see the lovely papers I made for my art journal -
wait! what the heck is this I see ???

I spent time yesterday creating background papers and this morning I was taking a photo of them on my kitchen counter, when a large, moving blur caught the corner of my eye through the kitchen window. I looked up, looked closer out the window and wow!!! An enormous bird had landed on my chain link fence!! I lifted my camera, stayed seated because of how close I was ( about 12 feet ) and took 2 quick shots - just in time --- for then he (or she) opened lovely long wings and flew off. I ran outside in my bare feet to see where he was. He had landed on the other side of my yard on the fence but as I looked, he flew high into the sky. wow. I live in the middle of a very urban landscape, adjacent to the west side of Chicago and I am totally thrilled to see this bird. I have no idea  how it came to be present in this urbanized area. I think it may be a Cooper's hawk, off to find my bird book! update - it's a Coopers Hawk



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“We spend the beginning of the new year walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”


-Ellen Goodman