Buttermilk Skies....

For the next two weeks, I will be avoiding the drives/walks on the islands. This week it's Spring Break for grades k-12. Next week will be Spring Break for college students! The beaches will be crowded with families that are taking the week off work and hitting the shores. Next week, the beaches will be crowded with those that revel in drinking binges and all clad in bikinis and speedos. Not my cup of tea. So, I will find other areas that are less of an orgy. LOLOL

This last week one fine day, the breeze was balmy. A bit overcast, but a great morning to walk the hilly park just outside of town...West Güth Park. Here, I normally find Monk Parakeets and tho a bit early in the migration season, colorful migrant birds! As I walked along the paths I heard grackles, sparrows, flycatchers, parakeets, and woodpeckers singing to their heart's content. The pond was filled with ducks and geese and a few cormorants.

But as I walked, I began to pay attention to the winter barren trees. Normally, a lot of the trees around the Coastal Bend are more or less evergreen. With the lack of beneficial rains, the trees are more like up North!! And the sky was like curdled milk with the buttermilk clouds!

Nature is fine this time of year!

The lady squirrel watched me approach for some time before taking off into the low lying grasses. I found one lone sunflower and couldn't help thinking of the national flower of Ukraine! I think I'll never see a sunflower without thinking of the recent turmoil in the world and the war between Russia and Ukraine. And hope that this doesn't escalate into a world war!! I try to think in a positive way, but it's very difficult right now.  How can one help but be dismayed with the outcome so far?!  I know I'm being selfish in my thoughts, but gas prices [oil price per barrel has reached $130!], groceries [I think a lot of this is price gouging].  It's going to be difficult for those with families in the world, but as I said...selfish in my thoughts, 'cause those dealing with Putin's invasion has it a lot worse than I do.  

PS...while I was uploading my photos off my camera card, showing Bud what birds I found on Sunday morning, the keyboard stopped working on my laptop!!  At first I thought it was the battery in my mouse...I replaced it with a new one.  Still, the keyboard was not functioning!  I was able to shut it down and tried to reboot.  Nothing but a black screen!  Working on the Fkeys, I was finally able to get logged in...then, the screen was so dark I could barely see anything.  Got that fixed!  Told Bud what happened, and he was watching the streaming of NCIS Los Angeles and he said his phone went blank!!  All about the same time I was in the keyboard hell....maybe a hacker from Russia?  Or perhaps a tower went down in Corpus?  I'm hoping it was a local issue!!