Soggy Suonenjoki Saturday, 6 Jun

I had a really lazy morning… didn’t drag my carcass out of bed until nearly 10:00. The purported better weather was nowhere to be seen; it was still overcast and raining lightly. I did some reading, but by 14:00 the sun was trying to poke out, so I decided to go for a bike ride. At the last moment, my gut said, “Put on your raincoat and rainpants.” If you want to follow my route on a Google map or Google Earth, here we go. From the station, you know, Metsänturkimuslaitoksen tutkimusasema, I headed northeast on Juntintie, turning right (southeast) onto the bike path that follows Iisvedentie toward Suonenjoki. I went under E63, the main route to Kuopio. At the intersection with Rautalammintie, I zigged a block to the east and then followed Herralante for a block, before turning left and going under the railroad tracks and emerging onto Asemakatu. A right (south) turn and in a couple of blocks I took the photo of this church. I continued south and stayed left onto Siioninsllankatu and followed it until it ended at a bike path that goes up and over Suonenjoki River. Okay. Good thing I listened to my gut because the sky opened up and poured buckets on me, probably because I was at the farthest point from home. Anyway, I trudged on, looping north back to Rautalammintie, past the apartment I stayed in last August, under the railroad, which brought me back to the bike path which led me home. Even with the rain gear, I was a bit soggy, so I’ve fired up the sauna. I see some blue sky now and the forecast is for improving weather…

I brought my bike helmet with me. You know, the number one cause of death of people my age is accidents…. Apparently nobody in Finland knows that or cares about that, as everyone I saw on a bike today had a bare noggin. On the flip side, near this church is the customary cemetery. Extremely well kept, with a station containing a wheelbarrow, rakes, shovels, baskets… all unlocked and available for use. How long do you suppose they’d last in a cemetery in the US?

While on my little adventure, I saw quite a few birds. I heard a lot more but they are still a mystery. I'm now ignoring the clacking Fieldfares and the melodious Chaffinch, but the rest of the calls are just teasing me. Keeping with the Finnish today, here are the birds I saw: Keltasirkku, Vihervarpunen, Kirjosieppo, Punakylkirastas, Sepelkyyhky, Kalatiira, and Isokoskelo. Okay, fine, I’ll list them with English names too.

Birds of the Day: Yellowhammer (lifer), Eurasian Siskin, Pied Flycatcher, Redwing, Wood Pigeon, Common Tern, and Goosander.