The silence thirty minutes before sunrise is deafening. The overcast sky just barely lighter than the shadowy blackness of the trees. Though there is enough of a glow to the sky to make the ground visible. The Houston/Galveston eathglow effect. The first bird calls. Then another. A breeze stirs the…
Yesterday's sequence of photos inspired me to do it again once I saw the morning sky... First Light - Dawn The first shot was at Dawn... first light in the sky. The noun dawn refers to the first light of day, or the first time period, like the dawn of…
Wordless Wednesday
It's not cool, but it's not that warm either. Pairs of crows keep flying over heading south... raising a ruckus as only crows can. The day gradually lightening as the sun approaches the horizon. The hummingbirds chatter at each other as they bully their way to dominance at the feeder...…
It's a strange morning, no color in the east... what color there is is in the west as the sun rises. In the east it's bands of clouds flowing across the sky from north to south... filling in as the minutes tick by. While around the porch the hummingbird battles…
There's a difference in the feel of the air this morning. For one thing it's cooler. For another, the clouds are drifting south instead of the more normal northerly direction. I don't know that the front ever made it this far before falling apart. But it really got close. But,…
Once again we are being promised a fifty percent chance of rain. The prognosticators are also foretelling of highs next week in the upper eighties... of course, that foretelling comes with a good chance of rain all week. Oh well, if I can have cooler weather, I'll take a little…
Sunrise is really fleeting. And the glow from the rising sun can begin, become, hit wow and wind down in the blink of the eyes... And all the while hummingbirds swarm the feeders. There always appears to be one feeder that gets the most visitors while the others are claimed…
I awoke to the distant rumble of thunder. I walked out on the back porch to lightening and more thunder and a darker than normal pre-sunrise backyard. The radar tells the story. The only sound besides the thunder... the cheeps of the hummingbirds in the dark. I've figured out what's…
The temperature is down a bit... so is the humidity... a bit. Light clouds are scattered across the sky. It's late, so the sun beats down unmercifully. A red-tailed hawk just flew screaming down the right of way. Blue Jays are jaying all around. And strangely, hummingbirds are everywhere. This…
I walked out this morning to an overcast sky. Above eighty temperature, but another shot of not quite oppressive humidity. The hummingbirds are chittering about in the dawn dark. Roosters are softly chattering. A donkey's bray cuts the quiet. As clouds skud north towards a stalled front, the sky goes…
Out 20 minutes before sunup... it's darker out than the images suggest. And way too warm and humid for comfort. A slight breeze wafts around without having a noticeable cooling effect. Even the ceiling fans are fighting a losing battle with the heat of late summer. Even the clouds over…
It's the start of the third day of virtual school after a two day Hurricane break. So it's up with the sun again. One grandkid is up and eating breakfast, I'll go in and wake her brother in a few. It's warmer and much more humid today. They have us…
This morning is the warmest start we've seen this summer, I think. Hurricane Laura is close enough to us that she's starting to pump that tropical air our way. We've already had some rain showers. And it's looking like that will be our weather pattern for the day. The first…
Not too warm for the start of the day. 75 degrees, not bad for the full blown August. But it's oh so still. Not a breath of a breeze. And quiet... barely a bird singing. I have to go through the process of setting up a couple of computers today…
Overnight the prognosticators were foretelling of a 60% chance of rain. Judging by the driveway out front, that didn't occur. Today, the foretelling is for a 40% chance... and from the look of the clouds it could start at any moment. From the look of the radar, it's all a…
Today's already hot and sticky. It really feels like I'm living in a tropical swamp... right down to the dragonflies patrolling by the squadrons. Though the mockingbird singing in the pine is a nice touch. Well, I see we have a Democratic ticket. I can't say I'm shocked by the…
As you can see, there's a nice rain shower towards the rising sun. It makes for some amazing cloud formations. But it's already warm and headed for hot. The only birds talking this morning are the crows. Construction is going on at one of the two construction sites on this…
It's the middle of my birthday cycle. I'm half a year past the last one and half a year to the next. Not that I really pay attention to them. Though, truth be told, I'm reaching an age where they seem to come faster and faster. The morning is warm,…
