Cranes and Ostriches

There have only been about two nights on my week-long vacation that I didn’t awake in the middle of the night and stew about all the work that lies ahead. I’ve got to raise $100,000. We’ve got to get an EIS ordered on the Ordean site and make sure the City Planning Commission doesn’t do any pimping for Johnson Controls and the local contractors who stand to make some serious multiplier effect money if only they are permitted to cram an elephant into a phone booth. Finally, I’ve got to finish nailing down four candidates who will sweep out the School Board in the fall elections. At least they’ll be shoo-ins.

I’ve been ignoring my email until today. I read the 100 or so messages waiting for me while the sun rose over Kangaroo Lake here in Door County this morning. A couple of sandhill cranes have been walking on the lawn in front of our condo for the past couple mornings. A few minutes ago two of them broke out in the most cacophonous call I’ve ever heard. I’d been glued to the computer and hadn’t seen them but knew immediately it had to be them.

I think I also saw a small flock of whoopers fly overhead yesterday when we took the ferry to Washington Island. The Tan Man liked the Island’s Ostrich farm although I didn’t much care for it. We’ve already got too many of them back in Duluth.

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