Home of Ripley's things

 I was not at all planning to do any birdwatching today. In fact, I didn't expect myself to even spend much time outside, it being so grossly humid and overcast. Somehow I managed to wander out of my apartment and into the neighborhood, though, and it's so great that I did! The sun came out while I was walking, so I continued on to the park. It was really tranquil there this afternoon. There weren't many people, and the sky was a little hazy. I immediately noticed that this small spot with a few benches was attracting attention from this toddler and her mom. Apparently, the kid had been throwing flower petals into the water, making all the birds in sight think she was offering food. And two swans had decided to stick around the little inlet! Happy spring little swan! It was almost too pretty a scene in front of me. Like, something I'd expect to see in an impressionist painting. There was a little green on the still water, from newly pollinated trees, and there was the b...

Yesterday was sort of a strange day for me. I had no online classes, which was fantastic, and I spent the morning and midday hours huddled in my bed half-asleep. I generally exist with a level of tension and discomfort that I become aware of as soon as I am allowed to relax, so it was strange when I got back into bed and felt really mellow and comfortable. My theory is I felt so good because I changed my bedding (I've been meaning to for like a week, and finally had an excuse to after I threw my room in disarray to let a cable guy access some cord and had to clean up). It lifted a major source of daily stress and guilt off my shoulders. I also had a lot of paranoia that my bed was dirty, therefore attracting bugs and making me unclean, etc., so that simple task was enough to relieve a lot of low-lying anxieties. For some reason, changing my sheets legitimately feels like a daunting task. It's really hard to get up and do. In the afternoon I eventually shuffled out of bed and go...

According to Wikipedia, the "Great Apes" are members of the taxonomic family Hominidae, a subset of primates that includes gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees (and their very similar counterpart, bonobos) as well as humans. There is something thought-provoking about this classification, despite the fact that people are generally aware of the evolutionary connection between humans and apes. Maybe it's a confrontation with the information that we are apes. The dominant species on Earth is listed alongside tree dwelling, fruit-eating, hairy creatures that we typically see in zoos.  I think it's exciting and interesting how close I am to a non-human ape. Like, having developed an interest in notable ape-figures like Koko the Gorilla and Ham the Chimp, the proximity between "us" and them has only encouraged me to learn more. I don't intend this post to be entirely philosophical, but I wonder if the novelty of other ape species is preventing me from rea...

         Hello and welcome to my first* blog post! I think I've now sufficiently brushed off my past of ".blogspot.com" domains (I had them starting at age 7, about My Little Pony, American Girl dolls, and then Animal Jam).           It's a little weird writing an introduction, as I don't foresee myself getting any following of any sort in the year of our lord 2021. What I'll say is that my name is Ripley, I'm 16, and I really like birds.          I have always had a lot of love for pigeons, and thinking back to my childhood I recall trying my hand at birdwatching, too. I had a for-kids set of binoculars and a pocket handbook about U.S. birds. Unfortunately my attention span was too short at the time and when I didn't see any crazy hawks or eagles right away, I mostly gave up. In the past two years, though, I began to spend a lot of time at the opposite side of the park.  Geese and mallards in the water...