Category: Slice of Life

Grocery Order and Pick-Up

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Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/1300 sec, ISO100
 “Grocery Pick-Up” Cedar Park, 2020

We ordered a bunch of groceries online for pickup this afternoon. We really love our HEB supermarkets here in Texas, and even more so during the pandemic. We’re really grateful to have the option to order online and have the groceries packed in the car for us. I just parked in the designated spot, opened the back of my car, then texted the store that I had arrived. The mask-wearing HEB employee loaded the groceries in the back and I was all set! I think this system is safer for both the shoppers and the workers. The only downside is that it can be difficult to find an open slot for the service, but still, we’re fortunate to have this service available. Go HEB!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/9, 2 sec, ISO200
 “Doodle” Cedar Park, 2020

Tornado Wake-Up Call

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
 “Tornado Wake-Up Call” Cedar Park, 2020

My Easter started very early with the dog barking and my neighbor calling on the phone to warn us of a possible tornado heading our way. I went downstairs and turned on the television news, learned that the dangerous weather rotation would be arriving in 5 minutes, so I woke up Mariko and the kids and told them to come downstairs, which was a safer spot to be in during this kind of severe weather. We’ve been through several tornado warnings throughout our years of living in Texas, but this one was the most specific, with the radar showing the path of the possible tornado to come right through our neighborhood, and the exact time it would: 6:12 am. It was exciting and terrifying.

But just as quickly as it appeared it was going to be upon us, the rotation disappeared from the wind radar, and the tornado warning was called off. It was all over in a minute, and at 6:15 am everyone went back upstairs to sleep. What an unsettling way to start the day!

Birds at the Feeder Lately

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 135mm, f/1, 1/320 sec, ISO3200
 “Black-crested Titmouse” Cedar Park, 2020

I’ve been keeping our bird feeder stocked with food and it’s been getting a lot of use these past few days! The main visitors have been the Blue Jay, the Northern Cardinal, and the bird in today’s photo: a Black-crested Titmouse. It’s so cute! There are a few other types that have come by for a meal, but I haven’t had my camera ready, which I need to make a good identification. One other bird that I’ve seen around, which I was able to note the features of using my binoculars is the Carolina Wren. It’s also a really cute bird!

Anyways, I’ve been really enjoying keeping an eye out for birds at our feeder. It’s so fun! ❤️🐦

Stare-Down

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/350 sec, ISO400
 “Stare-Down” Cedar Park, 2020

The squirrels often come around to look for seeds that the birds have dropped from the feeder, and Anko has a good view of the action from her normal perch by the kitchen sink. I thought this was funny because we had a similar stare-down in our front yard between Lani and a deer, with a cat thrown into the middle.