The Hermits' Rest

So many birds, so tired

Today Pamela and I drove from Corpus Christi to port Aransas and back before returning home. For that reason I’m tired as heck so I’m hitting the highlights.

Hello, I’m a highlight, Tricolored Heron.

First we drove down Shoreline Blvd in Corpus, where I’d never been. Whoa. There were beautiful old and newer homes to see! Corpus is t as ugly as it appears from the highway. We then went to a small and kind of rundown bird sanctuary, the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Sanctuary. We saw many interesting birds, plants and hundreds of Great Southern White butterflies. Enchanting.

After than visit we drove all across Mustang Island, which was new to my native Texan friend. It’s my dream marshland. Eventually we got to the Leonabelle Turner Birding Center.

As this photo shows, the wind was not kind to Pamela’s hair.

Nor was it kind to mine. It got stuck in trees.

There weren’t zillions of birds like the time I came during migration, but there were some good ones.

The best, most wonderful, and the most amazing sight we saw did not come through in photos, but was very clear through my binoculars. At first I thought it was Mississippi Kites, but they weren’t marked quite right, and their tails were forked, but very long. So when I got home I looked to see if kites were likely birds in Port Aransas this time of year. They were not.

What was large, flocking, black-and-white, and likely? The Magnificent Frigatebird! A bucket list bird of mine!

This is one cool seabird. I didn’t realize they’d come this close to the shore. They can fly for hours and hours and steal food from shorebirds (I guess that was today’s plan).

Otoño this picture to document where the birds were. She’s looking at them, I swear!

I immediately had to text Pamela about the ID. This was a memorable trip, even though the drive home was long!

Apologies for not sharing the plants I saw. Too tired!

Feeling encouraged, warm, and fuzzy

We got to sleep in today, since convention stuff didn’t start until 10 am. Pamela talked and met a few people, while I went to the beach outside the hotel to look at birds. Both of us had fun.

We eventually made it to the Selena Arena and watched more speakers and talked to various minor celebrities. I enjoyed greatly hearing some of the candidates for office talk about their goals. It was a parade of regular folks who want to help Texas. Some were very good public speakers and some were not. But they were real people. Citizens like you and me. And it was so diverse. Encouraging.

Finally, after a bunch of voting and stiff, we were treated to hearing a familiar voice with a familiar story. The great Bernie Sanders came down from Vermont to make us sad, then cheer us up.

It was encouraging to hear him agree that in Texas we can possibly make things better, even running against all those billionaires! Even to briefly have hope that us little guys can effect change is liberating for me.

Bernie! And proof I was there near a significant historical figure!

After the rest of the voting we fled. We had no trouble parking or leaving, which was great for Pamela, whose feet had been unhappy. Usually I dread all the crowds exiting parking lots. But, yay, we got back to the hotel safely.

We decided to be decadent, so I found a very nice restaurant and made reservations there. We read our books for a while, then had a wonderful meal at Fork and Vines restaurant. My beverage was an amazing apricot version of an old fashioned.

Each of us holding my drink. The blue water bottle came home with Pamela.

It was such a pleasant evening lingering over amazing food, telling stories, and laughing with our server. A great way to end the trip!

I have to say I found the political convention more fun than I expected. Talking to so many new and interesting folks was encouraging and enlightening. People all across the state share my thoughts and my fears. I’m not alone. I’m a little more hopeful.

Tomorrow, back to nature reporting.

Convening in Corpus

The first day of my first political convention is complete. Today started extra bright and early. But I managed to make it to the center in time for the Texas Rural Caucus. Too bad the check-in security line delayed me. It’s okay. I’m just there for the experience. I ran into my old political friend Jimmy Flannigan, which was fun. He and Jeannette, our county chair, got elected to some party position.

I went to another rural session then sat outdoors in the blasting wind and looked at the water.

We watched a crane lift a flag on the USS Lexington. It went up, flapped weirdly, then went down and back up, more successfully.

More exciting were the exhibits, where there were so many causes, petitions, and swag that your mind boggled. I met interesting folks, though. The convention is brimming with interesting people!

I enjoyed the decor of the exhibit about stopping the border wall in Big Bend.

Eventually the general session started. It felt weird to be one of those people you see on TV holding signs and saying Yay a lot. I enjoyed learning about the candidates, who all impressed me with their commitment to serve the people of Texas. There were so many stories and impressive folks to see. Even Corey Booker! And a 96-year old activist who was really sharp.

Clayton Tucker, Ag Commissioner candidate and goat farmer, with me and Pamela.