Looking towards the rising sun, the sky always has a different shade of blue. Especially on these hazy, heavy, humid mornings. It's almost as pronounced as the change in the hue of green that happens as you cross the line between my yard and my neighbors. That color change in…
When I stepped out to grab my record pics this morning the above was attached to the back wall at eye level. The crazy thing is, there's no milkweed in the vicinity this year. What I was actually trying to capture was this... Cloudless blue skies reflected in the dew…
When I stepped out to grab my record pics this morning the above was attached to the back wall at eye level. The crazy thing is, there's no milkweed in the vicinity this year. What I was actually trying to capture was this... Cloudless blue skies reflected in the dew…
The sky looks ominous this morning. Much worse than it actually is. The radar shows little rain falling around the area from the remnants of Hurricane Hannah who went ashore last evening in far south Texas. Yesterday's drive into central Texas was made interesting by the bands of rain that…
Out early on the back porch. There are enough thunder clouds to the east to make the sun work at shining down on the wet earth. Dew glistens all around me. Condensation runs down the windows. There is a smell of wet moldy earth in the heavy air. Somewhere around…
Having a go on the back porch this morning. With an almost cloudless sky and a very bright sun, I won't be out here very long. It's Sunday quiet this morning. No other day of the week has the same ambiance... no traffic sounds from the bypass, no vehicles passing…
I thought I'd try the back porch again since I beat the sun up. The sky's a bit hazy... but that just matches the air across the neighbor's yard. High humidity this morning and everything feels damp. With the temperature at 75 degrees the ceiling fans feel almost chilly. As…
Another of those sticky mornings. Air heavy enough to see across the way. But, I won't complain... it's still green out. It's always a bit quieter out here on the back porch. No traffic sounds, the birds are a little more removed. Not as much tree canopy right above your…
Walking out on the back porch this morning I had to dodge around the LOL pool party. The granddaughter has a bad habit of leaving her toys right where she last played with them. This time they are underfoot. I always balk at stepping out of a morning when the…
Another 80 degrees plus start to the day. And the forecasted chance of rain is down to 20%. Though rain clouds are moving in from the gulf, and radar shows some small showers down south of us. Mainly it's the high humidity that is making this feel so ... Texas.…
A bright sun and a cloudless sky greet me this morning on the back porch. The temperature has yet to pass 80 but it's headed well north of that today. Yesterday, when she went to water some sunflowers she planted, my daughter picked up her watering can from a chair…
I'm back on the back porch. And, once again, their's barely a breath of a breeze. There is also a haziness to the mostly clear sky... probably the Saharan dust they keep talking about. But, all in all, it's a normal warm summer morning. Cicadas humming, cardinals singing, traffic on…
It's overcast today, with just the slightest breeze causing a leaf to quiver here and there. A mockingbird was serenading me as I sat down... it's a song I've missed this year. Yesterday was a tough, long day. My mother-in-law, Sharon Moore, after a long fight with illness passed away…
We're coming up on the final days of June and the overnight lows are hanging in the 80's. It's part of what I've always disliked about the place I've always lived. I've never been a summer person. But, then again, I've never hated it enough to leave. When this time…
Another weekend in a pandemic hotspot. We need to make a grocery store run... we will be masked. I have noticed that our HEB has someone assigned to sanitizing the shopping carts, Kroger just has a spray and hand sanitizer station where you can do it yourself... and most people…
Warm and Humid. Before walking out this morning I could tell by the condensation on the windows it would be oppressive. I was right. The temperature was already 80º and it feels like 96º with a relative humidity of 86%. The cool front that was just north of Houston all…
After the coolness of yesterday afternoon, today's return to warm and muggy leaves me wanting. Even the birds aren't singing much this morning. Only the cicadas are in song. The few clouds I can see are high and wispy, not the thunder bloomers of yesterday. There were times yesterday when…
After a day of on again off again rain storms, the light at day's end does wonderful thing to the eastern sky.
