The Last Hummingbird

So we seem to have a straggler. One last female hummingbird has been around the feeder for the last couple of days. I feel bad because the annuals have mostly died off so we don’t have a lot of flowers around. Maybe we can buy a fall basket or something just to add to the feeder.

Plus, now I have to decide if I need to make more of the sugar water. I’ve got enough left to refill the feeder one last time. Now making sugar water isn’t a big deal but I also don’t want to have a whole bunch left over that I need to dispose of.

The good news is that we are in the middle of an above average stretch of temperatures so there are still insects around. While the hummingbirds do come to the feeders and flowers, they do eat insects for protein. Since we haven’t had a killing frost, there are still bugs around to eat.

But I’m sending thoughts to tell her to leave and fly south because that’s what she is supposed to do. I love having the hummingbirds around but I worry about what might happen if fall suddenly throws a curve ball with some colder weather.

Topic switch – on to ballroom. OwnerGuy’s original plan was to only do one Medal Ball a year. But he has changed his mind and is going to do an in studio Medal Ball coming up in two weeks. I think he may have done this because of the explosion of students and maybe one medal ball a year isn’t really a workable plan.

I have mixed feelings about Medal Ball. On the plus side, I would only have to check out of the rhythm dances. I know the Silver III patterns and I know I’d have no problems checking out. So there are no worries about that. And by checking out, we’d be able to start sprinkling in some Silver IV stuff into the rhythm patterns. I’m sure we wouldn’t do it until after Showcase but that would still be enough time to get them up to speed for the spring Showcase.

I don’t mind that it would be an in studio event. We’ve done it at other venues and it has been kind of hit or miss.

This is going to sound like a small thing but, when it comes to doing the Rhythm dances, I prefer Showcase where you can wear something more appropriate. Even before I had an outfit, at the very least, you would lose the tie and roll your sleeves up to transition from smooth to rhythm. The last time I did a check out at a Medal Ball, I was wearing a tie and all the rhythm dances just felt wrong.

Plus, I hate ties. I never wore one at work. I do wear one to do the smooth dances at Showcase but, again, that just feels right. I may just show up without one. I mean what are they going to do, kick me out?

There’s another small thing. Progress is great but it will bring me closer to having to make a decision. What comes after Silver VI? OwnerGuy likes to toss out references to the Gold program like it is automatic that I’ll just move on. But I don’t know. What happens if I start and then PJ leaves? I mean I’ve seen enough instructors leave that I’d have to factor that in.

It could very well be that Silver VI is the end of my dance journey and I don’t like thinking about that. It is part of the reason I’ve never been all that interested in rapidly progressing through the levels.

Again, not that I’d be faced with this decision tomorrow. But it would certainly be closer. Oh well, I’m the type who crosses bridges when they show up so I’ll probably just go because it would be nice to start doing some Silver VI stuff in the rhythm dances.