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It's a beautiful spring morning. We finally got a few days respite from the unusual rain sequence that northern California has been experiencing (156% of normal). I'm sitting out on the deck, sipping my coffee and writing this on my laptop (which was why Bats gave it to me in the first place). It's in the high-60's right now (10am) and there is a slight breeze coming from the east - from further up the slope, bringing with it a hint of the snow that still exists higher up in the sierras.
From the deck we have a view - across to the next hillside, down to the lower reaches of our property, and a couple of miles either way up and down the Ravine. Any neighbors that might interfere with this view are behind stands of trees, so it appears like we have this lovely patch of forest all to ourselves. The oak trees are finally putting out leaves - in the next week, everything is going to be coated with mustard-yellow pollen, and I won't be able to breath until it dissipates. But for now, the air is sweet.
The sounds of birds are astounding...Bats has had feeding stations up all winter, and word has gotten out that Basselope Hill is the place where the "tweet elite meet to eat". We have flocks of finches, juncos, robins, doves, jays, flickers, grosbeaks, and others twittering, chirping, and squawking away. There's also quail and wild turkeys that lurk about the edges of the property - our dogs give chase to anything that gets too close (especially at night - there's an owl that's giving the dogs fits). A woodpecker is hammering away at an old half-dead oak up the hill, and the booming echoes across the Ravine. A couple of hawks are riding the thermals about a half-mile to the north. It's always amazing how long they can stay airborne without flapping their wings.
The dogs have staked out strategic spots on the deck so that they can...sleep in the warmth of the morning sun. Sounds like a plan!
Well - some high clouds are starting to come in from the west, putting a slight filter on the sunlight, and dropping the temperature by a couple of degrees. Tomorrow is another rain day; but today is a perfect spring day, and I just wanted to jot my thoughts down.
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