Father's Day. It's been about a quarter century since my Dad passed... sometimes it doesn't seem that long ago, sometimes it seems like forever. I think about him every now and again and wish I could tell him I loved him. For myself, I had a #1 Grandpa mug and…
As I fought the call of day this morning, rumblings of thunder rolled my dreams. Once I gave up the fight I found rain falling steadily. I wasn't anticipating this type of weather before tomorrow or the next day. I just checked the radar. And it looks like this rain…
It's not as cool, not as comfortable as the past few days. I doubt I'll be hanging out here on the back porch for much longer than it takes to record my morning muses. There's a raft of clouds building to the east. The humidity is up. And the cicadas…
Another bright morning on the back porch. The ceiling fans are turning even though the temperature is mild. The cardinals are making their presence known with their song. Along with the mourning doves, that's about the only sounds on this weekend morning. A lite breeze is rustling the leaves. Low…
The shaded front yard calls me today. A place where the crickets and the cicadas harmonize. Neither of whom are overly loud this morning. Traffic seems lighter this end of week morning. It's also moving at a more sedate and legal pace. I'm not sure when the summertime song of…
Ahhhhhh, spring for the moment. Following my normal routine, I filled my coffee cup and headed out the back door after turning on the outside ceiling fans... after only a couple of minutes in the rocker I had to get up and turn off the ceiling fans. Walking out into…
The air is heavy with moisture from the rains yesterday afternoon. Looking to the east, a haze obscures the clouds on the horizon. The air is so oppressive even the dragonflies are patrolling at treetop levels. At least there's a nice breeze blowing. Otherwise, I don't think even the ceiling…
One of the best investments I made in designing this house was the ceiling fans on the back porch. While, one of the missed opportunities was not adding them to the front porch. That 20/20 hindsight will bite you in the buttocks every time. The breeze is out of the…
It's quiet out on the back porch this morning. Ceiling fans and cicadas, cardinals and finches. A breath of a breeze rustling the red oak leaves. June has settled upon the land rather lightly so far. My blog buddy Linda, posted that today is National Prairie Day. We once walked…
Coffee muses on the back porch again. It's more peaceful out here. Traffic noise from the road out front almost never rises above the white noise of the ceiling fans. As the trees fill out, even the bypass sounds are muted for another season. Looking east. You know summer is…
In my oversized rocking chair under the ceiling fans on the back porch once again. The morning is cool enough, though, not really cool at all. It was quiet as well... then I was joined by my chatterbox of a granddaughter. My two resident tree ducks just flew over headed…
Once again I'm sitting on the back porch listening to the birds and a distant train whistle. It's 74 out already, but the ceiling fans make it just right. There's enough moisture in the air to make it hazy in the distance. The birds today are very active. I guess…
Laundry Day. If I can be said to have a schedule, about the only sure thing I do with regularity is laundry day. Every Tuesday I get up and take my shower, then I sort the dirty laundry and take the first load to the laundry room and get the…
It's not too warm, but, after raining almost all afternoon yesterday, it's all kinds of muggy. Seems appropriate for the first day of June. The sky is still overcast... really dramatic looking in today's photos. Looking southwest. There's a train in the near distance announcing itself at a crossing. Coming…
I'm out on the back porch once again. With the ceiling fans moving the air, it's comfortable. The birds are filling the air with song a bit more than yesterday. Even had a couple of crows cawing from a sentinel pine next door. And Linda, there's even a squirrel playing…
On the back porch this morning. Ceiling fans on... the movement of the air provides some comfort on another muggy morning. The temperature is already in the mid-seventies and the clouds cover most of the sky. Looking southeast towards Galveston. It's quiet out this morning, I can't hear any traffic…
The morning is cool and bright. No evidence of the excessive heat to come by afternoon. The prognosticators are foretelling of more rain in the early afternoon. But the forecasted high is still in the upper 80's. Their scrying is calling for a upward rising trend with 90's within the…
I'm up earlier than normal. The house is empty of everyone but me. That's something it hasn't been since early March. The sky is overcast, some rain fell overnight. It's even cool enough to make me forget, for awhile, the summer like highs we've been seeing. A good little breeze…
Testing social media integration. I want to see how this populates.
Bright, bright, beautifully clear, blue skies... cool winter morning coffee muses.