Took my coffee down to our front yard gazebo this morning and watched the dawn turn into day. Sat in the swing and let the light of the rising sun filter through the trees and bathe the structure in its warm glow.

Mornings like this usually trend into a peaceful day. Not much on the agenda at the studio. Gotta photograph a candidate who wants to be delegate from our area. As I do with all politicians, I’ll focus on the subject and ignore what he is saying. Political babble is like pyschobabble. Lots of words but no meaning.

After last weekend’s frantic pace with FloydFest, the upcoming Saturday and Sunday are destined to be more serene. Mowing is the most stressful thing on the honey-do list. Maybe take some pictures of the newest addition to the household — a rambunctious four-month old puppy named Chewy (aka Chewbacca). True to her name she’s chewing up everything in sight.

Down the hill, a wild turkey emerges from the tall grass along the stream. I think she’s got a nest in there. I haven’t trimmed the grass along that stretch of stream in weeks because I don’t want to disburb a nest if one is there. As the turkey flies away a doe ambles out of the woods just 25-30 feet away from the gazebo and starts grazing. She ignores me, having long ago accepted our presence on her land. A crow settles nearby. It too, ignores us.

I get up from the swing and step out of the gazebo. The crow flies away but the doe just looks up as if to say “excuse me, I’m eating breakfast. Do I interrupt you when you are eating?”

As I head back up the hill, the rabbit that lives under the rhododendron by the driveway scampers out and heads into the woods behind the house. Chewy, imprisoned on the back porch, sees the bunny and starts yelping.

Morning has come. Nature asserts itself. All is peace in this little corner of the world.