Surgery Delayed

Background, Year 11
My surgery is delayed for about one month … date unknown. Needs to be scheduled.
My urologist just phoned. The operating room at Miller Dwan (part of Essentia St. Mary’s) is not safe for me because of my poor heart ejection ratio. My poor heart function is nothing new, but upon receiving the schedule for tomorrow Miller Dwan will not let me be operated in their operating room for my own safety. My prostate surgery needs to be in St. Mary’s where the operating room has the facilities to better respond if there are complications.
Please note my operation is NOT being delayed because of any concerns caught in the pre-op visits … it was an administrative oversight. My overall risk factor is almost as low as someone who has not had heart problems, but rules are rules.

Mosquito Birding Madness at the Greenwood Creek Bog (and a Lynx)

Year 11

Oh my … watch the video. Bog Country in NE Minnesota = Mosquitoes. I wanted to pull the SIMM card from my trailcam before surgery on Thursday. I was fully prepared with a head net, jacket and wind pants (I always wear shorts, but not today). In the past 8 days my trailcam has photographed a bull moose, two timber wolves and now a Canada Lynx … all near the pond in the Greenwood Creek Bog.

The Bog is accessed via US Forest Service #813. If you have “all wheel” or “4 wheel” drive you may drive the forest road for 6/10 of a mile. Park next to the rock pile (and off the road). From the parking spot it is only a 1/2 mile hike to the bog pond. If you have a “2 wheel” drive can, park out next to Lake County #2 and the bird feeders (6/10 of a mile away).

DO NOT HIKE TO THIS BLOG W/O WATCHING THE VIDEO. MOSQUITOES! (video link for email subscribers)

Here is a TrailCam image of the Canada Lynx. Most of the activity appears to be just before sunset. I will let folks know when the mosquitoes die out a bit.

America the Beautiful Birding

Year 11,

I tend to “bird the sunrise”, which on June 14th is at 5 am in northern Minnesota. Because this means I am up BEFORE 5 am, by 9 pm I am often tired and in bed. However last night I went looking for owls at a new place after sunset (after 9 pm). While I did not find owls, this Osprey (photos best seen on a large screen) was gloriously setting off the sunset. Given I live at the bottom of the hill near Lake Superior, the geography of the hill means I see lots of sunrises, and very few sunsets. Boy, am I glad I went out last night. I found myself humming the melody of “America the Beautiful”!

Flaming Osprey Sunset (Canosia Wildlife Preserve)

Rescuing “Winston Churchill”, the juvenile River Otter, from the road. Look at the first picture! I hope you’ll understand my name for the otter. I did manage to convince “Winston” to leave the highway!

The explosion of color continued this morning when I still got up early, and was off to the Lakewood School and environs.

Morning Lupine

Northern Flicker

Green Heron