I arrived at 7:30 a.m. The nice man behind the counter checked me in. He estimated that they would check my engine light in about 45 minutes. I told him I would be back in an hour. I headed to Hoblitzelle Park for eight minutes of walking and bird watching. I saw a goodish few birds. When January comes, my eBird.com bird list annual count sets back to zero. January and February provide two of the best months for bird watching, as I prefer Winter birding to Spring migration, Summer birding and fall birding. I like all the seasons, though.
I dressed in layer upon layer. The weather hovered a few degrees above freezing. I felt the cold through my gloves. I still enjoyed the walk. I walked back to the mechanics' waiting room. After some minutes, the fellow at the front desk let me know about my car. They were not sure if there was still a problem. They checked the engine light, which might mean a problem persisted, but might just mean that the light needed to be turned off. It was a bit like the medical treatment called "watchful waiting", though far less serious. Today the light came on again like a brilliant idea. I hope to go back next Saturday, having been assured that the maybe-problem did not pose a risk.
I drove to Allen Station Park. I took another walk. Things were warmer by mid-morning. I saw lots of things here, but a set of Harris's Sparrows stay foremost in my memory. I stopped by Sprouts for bananas and popcorn cakes. I stopped by KFC for grilled chicken and green beans for lunch. In the early afternoon, I took Beatrice for a walk. She enjoyed that, and explored everything.
Saturday evening my wife and I went to Cinemark Allen to see Gary Oldman's performance in "Darkest Hour'. We enjoyed the film. After the movie was over, we went to Mio Nonno. We split a margherita pizza and a dinner salad. It was very good. At home, I researched the extent to which the movie was historically accurate. I was intrigued that some of the most absurd facts portrayed proved to be historically accurate. Some changes from history made sense, but a few seemed unnecessary. Later in the weekend, I read troubling allegations about Gary Oldman's behavior, which somehow made something simple more complicated.
Sunday morning I walked in Chisholm Trail. Lots of ducks floated in the lake in the creek by Christie Elementary. Though the temperature was well above freezing, it felt much colder than the prior day's walk due to humidity and the wind.
At Weight Watchers I was up 4/10ths of pound, which is fine. After Weight Watchers, I went to church. The sermon dealt with building bridges to other people. After church, I ate Chicken Express fried catfish, green beans, corn and a roll. I went to Bethany Lakes Park to take a walk. The chilly weather limited me, but I saw lots of birds.
In the evening, we ate oven-fried chicken and salad, while the rain fell. Now we are watching the Golden Globe award program.
from Dreamwidth, because two posts of the same text are twice as nice