This is kinda where its at, where I'm at...walking in the building and seeing the above roses out front...I was sent down the thought trail of noticing fading beauty. The pale, yellowing & fading color, the fact that these roses are in some form of dying, decaying...coming to the end of their life cycle...AND are so very beautiful. Gosh I loved falling into this moment.
I've long seen the beauty in such lifespans of plants and people. I have photographed dying pomegranates still on the tree and flopped over sunflowers - hanging on to their last moments...dried up thistles, still standing tall. Beautiful.
We finally stopped in time for me to grab a photo of the profusely blooming purple sage on our Thursday short drive. The hills have held so much purple sage recently. On this Thursday, there was a large hawk in a small tree too.
The Siddis of Karnataka and the dying art of making Kawandi quilts | Documentary Film | THE WEEK
The little bridge compass was still there, just over the railing, on the ledge. It still works.
I opted not to photograph the empty nest. But, I also opted to bring the binoculars with me to check the nearby trees for owl relocation. I could not see anything to suggest owl life in the dense oaks and cottonwoods near to their old home. The bridge felt a bit emptier knowing this time is over.
It was also quite empty of people today. We had a lazy stroll to the 'fence change', counting lizards as we went. There were also many swallows, busy ants, crying hawks and a very low flying turkey vulture. The temperature was perfect for a walk.
Here is some owl information I found after Tina suggested that maybe the owls had moved to a new spot.
*Owls generally do not change nests during the same breeding season once eggs are laid, but they often leave or change nests if they are forced out due to safety issues, such as a falling, deteriorated nest. While they typically reuse successful sites over multiple years, they often relocate if the nest falls apart or is destroyed.
*Forced Relocation: Because many owls (like Great Horned Owls) do not build their own nests, they use old, repurposed nests from hawks or crows. If these nests fall due to wind or damage, the parents are forced to abandon them, sometimes requiring human intervention for "re-nesting"
*Fledging Behavior: As owlets grow and become more active, they may "tumble out" of their nests before they can fly, causing them to move from the original nesting spot to branches nearby.
*Yearly Reuse: Owls tend to return to the same successful nesting territory year after year, but not necessarily the exact same nest structure if it has deteriorated.
*Parents often push their young out of the nest through passive neglect after a few weeks, encouraging them to fledge.
~ All sourced from google AI, which links to FB groups or Reddit conversations...because I'm too tired or lazy to do this any better than that today. The same is true of the info below.
I also learned that owls can recognize faces (people), so I thought of Grace's comment that they know me 🙂 Perhaps.
*Yes, owls can recognize individual humans. They are highly perceptive birds that distinguish between trusted people (like regular caretakers or local residents) and strangers. They rely on facial features, posture, voice, and overall silhouette to identify individuals
*Key Details on Owl Recognition
- Facial Memory: Owls can memorize specific human faces and associate them with past experiences. If a person is calm and non-threatening, an owl may tolerate their presence or even allow closer approaches.
- Visual Triggers: Because their eyes are fixed in their sockets, they rely heavily on the whole picture. Drastic visual changes, like a sudden haircut or a massive change in clothing silhouette, can confuse an owl and make you look like a stranger to them.
- Vocal Recognition: Owls can learn and respond to the specific voices of people who interact with them frequently
We saw a very cool old Ford pick up truck. A 1954 or perhaps 1956? I love this color blue! When I was a young mom, we had one from one of those years (I never can remember). It was bare bones, sitting out front in various stages of rusting & refurbishing - that would never be even close to complete. Never. If it had become something, we planned for it to be for our son, who is now 45 and has not known or sat in it since he was 5 months old. Time is like that.
I've cleaned out and shredded some old paperwork, installed a new shower liner curtain and done more work in the new glue book...I've been listening to music of the 1970's which makes me want to weep with the memories of days gone by.
These are just a few pages. I'm not ready to post the others yet. Each of them has a story. A good, or at least decent enough story. I'm enjoying finding them.
I'm just finding my way this week. Good enough. How was your week?
Where do you want to go this next week?
May you hear the stories
May you find your way
May you recalculate as needed
Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2026
