what i'm taking with me

Keeping on list format, I wanted to share a few of the many things I learned/thought/wondered about during my Nebraska stay (ranging in importance and depth):

1. During this season the Red Winged Blackbird looks deceivingly like the Tri-Colored Blackbird.
2.You don't have to smash every spider you see (unless it is in your bed of course). You merely have to shake something or pound on the floor where you don't want them. They will quickly run the other direction and leave you be.
3. Two of the most imminent threats to a sapling tree are vine weeds and rabbits.
4. The hottest part of the day is 5 o'clock.
5. It is liberating to only rotate the same couple outfits, shower infrequently, and not wear make-up.
6. "Greatness" evolves out of the process of doing things, mostly small things. Relevant to life and art.
7.Even though I can hardly hold a conversation about "who's who" in the art world, doesn't make me less of an artist. Watching a new bird in my binoculars does more for me than staying up on theory or the hottest gallery.
8. The less you think about your appearance, the better you start looking to yourself.
9. The idea of a tick's tiny face and mouth parts burrowed in my skin makes me very uncomfortable.
10. Vegan cookies can be quite delicious.
11. It is possible for me to sleep until 10:30am, take a nap from 3-6pm, and still fall asleep during a movie at 10pm.
12. The best way to view fireworks is on a roof top with a sea of fireflies beneath you.
13. I am just a baby in my "career." And I trust that someday all the pieces that are running around in my mind will start fitting together and making sense the more I work and mature. There is no sense in being constantly frustrated that I don't have everything worked out just yet. What would be the point of life if we reached our maximum potential in the very beginning?
14. Brown Thrasher, Red Headed Wood Pecker, Cardinal, Baltimore Oriole, Barn Swallow, Sandpiper.
15. I like Date cookies very much.
16. It is better not to irritate a tick while it has its face lodged in your skin, because they will likely inject bacteria organisms right into your blood stream.
17. Bring me an injured baby animal (such as the baby killdeer a cat brought in), and my motherly instincts will kick into high gear.
18. "Not only does something come if you wait, but it pours over you like a waterfall, like a tidal wave. You wait in all naturalness without expectation or hope, emptied, translucent, and that which comes rocks and topples you; it will shear, loose, launch, winnow, grind." -Annie Dillard.
19. It is a wonderful gift to be able to read multiple books of my choice in a short time span.
20. In small towns the term "mall" often refers to a hardware store, grocery store, bank, and Subway all located in the same building.
21. At some point in history a group of Nebraskans thought it would be a fine idea to name a town Worms.
22. There are few things more peaceful and beautiful than tall grass swaying in the evening light.
23. There is nothing more peaceful and beautiful that being completely present.
24. God is amazingly intricate.

I could probably go on and on, but I'm about to meet up with Claire for a run ( I take great delight in any activity together while we are in the same place), and need to get this posted. Here are some last shots from my humble little camera: