We've been in Colorado for just over a month now, temporarily living with Theresa's parents. Theresa works weekends, from 7AM-3PM, as a "concierge" at a senior living center. I mark time and apply for jobs. As you might expect, for the museum industry there's not a lot being posted that I could naturally step into and earn enough to survive. Perhaps the most egregious post I've looked at wanted a master's degree-holding educator but would only pay $14 an hour. With little better to do, I've gotten to know a lot of the types of birds around here and have been trying to document some of them:
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| Say's Phoebe, a fun insect-catcher to watch with some incredible maneuverability |
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An American Kestrel that visited one evening.
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A magpie. I know people think of them as pests but I find them interesting
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A broad-tailed hummingbird in an Estes Park parking lot
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Unfortunately we packed the tripod in our moving POD so the pictures with the telephoto have a "soft" focus! I also spent some time working on a telescope Theresa's parents have, after we arrived, and the second thing we used it to look at was actually a red-shouldered hawk on someone's house:
Behind Theresa's parents is a house that predates the development which actually has some livestock. Right now there's two horses, some chickens, and pony. Every afternoon I take the pony my leftover applecore and give her a few fistfuls of grass from the "greener side" of the fence. We've nicknamed her Sweetpea and she definitely knows me and waits for me, but has made it very clear that if there's no food, then there's no socializing (she's a bit piggy).
We also bought Theresa a wedding band, because despite our reduced employment, she doesn't like her job so a reward seemed appropriate, and because apparently when she lost hers two years ago I promised I would pick out the new one and then just forgot. It's an antique we found at Estes Park, made sometime between the 30s and 50s probably which puts it close in period to her engagement ring as well.
Finally, it's snowing here today. For the second time since we got here the temperature swung from 90+ one day to winter temps the next. This is the first time there was actual precipitation though.
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