Aloe, hah!

The jays in my water oak screamed bloody murder. Squirrels too. I went to my porch, half-expecting to find Tippy Hedron, but the source of their agitation wasn't readily apparent. I stood in my yard and stared up into the canopy. There must have been 30 blue jays! I'd never seen so many in one place. A slight movement to my left drew my attention, and I found myself eyeball to eyeball with a massive hawk, perched in the tree crotch. I'd never been so close to one before. I backed away to fetch my camera, but when I returned, the hawk was gone. The jays carried on for a few more minutes as if to say: "And STAY out!" And then all returned to normal. I felt bad to have missed the shot, but grateful for the experience. And, when I zoomed in on this aloe flower, I found a nice surprise hiding in the shadows.

The good stuff:

adrenaline rush

Diet Coke for breakfast

oatmeal with raisins

lagniappe

raptors

cooler weather

tropical storms

sturm and drang

mentors

getting to yes