bird clouds

on my way to church i noticed a black cloud or drift of smoke on the horizon. ever curious, i kept glancing in that direction as i headed to kearney. when it kept changing shapes and directions i looked for the nearest county road going south. it happed to go over three tracks and there was a train stopped about a block and a half from the crossing. looking to the left and seeing nothing i crept forward to peek around the stopped train which of course, was on the middle track. just forward enough to see a little ways down the track....i saw a train coming. so i backed up as fast as possible. even if i had stayed where i was i would have been okay. the train on the middle track was not moving. that was definately a track where there should have been an electronic crossing guard.

after the train was on its way i drove to the flock of migrating birds. it was a mixed band of geese and ducks. i think i have to get up a little earlier to see the cranes. but i did get some decent pictures for only have a little digital camera. i will have to start carting around the 35 m with my telephoto lens.

spring

Spring is coming. the other day the little crab apple in front of the ad building was filled with cedar waxwings. i haven't seen waxwings in ages. i hope they like the nannyberry in front of the belle house. maybe we will have to plant a crab apple. another sign of spring is the rising water in wood river. it has filled enough to cover the little wood bridge behind the farm barns that connects the farm compound with the fields. it might actually be six feet deep at the bridge. also, the snow geese and sand hill cranes are flying overhead. and they are racing at fonner park.

buddy shopping on line

i am supprised that there have been no articles about buddy shopping on line. i do it with my daughter and with my sister. we live miles apart so cannot go to the mall to do shopping together. so we just sign on and send our ideas back and forth across the air waves. not quite as good as in person, but it is way better than trying to do it snail mail or by tele.