Thursday

This is the view from the ground looking up into the oak tree where I seem to want to spend my time. There is supposedly an owl that lives in this tree. I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of it before the week is over. Yesterday, when I was sitting outside, there were these 2 squirrels I watched most of the afternoon chasing one another and having a good time, then all the birds went silent and one of them fell from pretty high up in the tree all the way to the ground and landed on its side. The other was just as still as could be. Its tail wasn't even flinching. It seemed like odd behaivor for squirrels, but they might be mating. Then today, I was walking around outside and there were bird feathers raining on my head. Of course, my first thought was cats, so I looked around to see where Shane and Elise's cats are and they were both on the ground near me. I mentioned it to Elise and she said there was an owl that hangs around up there, but they have never seen it. I'm setting my sights on that owl and hopefully I will see it. I did hear it today when I was out there reading.

The weather is just incredible. I feel kissed by the sun. I sat outside again today while Sofia slept and just enjoyed the goodness of the sun. I can't believe it is spring. This is my favorite time of the year, when everything awakens and we all feel alive and want to be outside and can appreciate the newness of nature before the heat sets in and we are complaining about how hot it is. I love the closeness I feel to everything waking up. I feel like I too am waking. I love to hear the birds sing and watch them do their dances and thinking about the flowers blooming and the joy a simple flower can bring to my day. Plants we work so hard to grow are already beautiful here and morning glories fringe on being woody perrinials. The plant flora here is just amazing. I also love how all winter we have been thinking about things and evaluating our lives (sometimes we do it without realizing we are doing it) and then Spring comes and we feel refreshed and ready to start a new year. I think the beginning of the year should be the first day of Spring. I know that is the way the ancients once did it, thus the zodiac beginning in Aries...

So here is precious Sofia. Pictures just don't do her justice.

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Tomorrow, we are off to Joshua Tree. I can't wait!