The Prime Directive

I fell asleep on the couch last night, Doug was watching a documentary on smuggling in Peru with subtitles. The subtitles were yellow and too small so I stopped caring. I thought about picking up my laptop to do some busy work and maybe write an entry, but, zzzzzzz. The dog was comfy, the air conditioning was just right. I slipped off to sleepyland. That lil'snoozy was nice but made it hard to fall asleep. Eventually I got there. 

This morning I was up at a decent time, and I went out to water the plants before 9:30. I'd answered email, slack, and needed to get the steps for that hour in so. Why not water plants. Toffee went out with me. We were in the back yard and there were a lot of very noisy birds going on and on. Toffee was standing in the yard, nose down, sniffing. Birds started to bombard her, and she chased them and ran around. Bombarding? What's up birds?

I walked over and there was a wee fledgling in the grass. Toffee was sniffing it and I pulled her back to get a good look at it. It had its wings open a little, like it had just been trying to do something. Nothing looked broken on it, it was just ...there. 

It looked up at me, I wondered what was going through its little bird mind. "Hi, big lady," "Uhhhhh. A Little Help, maybe?" 

I let Toffee sniff it again, she was very interested and now that I was standing there, the birds were just noisy and not doing their bombardments. 

Baby bird opened its mouth big and wide when Toffee leaned in. The idea that this giant brown wingless thing was going to feed it made me laugh. Tried to get a picture with its mouth open, but that just was not working out. At least I got one. 

I brought Toffee inside, remembering not to violate the prime directive (thank you Star Trek) to not interfere with the general natural order of things. Birds have fallen out of nests a million times over. Birds usually figure it out. If bird does not figure it out, well, bird does not figure it out. 

I've violated this rule in the past. Twice in my adult life. Once was a robin that crashed into the windows of our back door in the brown house. It was stunned and just still on the back step. I picked him up. 

I think the robin died from its injuries. 

And another time was a baby squirrel that fell out of somewhere and onto the ground, also at the brown house. Baby squirrel got some good photo opportunities as it was put back up into the lilac bush that it was under, to get it off the ground and away from the many neighborhood cats. Eventually he moved along. Clumsy little bean. 

I've said before it is a hard world for small things, taking that quote from "Raising Arizona" to heart my whole life. The temptation to pick up the bird and put it in a shoebox and try to help is real. Knowing that you should not do that and allowing for nature to do nature things, that's important. 

It is raining tonight, so the routine of going out before 10am to water will be not needed, but I will go out for patrol. 

Here's Toffee and her temporary new friend. 2 days of Digits below.

Tuesday digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. 26 min. inside walk. 6900+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:

8:45am: 143
5pm: 138
11pm: 146

food:

coffee/water/iced tea
1pm: pbj on 647 bread; metformin
6:45pm: chicken parm, slice of rosemary focaccia bread 
7pm: metformin+jardiance
8pm: bowl of plain yogurt w/blueberries & sliced peaches, sprinkle of splenda

Wednesday digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. no walk inside today. 4500+ by bedtime

blood glucose:

8:30am: 165
5pm: 115
10pm: 220 (too close to high carb dinner, will drop by the morning)

food:

coffee/water
11:45am: metformin. Left over pulled pork, piece of previously grilled left over country pork spare rib
2pm: fuji apple with peanut butter
7:30pm: chinese food fest: general gao's chicken, shrimp lo mein, bbq boneless spare ribs, mongolian beef, spring roll, 3 peking ravioli
9:30pm: 2 baby bel cheeses and a protein shake
red wine+diet ginger ale