I chose to interpret that as a request to refill the feeder, and did so right away. Now I am waiting to see how long it takes for him to check back again.

He was definitely asking for more.

Speaking of bird visitations, as you may recall shortly after Jacqueline's death I had a window open and a hummingbird flew into our house and wouldn't leave for an hour.

In many cultures a bird flying into a house is seen as a visitation from somebody recently departed.

And, indeed, I've always considered a hummingbird sighting to be a kind of blessing.

Anyway, I'm deep in assembling things for the Memorial and posted a picture of Jacqueline on Facebook. And when I went out to run, with her much on my mind, I was stopped in my tracks halfway across the Panhandle as I spied the first Hummingbird of the season. Green with a flashing ruby-pink throat. It hovered right in front of me, darted about and came back.

Were you wearing a colorful shirt?

Were you wearing a colorful shirt?

Nope. Grey hoodie. Green hat with yellow brim though (Go A's!).

Nice visiting feathered friends notes.

Since we are docked we’ve had a lot of seagulls. Back at sea tonight and disembarking in Fort Lauderdale in the morning. My sisters will stay overnight with me then head out.

The cardinals in my yard seem to approve of the birdseed this year, even nibbling a bit at the stale leftovers from autumn before I refilled the feeder. Late last year only breadcrumbs seem to tempt any wildlife into it.

Aw, birds paying visits.

I am almost done with my 9 hours of ERP: Fundamentals training which seems surprisingly irrelevant to my role for something with "fundamental" right there in the name. Do I need an hour on how to manage fixed assets? I mean, I'm a little interested, but not an hour's worth of video interested and I am pretty sure I will never ever actually need to know any of that. I was pretty excited to have a new ERP, honestly, but this is sapping my lifeforce pretty hard.

That sounds like a lot of training, t!

Any buffistas want to do a FaceTime-and-chores this weekend? I really need to spend some time going through and sorting clothes and deciding what to keep. But it’s more fun and easier to sustain with someone else “there”!

For now, though, soccer.

I have been told there's a 40 hour long training coming up. I hope that's not really true. Or is spread out over a longish time.

One of my neighbors was taken to the hospital in an ambulance last night. He’s lived in the complex for ~30 years, so he’s sort of a fixture here. He’s also a lifelong smoker with cardiovascular problems, so I’m a little worried. It’s a strange feeling being reminded of how fragile humans are. Yes, tragic, violent deaths are happening in the world as I type this, and that’s horrible. But also, I opened my blinds this morning and the guy I always wave to and exchange “good mornings” with wasn’t there, and that’s disconcerting. My world is a few degrees askew.

It's a rainy Saturday so my plan for a run in the woods isn't gonna work. However if you're in Kaiser you get a free digital membership in ClassPass, which is kind of like Peloton, I guess. So I guess I may do one of those.

Today is a day to sort through things and prep for summer, and also get the house ready because there's a good chance I will come home tomorrow with a new rescue dog! So excited: I really need to have a dog in my life, or I don't get my steps, and roll directly from the bed to the laptop. Not healthy.

W/rt the retirement discussion, we were very lucky that Dad invested aggressively, and had a long career in the defense industry. So there was still a fair amount in the accounts when he passed at 89, enough for a distribution to all my sibs. But if he'd lived another five years, I don't know that it would have covered all his care.

I am beginning to think about retirement, but I need to see a financial planner. Work is making me tired, although I mostly enjoy my job, but if the election goes badly I am not sure I'll have the patience to wait out the looming autocracy. My federal pension will be minimal, so I'll be dependent on my 401K/IRA, and those are subject to the whims of the market. I could sell my house, but then where would I live?

Bah. I hope everyone has a good weekend, and wish me luck on the dog hunt!