I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, so I’m not going to call this idea of mine a resolution. Even though I live in the woods, I don’t always have lots of time to get into the woods, especially woods other than the one around my cabin. So this new year, I want to spend more time birding and otherwise outdoors than I’ve been able to recently. Of course, just saying I want to do that isn’t the same as figuring out how to do that, and I’m happy to report that I’ve even come up with a plan.
Part of the problem is that when I want to visit other areas, finding time to get there is difficult. It’s one thing to want to go birding in one of my area’s premier locations. It’s another to find the time to drive 45 minutes, spend a few hours birding and then drive 45 minutes home again. Finding a minimum of half a day to go elsewhere is a big issue with me.
So, I’ve decided to use my limited free time to go birding or walking whenever I do my normal activities. For example, when I go to the grocery store, I will stop at a local park that’s on the way. I may not stay long, but I can sure add in 15-20 minutes of birding or wandering around before I go to the store. When I visit family, I’ll stop at the spring-fed pond a mile or so further up the road to look for waterfowl. I still hope I’ll be able to find time, occasionally, to go to one of the really great refuges or forests in my region, but I’m not going to let that be an excuse to miss out on some of the smaller sites that are just past my own doorstep.
My photo today was taken off my back deck on January 2. The sunset was an especially pretty one, all mauve before yet another day of 30+ mph winds. If this wind keeps up, I will soon demote winter from my favorite season!
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6 comments:
I think you are already well-practiced in finding the wonders that lie right outside your door. You're right, we don't have to undergo arduous treks to find nature's amazements. We just have to pay attention to what surrounds us. Thanks for your beautiful blog.
Woodswalker: Thank you for the kudos! I still think I have a long way to go. Nature is so complex and interwoven that a lifetime of learning just isn't enough!
Carolyn h.
Gee, not liking the wind this past weekend. yea it was a pain in the butt. To me it just roar through, with it shaking the house now and then. Surprisingly, I didn't get a headache.
Good luck with your little project, all my nature photo are all around my house.
Cathy: the wind was brutal. At least it's not as bad now...
Carolyn H.
That sounds like a good plan for seeing more birds. I may give it a try when I go to the store. Like you I live in a wooded area but most of the best birding is somewhere else, on a lake or different part of the river. My approach has been to take the time for outdoor activities and not do house work. Of course now I am spending all winter cleaning but with these brutal winds I am more than happy to stay inside cleaning. Lets hope the wind settles down and we get some of those calm sunny winter days that are so much fun in the mid-atlantic.
Squirrel: Housekeeping suffers at my place even during bad weather. i tend to cook during bad weather. I suppose the cabin gets somewhat cleaner during bad weather, but house cleaning is usually last of my list of accomplishments. It would be different, I think, if I only had to clean every six months or so. But life is too short to spend it cleaning a house!!
Carolyn h.
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