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Thursday, April 13, 2023

I Like Thursdays 4-13-23

It is Thursday and time to list likes and gratitude for the week. The event is sweetly hosted by LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color, and I like the fact that it has made me conscious of finding things I like during the week!

Toby the nurse
On Tuesday I had surgery to remove a skin cancer from my face, and I like that Toby decided to help my husband take care of me. Toby rarely sleeps with me, so this was a treat.


This is the door that opens from our bedroom to the patio.
Look closely at the dark spot on the far top left above the door - do you see it?

It's a starling barn swallow nest, and here comes Dad after me!

Mom and Dad decided to watch and see if I was a threat with my iPhone camera
OK, I like starlings (they are barn swallows - thank you Judy and Jocelyn!) and yes I know that they are messy and territorial, but this is the second time they have nested on our patio, and I just can't shoo them away. Our neighbor was horrified that we allowed them to build a nest the first time, told us to just tear it down because "they will be back!" 😆 My husband would probably prefer to get rid of it, but I noticed he didn't, and he cleans up their mess with no complaints. Our kitties are happy about it too, and they spend hours chattering away at them.

LeeAnna's prompt for today is this:

Are you a morning person or a night owl?
What do you like about being this way?
Would you prefer being different?

I would say I am both, and I like it! When I was young, I stayed up until midnight reading books and then slept late. My parents were early risers, and I would sleepily wake to the sound of them quietly talking and the smell of their coffee and then doze again - it is a cherished memory. The atmosphere was cozy and pleasant, there was never any grumpiness, even when I didn't get up until 10:00! When our kids were little, we went to bed late and got up early, even though we craved sleep! As the kids got older, they slept later, but I liked being up early and getting a head start on my day. I also enjoyed being at work before anyone else, especially my boss!

Even though I am retired with no little ones at home, I still like getting up early. We go to bed at 10:00, watch news and Seinfeld until about 10:45, then fall asleep around 11:00. I am usually awake between 5:00-5:30 and itching to get up. Just like when I was young, I love waking up to the smell of coffee. Ours is on a timer and starts percolating around 5:00. I would not want to be different and sleep too late because I might miss something - lol!

What do you like about being a morning person or a night owl?

If you would like to read a few more positive posts, go check out the list on LeeAnna's blog right here.

14 comments :

  1. What a wonderful photo of the starling in flight. At first, I thought it was a wasps nest - we seem to get those around here. You should like me in the 'early bird/night owl' question. Late to bed and early to rise so as not to miss anything and waking up to the smell of coffee is THE BEST!

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  2. I wouldn't shoo that bird away either! So fun to watch them raise some babies. I do love waking up to the smell of coffee brewing - maybe we should put ours on a timer, too. Hope you are healing and feeling good, Linda!

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  3. Not a starling - that looks like a barn swallow. They are great bug-catchers. You got some great photos - I like the one in flight.

    I used to be a real morning person. I still wake up early-ish, but will stay in bed and read for an hour. So does that count as a morning person? lol

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  4. we have birds that return to sleep on our porch every night... one of them just returned! We don't open the door when they are there, not to disturb them. Good luck with the surgery, our hearts are with you. Love your "nurse" watching over you.

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  5. I am neither night owl or early morning person - I am usually sleeping by 11 but in the morning my wake up time varies as I do not sleep well - I might sleep 4 hours and then can't fall back to sleep - sometimes I am awake 3 times in the night - I normally wake up for sure by 7:30 sometimes with only 4 hours of sleep and other times closer to 6 or 7 if I am lucky - been like this for years.
    I would keep the bird nest too!!

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  6. Glad you got to enjoy the extra pampering from Toby! Kitties just know! I enjoyed the phots of the starlings and their nest! Sorry they are messy! We have a bird we call a starling,but it must not be one. Cause they don’t look like yours! Ours are noisy and messy and sorta smelly when there are great flocks of them in the yard. I’d probably let them be too! We are just seeing our first robins, and I’m never quick enough or quiet enough to get a photo! They take off in a heartbeat if there is movement close by.

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  7. What great pictures! Although, I have to say I might not be as tolerant of the starlings. They make such a mess! I would say I am a morning person; I am usually up at 5, and in bed by 10 or 10:30.

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    1. I just found out they are barn swallows, not starlings! They do make a mess on the patio. Thanks for visiting!

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  8. Yes they leave a mess, but they are such fun to watch. We've had Swallowtails that like to nest on our back porch. It's fun to watch the babies fledge. Have a great weekend.

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  9. A lovely post, Linda. How wonderful to have barn swallows nesting there. I wonder how many will successfully fledge with your tolerance. They are on the threatened bird list here as swallows in general decrease. And their blue is a special blue colour..forget what just now. Meanwhile, hope the recovery continues to go well with the help of furry company, etc.

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  10. It is fun to have your own personal bird nest to watch, but goodness, they do make a mess!

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  11. Linda - how wonderful to have a nurse like Toby help you through your recovery! Our neighbor has a large barn on her property, and they have as many as twenty swallow pairs that return each year to nest! I am joining you from I Like Thursday!

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  12. So sweet of Toby to be nurse kitty; they always seems to know when we need extra comfort. The barn swallow is beautiful and I, too, would have mixed feelings but leave it for the season. We have sparrows nesting in a gutter...keep telling them it is not the driest spot in the world, so I hope they do ok. These days I can be either. Love to get up and have the house to myself or work late (not too late) into the night, however, I mostly do neither and get things done in the middle of the day.

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  13. Hurray for Toby being a good nurse and helping your hubby take care of you! I'm with you on going to bed late and getting up early. Good thing we need less sleep these older years Linda. I loved seeing your starling nest. I wouldn't take it down either.

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