We left before the biggest speech, but I will watch it on YouTube. Pamela is struggling to walk and I didn’t want her trying to navigate stairs in a huge crowd. A nice volunteer gave us a golf cart ride to the car, which helped lots.

Corpus waterfront is really pretty. We even enjoyed the gulls and grackles. I’m easily amused.

One more day. Hope it’s fun.

Driving to the Coast with Pamela

My friend Pamela and I traveled to Corpus Christi today to go to a convention, because somehow we got elected delegates. It was such a pleasant drive! We went the back way, which was really pretty after all the recent rains. We stopped for lunch in LaGrange, where there was a new restaurant we happened upon.

Look at that spinach soufflé and squash! oh and some meat stuff.

The meal was delicious! I’m so glad I could find a local spot. We happened to meet some woman from there at the convention, and they said the place was brand new.

I was very happy to find our hotel, which is right on the beach but has a weird very steep driveway. Yet another construction site hotel. But where we are seems new and beautiful.

And you can see the Gulf of Mexico from our room, kind of.

We got a ride to the convention site, wandered around, and ended up meeting fascinating people who live part-time in our county! And they were with a musician I’d known from my past in the Austin area. We had a great conversation and ended up knowing many people in common. How random!

Next, a guy walked up to greet them. It was my former singing partner, Austin. Dang. He didn’t recognize me. I look different, especially with my crazy hair and weird glasses.

It was great to see Austin and his wife Connie again after a good number of years. They were kind enough to give Pamela a ride to and from a “fun” event that ended up way too crowded for our taste.

Pamela was pretty zonked after that excitement so we ordered Thai food delivered to our room. It was excellent! We were pleasantly surprised. Tomorrow’s an early day of caucuses and I don’t know what. I hope I have time to look at some birds and water.

Ooh. I almost forgot. We got new gutters today, in preparation for hooking up our rainwater collection system. The guys worked 14 hours! Lee was impressed.

Getting started. Last photo with nice red gutters.

There are no finished photos because they finished after dark.

Birds of radically different feathers

My day today started off with spending a good while just watching a pair of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds flitting around and hanging out.

Usually if there are two males, they chase each other to defend their territory, but this male and female were just hanging out and maybe flirting. It was very calming to observe.

Bunnies were hard to distinguish from Lee’s mowing clumps.

The day (very long) ended with Kathleen presenting me with one of her diamond painting crafts. I knew she made them, but had never seen one before. I guessed (correctly) that she wasn’t surprising me with beautiful flowers, because she was suppressing a laugh as she came up to me, holding something behind her back. What was it? Well, she knows how much I like birds, so she tested my love of my avian friends by making me a bird I couldn’t like.

He’s watching me from the fireplace now.

I laughed so hard. It’s so nice and sparkly! It’s just the perfect gag gift! I love how we can poke fun at each other and enjoy stuff like this. We can all use a good laugh to keep us going.

Meanwhile, I did my nails all patriotic in preparation for a weekend trip. This polish looks like those rocket popsicles.

I’ll try to write tomorrow. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone.

Advice to young people

What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?

Dear younger humans,

You’re fine, even your broken parts. Other people’s negative opinions about you reflect their issues, not yours.

You’re lovable!

Sincerely,

Suna

Long day. Did good work. Someone else didn’t like it. Nonetheless, it was good. Heeded my own advice.

Inspired by brave Christians

Who are you most inspired by?

Lately I’ve been noticing more and more Texas Christians coming out of hiding and talking openly about how they feel betrayed and bullied by churches that instill fear more than faith, pit people against each other, and conveniently ignore teachings of Jesus.

No illustrations for this, but Penney looking at a Devil costume headband adds a note of humor to my religious post.

I’ve known many of these ethical people who lead lives I admire during my life, but they’ve been drowned out by louder voices. That’s why it’s refreshing to see Christians whose moral compasses align more with mine speaking out.

The woman I reviewed the book of last week, Keith Brown, admitted she’d been duped by a cult and emerged ready to live openly as someone who listens to her true spiritual leader.

I’m also impressed with the bravery and commitment of James Talarico, for whom I plan to vote in the Texas senatorial race in November. He’s such a good guy that his corrupt opponent can’t find anything real to pick on him about. I’m sure he is imperfect, since he’s human, but listening to this ministry student speak kindly about all people of Texas, as Jesus would, and speak intelligently about issues we all care about makes me proud to have someone to vote FOR, not against.

