Hoppy Easter

Hoppy Easter!

Today is Easter Sunday, and we are having a quiet celebration at home, just the two of us. Yesterday our community had an Easter Egg Hunt for the grandchildren of residents, including a visit from the Easter Bunny and a food truck serving pizza. We went to pick up our pizza at noon, and decided to say hello to the bunny. Why not? I admire that our lifestyle director is trying to make the most out of keeping us entertained during a pandemic.

Our pickleball club here has regularly scheduled mixed doubles play on Sunday afternoons, and I decided not to cancel it despite the holiday. We normally have 12 or more players on Sundays, but so far I only know of 7 who are coming today. The weather is perfect and it should be 72 degrees at 3:00, so we will have fun despite the low numbers.

Speaking of pickleball, the lifestyle director asked if I would be willing to put on a beginners clinic since we have so many new people moving to the community. I have already done two of these since our club formed in August of last year, and that doesn't take into account the people with whom I have done one on one instruction. It will take place next Saturday, and I limited registration to 12. The event filled in less than a day, and the wait list of 20 is maxed out. Wow! That number even surprised me, and I know how many people have been asking me about learning how to play.

We currently have 65 members in the Pickleball Imagery Club, and I expect that number to grow as we bring these new players onboard. I've been the President since the club formed, and it has become somewhat of an unpaid part-time job for me. I'll need to recruit more people to take over some of my tasks as the year progresses. We did come up with a club logo and offered merchandise earlier this year. The items were marked up slightly to raise money for the club. We anticipate needing to purchase things for pickleball down the road, such as windscreens for the courts. The sale was a success, and a second offering of shirts and hats will be coming online this month.

Pickleball Imagery Club shirts

So another Covid-19 holiday has arrived as we wait for this vicious virus to either be eradicated or enough people to get vaccinated that it won't impact our lives in such a huge way. Happy Easter to all who celebrate this blessed day.

For the Birds

hawk

A couple weeks ago I glanced out the kitchen window to see a big bird sitting on the grass. Before I could grab my camera, it flew up into the tree with a bunny in its grasp. I wasn't sure what kind of bird it was, but using my telephoto lens I took a picture of it up in one of our trees. My husband identified the bird as a hawk. I have never seen one that close before. Two days later we let the dog, fresh from the groomer, out in the yard and he proceeded to rub his whole neck area in something terribly disgusting. My husband tried to wash him with a cloth, picking chunks of something out of his fur along the way. I threw Kirby in the sink for another bath, nearly gagging on the smell. I am guessing that he found the remains of the bunny somewhere in our yard. Fortunately it was a milder day and I was able to open all the windows and air out the house. I haven't seen the hawk or any bunny parts since that day.

But it reminded me of the time I went around the corner of our house with Kirby on a leash to go on our daily walk. I was startled by some rustling noise caused by a huge bird. Again, I had no idea what kind of bird it was, but I threw the dog in the house and grabbed my camera. The bird had a gangly walk, and made no attempt to fly. As I was chasing it through yards, my neighbors started coming out of their houses to see what I was doing. Soon it was like the Pied Piper, me following the bird and the neighbors following me. It was pretty comical! This went on for a couple of blocks before the bird tired of the game and flew over a fence to escape the entourage. Several people confirmed that it was a turkey! Since I have only seen the ones in the freezer compartment of the store, it was news to me. But it made for a great story, and the added benefit of making the acquaintance of some new neighbors.