Yesterday was all about the tanager.  For folks who don’t know my family, this is unlikely to make much sense, but we develop running family jokes and pretended disbeliefs.  (Well, I guess folks who know me and my totem know about that part.)  One of them that dates back to my childhood is the tanager. One or another of us would occasionally catch sight of a scarlet tanager (sometimes referred to as a “starlit teenager”, but that’s another family tradition), and other family members would (claim to) be skeptical.  My brother, who is an early riser, claimed to have seen one in the area.  My mother had heard it, but not seen it.

My brother left for home early yesterday morning.  My sister and brother-in-law drove him to the airport before seven o’clock.  When my mother, my sweetie, and I went to the pool for our swim, we saw the tanager.  It was pecking at its image in the side-view mirror of a car.  It would peck for a while and then spend some time on the ground, jump back to the mirror and peck some more.  It repeated the process for a long time, and it was still there when we left the pool area.  We all agreed that when my brother called to say he’d got home we had to tell him about the tanager; I almost called him while he was still in flight (figuring on leaving voice mail), but I didn’t.

I spent the rest of the day quietly, proceeding through Alaska (into which Michener finally introduced some animals and then some humans).  My sister and brother-in-law left at about three, and they were around for a little while before that, but for the most part we were alone.  My parents took them to the airport and I traded Michener for junk TV (Top Chef).

Mom managed to put supper together out of stuff around.  She had some meatballs that she tossed into some broth.  I enjoyed them, and I ate well, and I think that what I like is juicy meat:  rotisserie chicken is also very juicy.

I asked Mom if she’d told my brother about the tanager, and to my astonishment, she hadn’t.  So I called him to tell him.  It was exactly the sort of conversation you’d expect:  he pretended to accuse her of not wanting to admit that she’d actually seen the bird.  I, of course, reported this to Mom.

And that’s about it.  Friends from the East Coast are coming over today.  I’ll spend as much time with them as I can, and I know my sweetie will enjoy both their company and whatever excursion the three of them make.

Today we’ve had our walk.  I’m steadier and stronger than I have been, but nowhere near where I’d like to think I could be.  Still, it’s just one week since disconnect (almost to the minute).  Happy Thanksgiving!