The house

How deep is your love played while they tore the roof off. I didn’t expect that.

After everyone has cleared out and I’ve had dinner, I walk to the turkey tree a block away. At about 8:30 the turkeys walk into a lift-off and fly up into the oak tree limbs. I counted about 8 or 9 roosting the other night. It is a huge tree. Looks like it has been shaped and cared for over the years. We did the two ash trees and the pine tree in my yard. A sap sucker came by for fresh pine sap. It must have smelled it. I could smell it waft into my house through the windows.

The turkey tree in the cemetery

The project has moved along and I like it. Here are some pictures.

Each day I try to notice something happy or interesting, just in general, not about the house. Sometimes it’s one thing. Today it was a small dog strutting proudly on its leash while carrying a rope toy in its mouth.

One time on a walk I saw a bird fly into a tree’s trunk and all the babies chirped.

If nothing good or interesting happens, I go look for the turkey tree. Saw the resident white turkey last time.

Sometimes its good legislation. For example the beaver bill passed the senate and Gov. Kotek is signing it into law. Thank you for submitting testimony. Beavers will be protected on public lands near watersheds.

I pay attention when I have peculiar conversations, like my neighbor just told me to cancel my house insurance as it is unnecessary. I said what if my house burns down? Hah-hahhhhhh, he said.

I love my new roof. I keep going outside and looking at it.

Before the roof, I wanted to take care of my trees.

The pine tree out front

The ash that is having some health problems

A tree three houses down. I know the raccoon

Ok, now for some inside shots. Everything is changed from beyond the kitchen.

Looking back from kitchen

Bathroom, guess that is obvious, though toilet not in photo!

Back room, this is the storage/bed platform

The back door with a window that opens!

Back to taking notes, yesterday I went out to the reservoir, to paddleboard Coyote Creek. It was rainy and cool.

Coyote creek

There is a bullfrog living out here far from the road.

A gigantic heron flies out in front of me.

A little bird pesters a hunting hawk in the field off the water.

A vulture glides just overhead and splats huge droppings in the water a few feet away from me.

It’s raining on the water. No one else is here.

My mind clears. I’m only paddling.

My dog sits between my feet, leaning into my left leg.

It smells like licorice.

A raven croaks softly way above.

This is where poison oak thrives, wound around the oaks and ash, reaching out for the water.

When I pause to take notes, to notice, it seems like more appears.