11 minutes
May. 14th, 2004 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vaneramosI just spent a pleasant hour sitting at Tim Horton's reading a couple leftover articles in the March-April issue of American Scientist. I left the table at 11:15. At the corner, a car honked and I looked to see Tana waving, smiling and gesturing. Did I want a ride?
No, I indicated I wanted to go for a walk. I had decided to quick-cut through the park on the way home.
To get from the doughnut place to the park took perhaps three minutes.
Birdwatching takes a lot of patience and learning. You have to enjoy long walks for their own sake, because you might not see much. But one of the attractions is those amazing moments when the birds knock out your eyes and ears. Sometimes it's a rare species or a new one you've never encountered before. Sometimes it's their sheer number, diversity and beauty. Today was one of those days.
I didn't have my binoculars with me, but over the next few minutes my ears were flooded with a sequence of songs. I identified 18 species, four of which were additional to the ones counted Wednesday. I was amazed. I didn't even have to leave the city. I'm delighted with the biodiversity of this small woods. And to think the city's department of parks has planted a new tract of trees to further naturalize this same area! I'm proud of Guelph.
Excuse my effusiveness. With so much unpleasantness happening in the world, we have to enjoy a little goodness where we can find it.
Canada goose
mourning dove
* chimney swift
downy woodpecker
American crow
black-capped chickadee
American robin
cedar waxwing
European starling
* red-eyed vireo
* black-throated blue warbler
* black-throated green warbler
Northern cardinal
chipping sparrow
song sparrow
Baltimore oriole
house finch
American goldfinch
* New species counted for 2004
I arrived back at the apartment at 11:29.
I wonder what a morning I would have had if I had gone out at sunrise when the birds are most active, and gone further. The time is right for another bird walk, maybe tomorrow or Sunday morning if the weather is right, maybe with Jon if he's willing.
Besides the birds, I enjoyed giving myself time to read this morning. Consuming more of the kind of writing I want to do is a necessity. I need to build this into my morning routine. I abhor structure, but without it my days fall to pieces. Here's what I want to aim for:
0730 Meditation
0745 Write morning pages
0815 Reading at coffee shop*/ workout at gym alternate days
1100 Walk
* Tim Horton's was awfully busy and distracting. I tried getting a coffee at Eggcetra a couple weeks ago, but with other customers waiting for tables I felt the waitress wanted to rush me. That's no good. I do a lot better at The Bookshelf cafe, but that means taking the bus downtown. I can probably justify that at least once a week, particularly if I walk home. More exercise. More photo ops. The pieces fall into place. As long as I can discipline myself this way.
I'm not a morning person, but getting a good start to the day, doing things I enjoy, seems a key to getting things done later. In particular, my best time for writing is 3 pm to 9 pm, but if I intend to use it, I need to lay the groundwork beginning when I get up in the morning.
No, I indicated I wanted to go for a walk. I had decided to quick-cut through the park on the way home.
To get from the doughnut place to the park took perhaps three minutes.
Birdwatching takes a lot of patience and learning. You have to enjoy long walks for their own sake, because you might not see much. But one of the attractions is those amazing moments when the birds knock out your eyes and ears. Sometimes it's a rare species or a new one you've never encountered before. Sometimes it's their sheer number, diversity and beauty. Today was one of those days.
I didn't have my binoculars with me, but over the next few minutes my ears were flooded with a sequence of songs. I identified 18 species, four of which were additional to the ones counted Wednesday. I was amazed. I didn't even have to leave the city. I'm delighted with the biodiversity of this small woods. And to think the city's department of parks has planted a new tract of trees to further naturalize this same area! I'm proud of Guelph.
Excuse my effusiveness. With so much unpleasantness happening in the world, we have to enjoy a little goodness where we can find it.
Canada goose
mourning dove
* chimney swift
downy woodpecker
American crow
black-capped chickadee
American robin
cedar waxwing
European starling
* red-eyed vireo
* black-throated blue warbler
* black-throated green warbler
Northern cardinal
chipping sparrow
song sparrow
Baltimore oriole
house finch
American goldfinch
* New species counted for 2004
I arrived back at the apartment at 11:29.
I wonder what a morning I would have had if I had gone out at sunrise when the birds are most active, and gone further. The time is right for another bird walk, maybe tomorrow or Sunday morning if the weather is right, maybe with Jon if he's willing.
Besides the birds, I enjoyed giving myself time to read this morning. Consuming more of the kind of writing I want to do is a necessity. I need to build this into my morning routine. I abhor structure, but without it my days fall to pieces. Here's what I want to aim for:
0730 Meditation
0745 Write morning pages
0815 Reading at coffee shop*/ workout at gym alternate days
1100 Walk
* Tim Horton's was awfully busy and distracting. I tried getting a coffee at Eggcetra a couple weeks ago, but with other customers waiting for tables I felt the waitress wanted to rush me. That's no good. I do a lot better at The Bookshelf cafe, but that means taking the bus downtown. I can probably justify that at least once a week, particularly if I walk home. More exercise. More photo ops. The pieces fall into place. As long as I can discipline myself this way.
I'm not a morning person, but getting a good start to the day, doing things I enjoy, seems a key to getting things done later. In particular, my best time for writing is 3 pm to 9 pm, but if I intend to use it, I need to lay the groundwork beginning when I get up in the morning.
