Today’s header and post picture both concern the Barn Swallow.  These are small, fast moving birds that are dear to my heart, they like to eat mosquitoes and I love them for that.  They have been out and about for more than a month now and I have wasted gigabytes of film trying to photograph them.  On our Lewis and Clark bike ride of a few weeks ago, there were plenty of them out and wheeling through the skies about.  I think it was then that Anne invented her little game.  I call it let’s watch le Marquis gyrate about trying to catch a glimpse of a Barn Swallow through his little view finder.  I did eventually wise up to her game. 

Recently thought the swallows have changed their game.  Both today’s header and the picture with today’s post show roosting swallows.  This is game changing behavior on their part and it wasn’t until this morning’s bike ride (fifteen miles) that I discerned the reason.  The bugs have come out.  I tried walking into the glen that I had photographed the little Green Heron just last weekend and ran swatting away at mosquitoes.  I think that they have become satiated.  Both pictures are from last Sunday’s Boat House tour.  Today’s header is from the very spot that I was chased from today.  The Barn Swallow roosting on the Boat House fan begs the bird poop hits the fan analogy.

I think at this point I would like to say how much I have come to enjoy writing this blog.  At first it was new and exciting.  Then came those midweek concerns about blog content.  There were times last winter where it was tough to feed the old blog.  I actually felt that I was mining my life’s experiences at an unsustainable rate.  Almost without knowing it though I have allowed the blog to change my life.  I am doing more now then I was doing a year ago and I attribute it to my desire to feed the blog.

There are the trips (FL, CA, NY), but there are also our weekend activities, which have increased.  Most importantly though are the weeknight evenings.  I no longer surrender my soul to YouTube and the like.

I look at life now as a storyteller.  Be it the nice old couple that let me jump line ahead of them at Starbucks this morning.  The guy had this most awful t-shirt on that featured a roll of toilet paper and an epithet that I dare not repeat.  He was the butt of his own joke.

Suffice to say, I find this blog a healthy, life sustaining activity.  At the end of next month, when I go in for my physical, I’ll be sure to have my physician enter this blog in my plus column.  For those readers that do not have a blog, consider my words.