The winds are back with a vengeance today, along with steady rain. The power is on, at least for now. My friend pointed out that I could have used our summer coolers to preserve our groceries during the last power outage. It just never occurred to me at the time since lengthy power outages are rare. I feel more prepared this time around. (Thanks, Donna!)

Just outside the window, a hummingbird is making the rounds. He seems unperturbed by the rain and happy to stop at the flowers and the feeder for a meal. Earlier this month, we had regular hummingbird visits to the Anemone virginiana.

The hummingbirds pluck the fluff, the non-technical term for diaspore, and use the downy surface to build a nest.

It took weeks to capture a three-second video. Mike and I both delight in this sort of thing.

The California grey squirrels were busy this morning, but unlike the hummingbirds, they prefer to wait out the storm. Unfortunately, I don’t have any recent pics, so I’ll share a few favorites instead.

This year, life has settled into a more reasonable pace, affording me more time to putter and play. I’m finally decorating my son’s former bedroom. He moved into his place nearly a year and a half ago. It’s been years since I’ve had the chance to redecorate a room, so I’ve been taking my time and enjoying the process. I’ll share more details in an upcoming post.

I’ve also sorted the house top to bottom as I do for my organizing clients, passing on small appliances and underused items from the kitchen. My crafting area got a do-over as well. When both boys were off to college, I claimed the side-by-side IKEA desks that they used in our den. We’ve had four desks in that room, one for each of us. It worked well for homework and was a place for the kids to play video games with friends.

After nearly a year of using the space, I realized that the configuration of side-by-side desks didn’t work as well for crafting. Having my back to the windows didn’t work for me either. I’ll share more details of those changes as well.

Sometimes you only realize what you’re missing once you get it back. I’ve missed writing, puttering, gazing out the window, and time to be. It feels good to be back in this blogging space and to have the time to leave thoughtful replies. I’m so glad you’re here.