My day begins at 5:45 a.m. When I get up, Martha wants out. She waits for me, as she knows that I will offer her dog biscuits when she comes back in. As soon as she is out the door, I grab my pen and paper and begin my morning bird count.
I note the birds that are already at the feeders, then add to the list as the morning goes on. I wash, and dress, and clip on my pedometer.
I turn the kitchen radio to NPR, and catch up on the world news. Today I hear more stories of the earthquake in China. There is a 50-pound bag of sunflower seed in the garage, so I take a pitcher with me and fill it. On the way back up the stairs, I scoop some dog food to pour in Martha’s dish. The cats are waiting for milk, which I pour for them, then I head out back with the sunflower seed, and fill the bird feeders, and sprinkle some under the trees. I notice that there is a slight frost on the lawn. I use the garden hose to add more water to the birdbath.
I have my breakfast of cereal with milk, and a small glass of orange juice. I take a load of laundry down to the washer, and pack my lunch for work – a ham and cheese sandwich, some carrot sticks, a banana, and a diet soda. I wash the dishes, tidy up the kitchen, then bring the laptop out to the diningroom table so that I can check my email, and read some blogs. Every few minutes, I check the back yard, and note the birds that I see.
At 7:45 Martha recognizes the signs that I am about ready to leave for work, and she heads down the stairs. She has a large cage in the basement, and feels quite comfortable hanging out in there during the day while George and I are at work. I get her settled, and I drive off. My workday begins at 8. At 12:15 I take a half-hour lunch break, check my phone for messages, and read the newspaper. At 4:30 I am locking up the office, and heading for home.
When I arrive home, Martha is looking for a couple more biscuits.
I go out back to see how the birdbath is running. It’s a little slow, so I clean it out and add fresh water. I pull out another piece of paper when I get back inside, and start an evening bird count. Tacos are on the menu for dinner, so I get those started, and George arrives home about 5:00. He works on his truck model as I prepare dinner, and we are sitting down to eat about 6:00. The dishes get washed, the kitchen tidied up, the floors swept. I go out back and cut some lilacs to bring indoors. George wants to watch our Netflix movie, so he throws the laundry into the dryer. I take an early shower, get into my nightgown, and we settle down for the evening.
At nine o’clock the movie is done, we switch the TV to CNN news, and catch up on the events of the day. Most of the news focuses on the upcoming presidential election. Martha is asleep at my feet, and the two cats are snuggled up nearby. I pull out my laptop again, and begin to blog about my day.