Usually I sit down and have something specific I want to say, something that has been gnawing away at my thoughts, eating my time with its attention. Not so much today. Today the sun is shining, there’s a slight breeze, and I’m sitting on my back porch, soaking it all in.

“First batch of sunshine we have seen in 11 straight days,” I overheard someone at work say on Friday. Eleven days of clouds, overcast-ness, spitting rain. I always thought I could live in the Pacific Northwest. Now I’m not so sure.

October is upon us and the leaves on the trees in the woods of our yard are starting to fall. A big breeze will come along and 100 leaves will lift up and slowly swirl towards Earth. I love the beginning, middle and end of fall. All of it. I’m here for all of it.

I have a new route to drive to my new job. The sunrises and fog have been incredible but I have yet to find just the right spot to take photos. I think I’ve found one, but the photos aren’t great. Will keep working on it.

The end of summer/beginning of fall have been busy. Hiking, Orioles game, softball, rain, more rain, visit to Fort McHenry (where the Star Spangled Banner was written), and now sunshine. We were supposed to go camping this weekend but one of ours was sick, so that was cancelled. The crud is most definitely going around where I work and at my kids’ schools. What is the saying, when the cat is away the mice will play? To me it’s more…when schools back, the viruses attack. When we all come together, everyone is under the weather! Sigh.

As I type this, a red-shouldered hawk is screeching in the woods. I saw him/her fly a moment ago…oh…and now I hear one in the distance. They’re chatting. Goodness I love an afternoon hawk talk! (the rhyming will now never end).

Saw a Cooper’s hawk the other day, sitting on the “tree of woe” in our backyard. It is a tree of woe because it is dead and slowly limbs are falling off. The birds love it but lately, I worry that the remaining limbs are not even hearty enough for a bird to land on. It needs to come down. Another thing to add to the “to do” list.

There must be something in the woods because this hawk just won’t shut it! Either something is threatening him OR his territory. Maybe a fox in the grasses below or an owl. I would love for it to be an owl but probably none of the above. I do hear another hawk in the distance…but it is remaining far away. There is another kacking sound, a little quieter, further down but I don’t recognize it. The soap opera of the woods, I could listen all day everyday.

I want to live and work where I can be outside most days, walking and hiking, and then writing. Is that too much to ask?

I need to retire.

We had to put in a new air conditioning system ($14,000) and now our chimney (which we use) needs to be re-built ($12,000) and our washing machine crapped out Saturday morning ($900 for removal and install and new one) so yeah, no retirement anytime soon. So there’s that. And then I think about the people in North Carolina, trying to rebuild from the hurricane or in Lebanon, trying to avoid the bombs and I am reminded, my life is good. Really good.

The hawk left. I watched it and another bird either chasing or following each other. Looked to me like maybe a mama and a young one. In the distance there are lawns being mowed. My daughter just came home from softball practice. In between all of this writing I have run errands, eaten lunch, played with our dog, investigated the hawks, and chatted with a neighbor. I don’t get many weekends like this. I am loving it.

How about you? What’s going on in your neck of the woods?