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…
It's not as oppressively humid this morning, though it's still hot. It's funny how 81 degrees is noticeably cooler feeling than 83 degrees. I'm still waiting for the sun to come up over the horizon. There's even a bit of a breeze moving the leaves about. The midweek traffic on…
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 first day of the second week of school. Sadly, it's also the third day in a row where the temperature is already 80 degrees or above to start the day. These are the dog days of summer for me. Also, another heat advisory in affect for another hot…
Warm and humid... makes miss Thursday morning when Laura was spinning off to the east and bringing dryer air into southeast Texas. At least my part of it. I see the prognosticators are calling for another hot day with a heat advisory issued once again. Today I'm hearing mourning doves.…
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…
It's the second day of school... virtually. The first day went by with only a few glitches with the technology. And most of them seemed to be at the school's end. Hopefully, all of the bugs will shake out in a week or so. Tropical storm Marco has pretty much…
Another almost cool morning for high summer. Dew rests heavy on the cars, and dewdrops glisten in the grass. But, strangely, the eyeglasses didn't fog up when I came outside. The first sound that registered today was the call of a pileated woodpecker above my head. That loud prehistoric sound…
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…
Ahhhhhh, the vagrancies of summer weather on the Texas gulf coast. It's the low 70's out here on the front porch. But with full sun, it won't take much to hit the forecast high of 97 degrees. The first load of laundry is in. The first cup of coffee is…
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…
It's pretty loud out this morning. Mostly birdsong, but the occasional sound of squirrels playing and eating. Even the traffic sounds from the bypass seem louder for a Sunday morning. And the airplane buzzing by so low blasts all other sounds. I came out early and the temperature was still…
The humidity must be lower than usual. Because, even though it's as warm as it's been, it doesn't feel as sticky. It still wouldn't be comfortable without a fan. Birds are singing, anoles are hunting, the yard is mowed for a couple of more weeks, and we are still under…
This morning I slept in. So it's late and the temperature has passed 80 a while ago. But... For some reason, it doesn't feel as warm as it is. It could be that there's a better breeze blowing than I've felt in a long time... or it could just be…
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…
It rained for much of yesterday afternoon. Sometimes lightly, sometimes cats and dogs. So this morning the drive is still damp. And while warm and muggy, it doesn't feel half bad. Hummingbirds are bumping chests over the blooms on the chaste tree while cicadas buzz in the background. And all…
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…
Not much going on out here on the front porch today. A warm and muggy start to a gulf coast summer's day. My daughter loaded up her kids for a day at the beach... hopefully with social distancing in existence. There's not a breath of air stirring that isn't mechanically…
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,…
I walked out first thing to bring in the garbage bin. So today's shots are from out near the road. It makes for a different perspective. As Gary Myers quoted this morning, change the focus of the eye. So that's what I did... at least for the moment. Somewhere, not…
When I come out and start these muses each day, I first take my record shots and do the post professing, then I upload them to this site. Once that is done I spend some time reading the blogs of those I follow via the Wordpress app. Once that is…
Today I slept in. By rights, I should be on the back porch. But, late as it is, the back porch is soaking up sun. And with the temperature already above 80 degrees, I'll take the shady side of the house. I find myself spending more time actually musing this…
Thunderstorms moved into the area in the night... and decided to stay. It's cool with an occasional breeze out here on the front porch. Lightning flashes and thunder rolls across the heavens as light rain continues to fall. The prognosticators foretold of this. The radar is full of color... It's…
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…
Sitting on the front porch today. Humidity is at a high because of all of the rainfall lately... afternoon showers starting a couple of hours before noon caused by the high humidity and moisture off the gulf. It's a bit of a self perpetuating cycle. Way back in my early…
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…
