Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 53.4* F, 86% RH, 0526
Ruger stands on the deck beside me, face toward the fenced-in-land, letting sleep leave his eyes, not quite ready to walk down the ramp, not quite ready for morning rituals. I had asked. He came outside. Something blooms white which AI identifies, presents as a list: winter honeysuckle, plum, Chickasaw Plum as if presenting a “choose the correct one” test. Spider strings from limb to limb, from chain links to blueberry bushes, from deck railing to wind chime, seen only when sun touches them.
Birds at 0503: Pileated Woodpecker, Black-and-white Warbler, Winter Wren, Eastern Phoebe, Northern Waterthrush, Brown Creeper, American Crow, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Ovenbird. Birds at 0530: Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, American Goldfinch, Northern Waterthrush, White-throated Sparrow, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-shouldered Hawk, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-sided Warbler.
The high ozone warning passed. It is easy to breathe this morning.
Photo: LJ Austin
