Bob Tarte - Octodon @BobTarte@octodon.social

@gingerrroot Thanks, Ginger. Sometimes when birds migrate, they initially 'overshoot' where they are supposed to go and end up too far north. Then they turn around and go back south. But these warblers apparently found a place they like at Swan Creek and have decided not only to stay, but to keep returning every year.

@gingerrroot

Thanks, Ginger. You are very nice. These warblers aren't even supposed to be in Michigan at all, they are southern birds.

But at this remote and a little bit scary (because it is so remote) place called Swan Creek, these warblers are actually nesting and breeding. It may be the only place they are breeding in the whole state of Michigan, and just a very, very few of them.

It amazed me to find a tiny bird like this in a place I'd never been, a real needed in a haystack.

@gingerrroot

It helps me to remember that emotions are like weather. As bad as they may be, they do eventually pass. Then it is a little sunnier.

I am still very sad about a pet of mine that died, but I just hold on and it will diminish finally. Then I'm better until next time. Being aware of what is happening and that it isn't a permanent condition helps me.

This is just me. Everyone is different. I'm not offering advice. I'm just talking about me, the same way you are talking about you.

@johny Cthulhu would approve.

@gingerrroot

I took off from work Thursday to see a bird called, believe it or not, the Worm-eating Warbler. It is extremely rare in Michigan. I didn't think I could find it, but I followed instructions & walked a mile down a wooded path along a remote place called Swan Creek 50 miles from my house. I played the warbler's song on my phone, & it zipped over to see me. I was stunned. Small things like this keep me going.

I hope you feel better soon. Anxiety is the pits. I have it BAD, too.

Very poor photo of a Worm-eating Warbler taken under overcast + gloomy conditions on the Swan Creek Trail at Allegan State Game Area. But this bird is so rare in Michigan, I'm happy for any photo of a Worm-eating Warbler.

@lores Hahaha, yes, the semi-colon. I only use it as a last resort and will rewrite sentences endlessly to avoid it. I can't remember the last time I've used a semi-colon. Probably in place of a comma in a complicated list.

@lores You can talk about which SFF you like and what you are doing in that field and how popular you are with the Scottish Fishermen's Federation in general. You don't necessarily have to say what you don't like, right?

@lores Scottish Fishermen's Federation? I ddged SFF and didn't get enlightened.

@John I couldn't have done any of that. I am not the least bit technically inclined. Weirdly enough, my day job is writing/editing Web and catalog copy for an online hi-fi products retailer. I've been doing it since around 1999. The company is called Audio Advisor. They don't carry much tube gear, just a few pieces from Woo Audio, Vincent, and a couple of other companies.

@John That's very odd. It must be an instance that never really took off. I'm on an instance for authors that will go days without posts. Just not enough people.

@John Wow, monoblocks? How do they sound? They are in boxes, but I have a VTL 50/50 valve amp and a Dynaco tube preamp. Haven't heard them for years. When we had bunnies, loud music scared them, and I've gotten used to listening to music through headphones.

@gingerrroot Selfie?

@luckyduck
Thanks so much for the Favorites.

@starbreaker All my best wishes to both of you. I'm glad it was a little better than the first time.

@lores I hope it works out for you! It really is quite daunting doing even the tiniest fraction of what is supposed to be basic marketing. When one of my books was published, my agent wanted me to create a blog about one small subject I wrote about in my book, and this was in addition to my website and social media presence. I declined, having spent lots of time on other promotions that never helped a bit. I've got a bad attitude, I guess.

Awkward warning from Firefox about its Firefox page.

@John It is a bit strange, but I'm finding that the different instances can have way different personalities. There are tons of coders on social, and it's like a foreign language. It's fun to hop back and forth between instances if you've got nothing else to do! Keep me posted about how Tazzy is doing. All the best to you.

Looking back on my life, I will own up to several egrets.

Spotted Sandpiper struts his early-morning stuff on the beach at Tawas Point, Michigan.