Resetting the Clock

I've been to five European countries in two months.  It seems jet lag is a constant part of my life lately.  Work, tending the garden and travel.

I got home on Friday, and crashed early.  By 5:30 AM I was awake and looking for things to go.  I cleaned and filled the hummingbird feeder, did some laundry, had 2 cups of espresso, unpacked by suitcase, tilled the gardens, planted some flowers, weeded, trimmed and mowed.  By 2:30 PM I was done with my chores.  By now my body was telling me it was 8:30 PM.  I need to reset my internal clock.

I have done very little paddling lately.  I put my boat on the car and headed to a place on the Susquehanna I like to paddle.

I was now late afternoon and the sun was heading down to the west.  I wouldn't set for nearly 5 hours, but there were shady places along the shoreline.

I came across a mother mallard and a brood of mallard ducklings on the shoreline.  The ducklings scattered into the brush and were lost from sight.  Mother duck flew upstream about 80 feet.  As I was paddling that direction I would get to within 50 feet of her, and she flew upstream again.  She was trying to draw me away from her babies!

This occurred a half a dozen times.  I really wanted her to fly downstream and get back to her children.  I figured I would not play her game anymore and just paused in the river.  After a few minutes she then flew downstream.  What a good mother!

I stayed close to the bank, looking for shade.  I rounded a corner and came across a deer.  I did not seem to mind me too much, and kept foraging. After a few minutes it headed off into the woods.

I was thinking about the river.  In this section the current can be quite strong after a storm (with significant changes in river height), and the shorelines are very muddy.  Not an easy place for plants to grow or people to go ashore.

A saw little bird life.  In te spring there are a lot of ducks, geese, hawks and eagles (beside the redwing blackbirds).  Now, I just saw a few mourning doves getting a drink of water.

 As thee afternoon wore on, the shadows lengthened.  Now paddling downstream it was easier, and I had a slight headwind to cool me off.

I came across another deer (probably the one I saw earlier).  It seemed pretty nonchalant.

My nemesis the Japanese knotweed was quite common and dense) along the shoreline in many places.

I was surprised to see a racoon looking for food along the shoreline.  He saw me but did not appeared to concerned.  I believe that land animals seem to consider quiet, slow moving watercraft as non-threatening.

The water was very calm and mirror like.  It was so relaxing to to stop paddling and soak up the daylight.

I could feel my internal clock resetting.

I really need to paddle more often.  It is good for the soul...