Birthday Dinosaurs, Birthday Poems on Daily Kos, Hummingbirds, and More

Me and Glenn on my birthday

Birthday Dinosaurs

My birthday has come and gone, and May has begun with moody weather (sunshine, rain, sunshine again, and that’s just the morning). We had a pretty small celebration, just went to Willows Fireside Lounge for dessert and cocktails and to the Woodland Park Zoo for the dinosaur adventure (plus snow leopard cubs!) I loved the educational interactive bits for kids—they could dig for fossils, or experiment with robot servos to see how the dinosaurs move. Robotics and paleontology – sounds like a great combination! Some of the dinosaurs move uncannily when you get close to them, letting out sounds that might conceivably be dinosaur like, and some had feathers and fur and color.

It also reminded me of one of SNL’s skits that I really liked—Jurassic Park’s Lawyer, with Donald Glover.

Fighting T-Rex with my cane

It did make me feel somewhat philosophical, turning 52. I’m still around, even after multiple doctors said I wouldn’t be. I’ve lost friends in the last few years, friends who seemed much healthier than I am. So much seems random, out of our control. This leads me to think that maybe we should let go of some of the things that keep us from living a full, joyful life, right now. Don’t put off fun, or things you love.

Despite my many and varied health problems, I have a lot to be grateful for. I’ve published books, I have wonderful friends all over the world, I have a husband who makes me a (gluten-free) birthday cake and gets me 52 tulips. I spent time in my garden this week and watched birds and got to play with dinosaurs. Do I have to play catch up with a bunch of doctor appointments I’ve been putting off to have fun? Yes. But sometimes, you have to prioritize fun, right?

Birthday Poets on Daily Kos

Imagine my surprise when I discovered my poem, “Lessons You Learn from Final Girls,” from Field Guide to the End of the World, was up on the Daily Kos this week (right after Yusef Komunyakaa, whose birthday is apparently a day before mine) as birthday poets. See the link here.  

Birthday Hummingbirds

I had the pleasure of observing many hummingbirds as flowers on my back porch bloomed, with coral bells, snapdragons and fuchsias. There were immature and mature Anna’s and Rufous hummingbirds. We also had the return of black-headed grosbeaks and finches and mornings and evenings, even during rain, have been full of birdsong. I hope these pictures bring you a little joy.

We also had a terrific view of Mt Rainier this week, and I captured one as we drove over the Floating Bridge to go to the Zoo.