And in a surprising twist, I discovered that Clint Harp, a Waco craftsman I used to enjoy when he worked with Chip and Joanna Gaines, was not a secret Homestead Heritage shill, just because those people were featured prominently in his Restoration Road series (which I love anyway). He and Kelly, his wife, have started a podcast called On Couch with Clint and Kelly Harp. The first episode was a candid and open discussion of how important supporting LGBTQIA+ people is to them. They talk about how their Southern Baptist upbringing instilled fear in them of even acknowledging gays. They portray a kind of Christianity where all people deserve a good life and the blessings of their faith. (Also Clint was at a Talarico rally!)

These inspirational folks represent the kind of world I was hoping I’d get to live in, where Christians model love and acceptance, other spiritual paths are celebrated, and those of us who are more on the earth-based path aren’t treated as pariahs. I have a little more hope.

By the way, this is the most positive thing I’ve ever written about Christianity, so I’m grateful to these folks (and of course other dear friends and family whose spiritual practices I admire).

How to succeed successfully

What’s your top tip to be successful in life?

The most important suggestion I have is to define success for yourself. Let others decide for themselves but not for you.

Bonus tip: as life and circumstances change, it is okay to change your definition. You’ve changed, so your aspirations will as well.

My definition of success focuses more on inner peace, love for all life on this planet, and forgiveness (of myself and others). And as long as I’m focused on these goals, I feel successful.

Minor success: with help from family, I have all the plants in my water garden. Now it can cycle before I put in fish.

Book Report: The Things We Never Say

Oh, Elizabeth Strout, sometimes I wish you weren’t so gifted at spare prose, because I want to read your words every day. I do always read her books slowly, though, because she packs so much into every sentence. I’ve written about nearly every novel Strout has written, but I have no doubt that The Things We Never Say (2026) is my favorite.

I finished reading it yesterday and had to sit in silence and think about the depth of emotion I experienced while reading it. The degree with which I empathized with the protagonist, Artie Dam, a high school teacher in a town near where her other books are set in the northeastern US, is very deep. The simple events he experiences and his reactions are both his alone and universal—I literally feel his pain.

The book is set is contemporary times, and the characters deal with the most recent presidential election much like everyone I know did, down to realizing some very good people you can trust with your life can support the “other” candidate. Most universal, though, is how Artie deals with finding out about a secret his wife has kept from him for over 30 years.

Artie is around my age, and he goes through some stages of coping with age and growing understanding that how we once saw the world is no longer true. And it’s as hard on him as it’s been on me. Wow. This book exquisitely sums up how I think many of us feel at this time in history.

I took some notes about what struck me most about The Things We Never Say:

We all keep secrets, including some we aren’t consciously aware of
Sometimes, after decades of caring so much about others, you just get tired and can’t anymore
I’m not the only one who fears not living long enough to outlive the current US President’s destructive impulses
Many long marriages work because people just get used to each other and go through the motions, not even caring about what’s going on in the other’s minds and not trying to share their innermost thoughts
You have no idea about other people’s real thoughts, feelings, desires, past actions—no one ever will
At some point, after trying to be a good person, to learn, to grow, to be kind, you’re just done. You’re ready to go

This all sounds depressing, but in many ways it’s comforting to realize the things you go through are not isolated. We’re all in the same boat (literally, Artie sails), and even if we don’t know everything about each other, there are connections.

As the book jacket says, “ Strout’s simple declarative sentences contain continents.”

This goes into my top favorite book list!

Starting over, media version

What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?

I have two answers to this question, both of which have to do with my moral compass.

First, I’d love to experience the original Star Trek again, at the same age I was then (around 12) but with the ability to have my elder self able to point out the moments when things happen that went CLICK and turned me into a bleeding heart liberal. As cheesy as TOS (especially Kirk) was it opened my little working-class Southern girl heart to ideas I might not have encountered until much later. I’m afraid I would have been a lot more racist and intolerant without watching Star Trek at a pivotal adolescent moment.

Second, I would like to have not read The Handmaid’s Tale when I was in grad school but instead last year, when it seemed to be coming true. Or maybe not. I’m pretty sure I’d panic and feel sure it would come true next year. No. I actually wish more women in the US would read it now, especially those trad wives who think what they’re doing is so cute. The women in The Handmaid’s Tale lead lives that could happen soon the way women’s rights are deteriorating and could deteriorate more in the Texas Republican Party platform this year gets enacted — they want to outlaw IVF now. Sheesh.

Believe it or not I have another book review for tomorrow. An important book for me. I thought about it all day, which is why I just answered the prompt again today.

The highlight of the day was that I craved peaches and I ate three very ripe ones from Costco. Not worthy of its own blog, but so good. A ripe peach brought me joy!