Painting a picture for Susan

The six of us are sitting on the porch, discussing the proposal. I am facing the river, which is green and cool, and running slowly right now as they aren't releasing extra water right now. I just saw a blue heron fly by over the river. I keep hearing the kingfishers marking their territory. Last night a hummingbird came up to the screen and wanted into the porch. The whole place has cathedral ceilings, and it's all wood framing and wood floors - the wood still weeps for having been cut and formed into a house.

There's an elevated walkway down to a raft on the river. Elevated because it floods here (as is the reason that the outlets in the basement are 5 feet off the floor). The walkway down to the raft moves according to the level of the water. Yesterday they release water and the raft was at least 3 feet higher than before.

This morning I went for a run, out the front door, by the airplane hanger (did I mention this house is on a runway?) and down the road. Saw a racoon who was either very tired or dying (he was rolled into a ball and when I talked to him he just lifted his head and looked at me), a blue heron in a swamp flying off, a deer in the woods pretending to be a statue. The sun peeked through a perfect hole in the clouds and said good morning. When I returned to the house, someone said they had seen armadillos - I've never seen one!

OK, now I need to work...