First Surprised, Then Thrilled

April 19 has been an anniversary date for me for thirty-seven years. I was surprised to look back and find I'd never blogged about it before. I've certainly told the story many times.
I started thinking about how old I was 37 years ago and realized I was 37. Well, that seems significant. Then I looked back in my high school diaries and found that on April 19 in 1959, which was 59 years ago, I "Finished reading the book for my book report. Earth and High Heaven."

I didn't remember anything about the book, even after looking it up, except this cover looked vaguely familiar. I did find that it was a 1944 novel that stayed on the New York Times Best Seller List for 37 weeks. It is still highly rated and recommended on today's Amazon and Goodreads sites. I would definitely read it now if I could find a copy.

The 37th anniversary referred to is of my first date with Hubby Dearest. We had been flirting with one another for several weeks but he would never ask me for a date so I asked him. April 19, 1981 was Easter that year. I invited him to come out in the afternoon and stay for supper. For some reason, Preston took this picture of him. I've always been glad he did.
The weather that day was nice, in the 60's. There was a full moon that night; April's Full Pink Moon. Looking back, it does seem significant that there was a full moon on our first date.

So, while I was cogitating about the anniversary date and the book and how to fit them into a blog post, I went out on the deck just to feel how the day was warming up. It was still pretty chilly earlier when I fed the birds.
As I stood there a bird flew over and landed on a limb above the pond. It made a sound I didn't recognize, sort of a loud chittering.* It was too far away to identify, but if it stayed there long enough I could zoom in, get a picture and hopefully identify.

Hmm, some black, gray, white and a little rust, with some kind of top knot. Oh, my gosh, could it be?

Then it turned its head and I saw the beak. I wasn't sure yet, but I was getting pretty excited. Two exceptional bird sightings in two days?

Some more snaps and then consulting Audubon online. It is! Last year when I saw someone's photo taken at Green Valley, I wanted to go out there and see if I could spot one.
I am so thrilled to see my first ever Belted Kingfisher. And it was right here in my own back yard. The only thing that would thrill me more would be if I saw it dive for a fish. Maybe it will stay around and nest in the dirt bank of the pond.

From now on, April 19 will not only be the anniversary of my first date with Bud, but also the anniversary date of my first sighting of a Kingfisher!

*Audubon describes it as a wild rattling call. I think I will recognize it when I hear it again.