.
Allow me to remind you that while I do post a link to TheDailyDrivel.com on my personal Facebook page when I write a new post, I have decided that I am not going to respond to people via Facebook. I am not “liking” responses, I am not responding to comments, and I am deleting comments that are offensive to me or which I judge to be rancorous. However, this does not mean you can’t communicate with me or that I won’t communicate with you.
You can email me directly at ihaveopinionated@gmail.com or you can send me a comment via this blog. Do remember, though, all blog comments are moderated.
Blast from the Past of Stranger Things
It is about 7:00 AM on Sunday, December 13 when I am writing this. All is quiet inside our home. Outside there is the faint sound of traffic on Interstate 95 that we can sometimes hear and then there is this…listen carefully:
What did you hear?
If you think you hear a tuba playing some kind of “oompa” music, you were not mistaken. The music continued for at least an hour. It was an interesting way to start a Sunday morning.
It reminded me of growing up on our farm in Iowa where my mother would awaken me in the morning with any of the following music:
- In her country music phase it was Eddy Arnold’s “Cattle Call.”
- At the height of the Vietnam War, as I approached draft age, it was Sergeant Barry Sadler’s “Ballad of the Green Beret.”
- Frequently it was any German marching band music.
- But mostly it was any German polka music (notice the tuba).
It was all, frankly, a bit jarring, regardless of the tune or genre.
Still, today, the tuba caught my attention and took me back.
Noteworthy
The Pew Research Center published an interesting piece in its FactTank: News in the Numbers on December 11th. Twenty Striking Findings in 2020 is a striking piece to read and view (lots of interesting graphs and charts). Item #3 caused us to race to the front door to make sure it was securely locked. It read:
For the first time since at least the Great Depression, a majority of young adults in the U.S. were living with their parents this year.
Pew Research Center, December 11, 2020
The View from Jeff
Be safe, be well, wear your mask, keep distance, wash your hands, and, in every way and every day, stand up for accountability, justice, and peace in our country and our world.
Wonderful sunrise photos! Those people who sleep in don’t know the amount of beauty they are missing.
As always your piece was interesting. I loved the sunrise pictures!
I continue to be amazed at the diversity of the music selections that are usually included. The pieces used by your mother were also unique!
Thank you, Dagmar!