Wetland walkies, and other things

It's been stressful lately, for me. I've been avoiding triggers, as it's the little things driving up my anxiety levels. I just have to turn off the news. It's a factor of depression, too, when I view others on fabulous vacations in warm places, it gets to me.

It helps to laugh with someone. Anvilcloud posted his "i am not making this up" venting merrily with self-deprecating humour, and so I persist.

• The bird bath is leaking, again.
• I can't get the trailcam in the right spot, with the right settings. (I think the traffic was triggering it.)
• My new glasses, which might help me with photography, are delayed, and after ordering them with a promise of a 6-hour turn around, they phoned and said they are going to be a week and an additional $100 due to my horrid myopic prescription level. Not only that, but their big December sale, where you pick a box for a discount, I only managed 5% off my purchase. Sigh. I know I'm at the edge when I nearly wept, again.
• Then, there is Daisy. JB has been really good with her, I'm losing patience. She is draining both of us, her personality has changed, we shall persevere. I can't make any decisions right now. 
• Every other email or social media post is a request for money.
• Angry Birds, which has been fun, is raising my blood pressure!
• I'm estranged from my youngest. 

What helps? Taking my meds. Reading. Sappy Christmas movies. "Don't judge me," as I wrote online. There was some debate on Facebook, with many dissing the genre. I know they are sappy, but they are getting better. This one features a young lawyer, and an ending I can trust. No one gets killed. There is a diverse cast. The Hallmark videos are filmed in Canada. I like looking for clues as to the location. It's a hobby. I've seen 35 movies on TV!

Christmas Everlasting (2018)

The trailcam...
The coyote was a bit shy, in the first few seconds. Bambi has been busy.

JB is doing well. He's been really supportive. In a moment of weakness, he went out without a coat. This is highly unusual. It was worth a photo-op.

I hauled some more wood. It's getting low. This is good exercise for me. I shall likely have to order more in the new year, if things keep up as they are. (The temperatures, I mean.)

I went for a woodland wetland walk in the sunshine. It felt really good. 

I found a deer bed. Trees. Crunchy snow.

The frozen wetland is a transportation route for all of us. Deer, coyote, turkey, and the fox.

This is my men's size 7 boot. This is a fair-sized coyote track.


The fox marked a stump! The coyote sniffed it! I love the stories in the snow. The fox has avoided the trailcam, I ran out of battery.


The edge of the wetland is wet! It thaws first. It is solid walking on it in the middle, though. No soakers! You can see how the coyote used it.


My client cancelled today, it sort of leaves me hanging. On Tuesday, I finished a sketch at her house. It's a moment of distraction, and a conversation piece for the two of us. I'm there 3 hours, twice a week. Sometimes we run out of new things to talk about and rehash the old. I have to fight to keep her positive.


On my walk, I heard these deep clicking noises. I was walking in circles, until I figured it out! The sound bounced off the trees, in a weird sort of way.