Lots of yard work today: ferns to prune, blackberries and weeds to pull, naps under the midday sun. I recall making blackberry pies in Illinois and paying $15 for the primary ingredient – here the blackberry is an invasive weed.

Our rhododendrons are in spectacular form with brilliant colors and buzzing with bees.

On the way to my yard waste pile I noticed out of the corner of my eye a slight movement. At first I thought it was a plastic bottle somehow stuck in the tree – instead it was a barred owl. I was pretty excited about it because I thought I had been hearing one in the mornings but hadn’t seen one.

I went back to the house, grabbed my camera and in the fading day light managed to get a couple of shots.

I love living here.