iowa cabin

As ‘safer at home’ slogs on toward the end of May in Wisconsin I have noticed two things about my life.  First, I have developed a daily routine (more on that at another time).  Second, I am, with eyes wide open, adapting.
 
In the spring I often spend time outside birding.  I don’t recall how I became interested in birding but not I am hooked.  In years past I traveled to Ashland, Wisconsin for their annual birding festival.  The event was cancelled this year.  Rather than staying home we began making short birding trips within a 50 mile radius of home.  That was fine but it was not the great adventure we have become accustomed to.

My wife took the initiative to search for a cabin to rent in Iowa.  The Iowa rules differed from Wisconsin and allowed private lodging businesses to remain open if they could guarantee the six foot distancing rule.  She found a cabin (pictured) in McGregor, Iowa a short distance from the Mississippi.  The cabin had a kitchen, microwave, frig and all the regular stuff.  We took all our own food (which was, I admit, a minor hassle).

We arrived in mid-afternoon and sat on the deck.  From the deck we spotted 14 different species.  The most exciting was the red eyed vireo which doesn’t reside at home.  There was also a family of turkeys and deer who visited the cabin at dusk and early morning.  It was evident this was their regular schedule and our presence was not going to alter their routine.
 
We hiked in nearby Pike’s Peak State Park (not to be confused with the park of the same name in Colorado – Zebulon Pike got around and named everything he discovered after himself).  We also walked the city park in Prairie du Chien.
Not being at home was a great experience.  We had so much fun that we plan to take two of the grandkids back in July.
​
Surviving ‘safer at home’ physically and mentally requires each of us to learn to adapt.  I recently watched a Smithsonian Channel program that demonstrated we homo sapiens have a brain designed to adapt which explains why we are here and not the Neanderthal’s.