Day 3584

When I was walking today, I encountered a Red-shouldered Hawk at the edge of the path. The bird stood its ground as I approached. This was odd. Usually when I see Raptors, they are either flying overhead or sitting on the top branch of a nearby tree. I'd never seen one so close before. When I got within three feet of the bird I could see what it was doing. The Hawk had just caught a lizard and seemed to be finishing it off with its talons. It was actually hopping up and down on the hapless lizard. I didn't have a good camera with me today, but was close enough to take a few pictures with my phone. I didn't scare this Hawk at all. I thought about getting a little closer so I could get a better picture but thought better of the idea. The Hawk really wanted that lizard and didn't want me to get closer. I definitely didn't want the bird attacking me. Those talons could do some damage. If I'd had a decent camera with me today, I could have gotten some amazing pictures. Oh, well. I've got the memories.

The Hawk wasn't the only bird I noticed today. The rest of the American White Pelicans have arrived.    There must have been fifty Pelicans swimming in the lake this morning. The birds weren't here yesterday. They seems to have followed the cold front to Dallas, just like the previous batch of Pelicans did last week. If I knew more about birds or the weather, all this strange avian behavior might make sense to me. I don't know when I'll see a Red-shouldered Hawk stomping a lizard to death again, but I'll be seeing the Pelicans for the rest of the winter. I think they are here to stay.

I went back to the dentist this afternoon and got new impressions made. The putty the dental assistant squirts in your mouth with a syringe is called Vinyl Polysiloxane. It's definitely not something you'd want to swallow. A metal plate is placed in your mouth and pressed firmly against the putty which hardens in a minute or two. I'm always afraid that when the hardened impression is removed it will take a few teeth with it. The stuff pulls away cleanly though. Hopefully the mold won't break this time. I don't want to go back and do this again.

I thought about going up on the roof when I returned home, but washed the car instead. It looks like we are going to have at least six days of clear dry weather before it rains again. I'm going to give the roof as much time to dry as I can. If I make the repairs on a completely dry roof they are a lot more likely to succeed.  When I was at the dentist today, I kept wondering how similar the roof coating is to the putty the dentist used to make my impressions. They both contain silicon.

I read an article today that said excessive brain activity has been linked to a shorter lifespan. If this is true I should live forever. I kind of like this idea that a quiet brain is good for you. I'd like to think I've got a quiet brain. I can go for long periods of time without thinking about anything. Actually, I guess I do think about things. I just don't fret about them.

Maybe I'll take a good camera with me tomorrow. Maybe I'll have pancakes for breakfast. Actually, I have no idea what I'll be doing in the morning. My brain is quiet.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day