Ready

January 29, 2021

Between the outside temperatures and post-holiday rise of the virus we have been trying to stay home as much as we can.  I have computer work to do in my office to get ready for the weekend that keeps me busy most days and Melissa works from home, so it is not much of a change.  When the furnace went out, we had no space heaters, and the chill began to set in by the afternoon (we have them now!).  I had finished up for the day and began to get antsy.  I also found that my hands were going numb.  I finally made an excuse of getting more pop for Melissa and took off for the store.  What I really wanted was to get out and to feel the warmth of the vehicle’s heater.  The heater made the drive worthwhile.

I have mentioned how I now take my camera with me wherever I go.  This has been added to the fishing poles I constantly keep in the back of the vehicle.  You never know when you will be suddenly overcome with the urge to fish.  Now I have added, you never know when you will spot a new bird.  That means you need to always be ready.  Earlier in the day I had been reviewing and classifying the birds I had captured on camera the previous day.  The YouTube video I watched suggested to never delete pictures on the camera.  You never know how they can look after you edit them.  My old computer has a flash drive, so I can pull the card and review and edit the pictures easily.  That was what I had done.

When I arrived at the market, I noticed a small hawk (not yet photographed) perched on a light pole near the entrance.  I slowly pulled my car into position to let me get a good shot.  I readied the camera, extended the telephoto to maximum, and took the picture.  Nothing happened.  I fiddled with the settings and tried again.  Nothing.  Usually when this happens it is because I have not turned the camera on or removed the lens cap.  Not today.  I adjusted the camera for a third time to take the picture, but with the same result.  That was when I realized the problem.  I had taken the flash drive out of the camera and had forgotten to put it back.  In the good ol’ days, I would have just run out of film.

Thoughts:  While the problem was not having the scandisk in the camera, it came because of the settings I had chosen.  The same video which helped me set the camera up suggested that I disable the camera if there was not a disk present.  The presenter said, “Why would you want to be able to take pictures when there was no way to record what you had seen?”  That had made sense at the time.  Even if I had been able to take the photo it would not have saved to anything.  At least with the camera turned off I knew I had a problem.  I am trying to be ready with both my camera and my fishing poles.  Amid the rapid changes of the pandemic, we also need to be ready.  That means we need to take a proactive approach.  Following the advice of the experts (masks, distance, hands, and gatherings) is a start.  Getting the vaccine when available is another step.  We now need to be ready to decide how to live life as a world together, rather than divide and conquer.  Follow the science.  Do the work.  Change is coming and it starts with you.