A Full-time Life

LEFTOVERS --- AND MORE

 

 

We had two wonderful family Thanksgiving  celebrations.    (Not on the same day -- one was an early celebration to include family who wouldn't be here on the actual date).   And   I  took no pictures at all .   Because it is hard to eat and talk and enjoy the great company and still remember that I even own a camera.   This is the only Thanksgiving picture -- November's  full moon when we returned home after last Thursday's feast.  (We were full too!).

 

 

Wild Turkeys 

What better week for some leftover turkey(s)?   They thrive around here -- each of these pictures were taken (not on Thanksgiving Day) near where our son-in-law and daughter live.  

 

 

Canada Geese
 

The Canada Goose is another wild bird that loves living in this part of Oregon (most of them don't even migrate). These are contemplating going for a swim along the walking path near us.   All the turkeys and geese  are from the season's archives.  Because I took almost no pictures last week, this post was going to be all leftovers.  But then ... 

 

 

Common (red-shafted) Flicker

... as I sat at the desk this morning, I spotted this outside the sliding glass door.  The Flicker was right outside near our patio, but by the time I found shoes and camera, of course he had flown.  But once outside, I spotted him at the playground here in our complex.   It took awhile to get this picture though.

  

Oregon Junco and Red-shafted Flicker

He was a very busy flicker -- there must be lots of tasty insects hiding in that pile of leaves!  There were a lot of Juncos and other birds flying around to distract me as I waited for the flicker to lift his head.     I didn't think it was too chilly outside, but I am glad the neighborhood children all apparently thought so.  The playground area was empty, except for the birds (and me).

 

 

Yet another distraction.

 

Sharing leftovers and  new offerings with the following:  Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD; SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING 

 

 

 

GIVING THANKS

Mid-November in Eugene 

The trees are a little barer, the leaves are a little browner ....

but we still have some blue sky days  .. 

 

 

 and we still have some color.

 

 

We have new surroundings and each day brings surprises.  Last week, robins were everywhere we looked.   Maybe they think it is Spring again.  

     

 

I share the walking trails with a variety of flora and fauna. 

 

 

We are grateful for so much.

Thanksgiving Week and always.

    

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough and more.

It turns denial into acceptance,

Chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, 

A house into a home,

A stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

Brings peace for today,

And creates a vision for tomorrow. 

 

​​​John O’Donohue

 

 Linking  to the following sharing opportunities.  I'm thankful for the hosts.

 NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;   THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  SIGNS SIGNS;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING  

 

SCENE AROUND HOME

  

We are still getting organized in our new Eugene home.  It does already feel like home  except for the kitchen, where everything seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  There's a lot of storage space, just not where I want it. But we're getting there.  (And by that, I mean that Bill is  installing shelving where it is needed.)  

 

 

So we are busy -- but there is always  time to walk ... and there are many nearby choices.  None  are in the wrong place and it is never the wrong time!    

 

Canada Geese, Mallard Ducks, and some white geese which I think are tame ones that have gone wild (or the escapees' descendants).    

 

All of the pictures in this post were taken along the Willamette River behind Valley River Center, the largest  shopping mall in Eugene.  I had an errand to do in the mall, but had a lot more fun walking the river path after I had accomplished that task.    The mall is about a mile and a half from where we live now -- walking distance (but I drove this time and parked next to the walking path.)    

 

Scrub Jay

One of the best parts of Eugene is the easy access to natural areas.   I don't think everybody in this area even realizes how fortunate we are here.  We  visited a lot of shopping areas in our RV travels and I don't think I ever saw any others with these nearby views and walking paths.

 

 

 

The pictures were taken this weekend.   Almost the middle of November and we still have blue sky and sunshine.   As long as you get outside between 10 and 4.   We've had freezes at night and fog in the early mornings.  Bud mid-days are still beautiful.

 

 

 

The walk/bike bridge crosses the Willamette from  Valley River to the parkway opposite, and from there is a couple miles walk to downtown Eugene, where we lived before this move.  So we aren't too far from where we were when we lived right downtown, but everything about it is different.  

It's good to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Autumn days -- and we'll get organized indoors eventually (probably around the time we are ready to head for Florida)....  it will all come together ... and after all, in the meantime ...

 

All you need is .... 

 

 

 LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to all of the hosts.

 NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;  GOOD  RANDOM  FUN;  THROUGH MY LENS;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  SIGNS SIGNS;  Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING;  and GO OUTSIDE SATURDAY

 

WE MOVED!

     

  

 

We moved last week.  Not across the country to our winter home-away-from-home (not yet).  Just across town -- to another part of Eugene.   The picture above is a view of the Willamette River from a walking path around our new complex.    The mosaic below is from our backyard (which, happily for us, we are not in charge of raking).  

    

 

It does seem like we are moving a lot lately.    I know people who have moved so often they can't even remember all their homes.  And I know at least one  who has lived  all her adult life  in one home.  We are, like most people probably, somewhere in the middle -- but we used to be closer to the latter than we have been in the last few years.     

 I guess we are still figuring out this phase of retired life. This move gives us more living space than we had in our previous apartment.   It also means the end of our experiment with living downtown.    There were many things about city living that we enjoyed, but also definite downsides.    As with anyplace, I'm sure there will be ups and downs about our new home as well.   But we are in the right  place for us right now.

 

 

   

Above is one of the upsides -- On our first walk on the now nearby river paths  I actually got a picture of this Kingfisher.   I'm pretty sure I've written before (or at least commented on other blogs) that this bird has for years refused  to allow me to get a picture.  We see them fairly often, but they always  fly as soon as I even think of taking their picture.   This one actually posed long enough   ---  a welcoming omen!  

 

 

Here are some snaps from almost the first day we were in our new home.   At that point, we weren't yet sure where everything should go (or what we needed to buy to fill the extra space).  There were still boxes to be unpacked and we couldn't find anything in the kitchen (the last is pretty much still true).  But most of what I need  for daily smiles was in place--  my laptop,  some of our books,  a pretty window view and a few bird-themed accessories.   The rest of life's necessities will follow in time!

     

 

Grateful  for our successful move and for a few more beautiful Autumn days in between the much needed rainy ones and glad to be organized enough to be back to blogging.  

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LINKING to the following sharing opportunities:  Thank you to all of the hosts.

NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; OUR WORLD on Tuesday; MOSAIC MONDAY;  GOOD  RANDOM  FUN;  THROUGH MY LENS; WILD BIRD Wednesday;   Wednesday AROUND THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY; SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   FRIDAY  BLISS;    SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING