The State of my State

My afternoon went a little something like this . . .

came home from work. While heating up leftover spaghetti, I noticed that there was a LOT of action at my kitchen window feeders. I stopped and watched as the Chickadees went nuts over sunflower seeds and Julie Zickefoose's Suet Dough. As I watched two Pygmy Nuthatches flew in repeatedly for snacks too. Delightful. An Anna's hummer came in and sat and drank and drank and drank some more at the feeder. I grabbed my camera and snapped several pictures (through the double paned windows that are spotted with water on the inside and outside). They were not great pictures to be sure -- or at least I don't think so. Something messed up though and the pictures were not really there. My digital camera card had files but they were all 0K. Sigh. And, when I went back to snap more . . . the wind had come up and there were no birds in sight. I'm pretty sure I could hear a Pygmy Nuthatch sticking its tongue out at me and saying, "Nyeh Nyeh" but I'm not positive.

Then, I got busy and decided to make our reservations for Thanksgiving. We are going up to visit my folks in June Lake, California. This heavenly place is in the Eastern Sierra at 7000 feet. Usually, Thanksgiving is just before the snow flies but not always. We're planning to take the FMC up but if it's snowy, we're taking the truck and planned to stay in a motel. It's a resort town with fishing all summer and skiing all winter. So, I called the motel that is within walking distance of my mother. Imagine my surprise when I discover they are closed that week. Yup. Closed. A motel. During Thanksgiving. Seriously. In a resort community. My mind boggles.

So, I start checking for viable options. My parents are on one side of a very polarizing community issue up there which the next nearest motel owners are on the other side of. So, staying there would cost us an arm and a leg and might get us dis-invited to Thanksgiving dinner. Missing my stepfather's smoked turkey is not part of my plan! Sooooooo, I keep looking. Another nearby place is owned by an extremely religious family with 13 children. They state on their rates page of their website that only married couples can stay at their cabins -- unmarried couples can burn in hell (okay, that's not what they said but the implication was clear). Well, I'm all for airing your own opinion and mine is that they won't get any of MY money even though we are married. Although, I'm tempted to recommend that my sister-in-law and her boyfriend stay there . . . just to mess with 'em. Last on my list of hilarious resort town motels is the place called The Four Seasons. Now, first of all, that's a mighty auspicious name for a motel/cabin place in June Lake. It's not a high-falutin' kind of town. But, best of all, they are only open between April and October. Arguably that is three seasons but no way is it four. Hilarious. Add to that the fact that the motels all want a 30 day cancellation notice for holiday weekends and I think we'll be figuring something else out. Sheesh!

So, imagine that there is a lovely picture of a Pygmy Nuthatch noshing at my feeder and I'll imagine that I'll have a place to sleep Thanksgiving Night when it's snowing at 7,000 feet in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains!