Nothing to "Grouse" About

So last Saturday, I was so excited, I had won a 'lottery' to use the grouse blind at Benton Lake Wildlife Management Area to watch them do their mating dance.  The whole week before the weather had turned spring-like....in the 60's, beautiful.  Saturday...cold, in the high 20's, windy (20-30 mph) and rain/snow.  I gave forth a huge sigh.  Of course, this doesn't set well when I had to leave Helena at 3:30 am in order to be there an hour before sunrise so I wouldn't disturb the grouse.

Several people were willing to go with me until their heard the 3:30 am departure time.  Light-weights!  But still I soldiered on.

Yep, this is the culprit I went to see.  The Sharp-Tailed Grouse.  The males perform this mating dance and they do it in one spot where they gather, called a 'lek'.  So my cold ass was planted in the blind on the lek at 530 am Saturday morning.  The blind cut out most of the wind, but it was still colder than all get out, grey and damp and overcast and drizzly and then snowy.

About 40 grouse and an hour after sunrise, even the grouse decided it was too cold to turn up their tail feathers and dance around.



As I drove around the loop at Benton Lake I did manage to see a lot of different water fowl, including some Tundra Swans (that's not one above).  And a hawk, which flushed a flock of grouse.  

So all of this brings me to a point which really has nothing to do with grouse, but life in general, my life in particular.

Lately, I have been feeling less than optimistic in my outlook.  There are some issues with Lady K which need to be resolved, which really has me down.  And I feel like I haven't had a chance to be 'creative' with fibers.  And no writing getting done.  It just seems like a lot of work moving and cleaning and packing and unpacking and disorganization, leaving me feeling bitchy and crabby and yucky.

Then I stopped and realized this isn't totally the case.  I have been creative.  Granted it has all been in relationship to school homework, but the old mind has been clicking over.  I have even knitted a couple of cotton dishcloths for the new kitchen.  So I started counting my blessings:

Lady K with us for the week

Lady K's health improved 100% in a couple of days

Walked to the library and back for Books and Babe on Monday

Saw 9-10 deer in the cemetery resting during our walk

Invited 2 people to go on hike in a couple of weeks

Was complimented by a co-worker on my interaction with one of the people I invited on the hike

Fixed a batch of Artisan Bread in 5-Minutes a Day

Baked 2 loaves of bread in the past couple of days

Got my new glasses and they are finally correct

Hung up 2 sets of curtains and several pictures

Knitted 2 and started on the third cotton dishcloth

Started on final projects in 2 of my classes

Selected classes for next fall (VERY full load)

Baked a cake and shared it during monthly staff meeting

Volunteered at Tizer Gardens for the summer

Spent 3 hours on my hands and knees, weeding flower beds

Brought home a container with strawberries in it

Wrote an article for the local newspaper on helping out a Girl Scout Troop with hiking badge

Went on a hike and helped out a troop earn their hiking badge

Brought home some pussy willow that is blooming.

So I really have nothing to 'grouse' about.  I really have been doing things that bring me joy and creativity.  I just need to be looking 'up' rather than 'down' more.

Oh, and would I do the grouse blind again?  You bet!