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We’ve been monitoring a nest over the last two months. We saw nothing but the tip of tail feathers until today. We thought it was a Hawk or an Eagle. We were delighted to find two juvenile Great Horned Owls and an adult! High up on a high stumped tree are two juvenile great horned owl heads staring at the photographer. One eye of each is obscured by a branch. The adult owl head is behind the two younglings, and the adult is also gazing at the photographer, its horns seemingly laid back like a cautious cat. One of its eyes is also obscured by a branch.

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Our native plant garden in the front yard. It looks unmaintained but I swear it is! Nearly everything is flowering including sage, Ceanothus, globe gilia, & manzanita (nearly done flowering). Our Clarkias will be blooming soon. Bees (native & European) and ladybug larva are insane this year.

A blue house with golden poppies amidst bushy green plants including Ceanothus with blue flowers, flowering sage, light pink Manzanita flowers, and in the middle a very happy blue oak.
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And now a female Bullock’s Oriole has shown up in our backyard. What luck. #BullocksOriole #Birds

A female Bullock’s Oriole is perched at the edge of a bird bath that’s in front of an elderberry bush. The bird has a fully gray back with white bars on its exposed right wing. Its upper chest is yellow-orange. Her head is orange from the eyes down to the chest though there’s a strip of black below it’s chin. The bird has black around its eyes and has a gray cap.
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Here’s yesterday’s Bullock’s Oriole looking right at the camera. #BullocksOriole #Birds A Bullock’s Oriole sits in a violet flowering Ceanothus bush, looking straight ahead. It has an orange chest and orange cheeks. Its head is mostly orange, but it has black on top. The cute bird has black eyeliner and a black chin, creating a cool triangular pattern that nearly looks angry. You can just barely see its right wing. Its wing is black with white on the bottom.

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Bullock’s Oriole in our backyard Ceanothus. This is our first backyard Oriole! Wow. #BullocksOriole #Birds #Fujifilm

A medium Bullock’s Oriole bird with a bright orange chest, a reddish throat, and a black chin. It has a black back with whitish wings. Its orange head has a black stripe on top and a black stripe going from the rear corner of its eye to its back. The bird is perched in a Ceanothus shrub that’s loaded with tiny violet flowers and dark green leaves in between.
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Ladybug larvas were later than normal this year but geez do they have a feast now!

Several ladybug larvae, kind of a rectangular bug with mostly black with orange stripes, are gorging on aphids on a sage.
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We planted our vegetable and herb seedlings today. Our home compost has turned out real nice. Took several years to build up enough for use. The worms do most of the work since we can’t get the compost hot enough for long. 🌱 Two planted crop rows with drip tape. In the background are stunningly violet flowers of Ceanothus bushes. To the right of the crop rows is patio with grapes leafing out below the awning. Gravel makes up paths between crop rows.A wheel burrow full of worm laden compost. It’s sunrise and the shadows are long.

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Present me is very thankful that past me connected all the commons in our newer irrigation box. So I didn’t have to undo the common “water proof” wire nut but only connect up the green wire to move from an older, now broken valve in an older box.

A irrigation valve box with wires tied together by wire nuts including the green wire. The small box sits atop some gravel and has a stainless steel braided hose providing input water. There are 20-25 GPH pressure regulators and adapters to drip irrigation hoses.
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I experienced weirdness with my HomeKit Thread network the other day after updating to the latest HomePod and ATV software. Of all devices, one of my Nano Leaf Essential bulbs ended up as the lead router which really killed thread device response. I had to cut its power for a bit to resolve.

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We’re now a one car household. Feels good! My poor Golf has been barely driven since I started working remotely.

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My #RaspberryShake caught the M 4.4 Cobb, CA earthquake early this morning. I did not feel it here in Orland.

A seismograph showing the signal of the earthquake.
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First Cedar Waxwing ever in our backyard! They have a creepy high pitched song.

This Cedar Waxwing has a black mask that extends from its eyes to its chin, with a crest of feathers on its head. Its wings and tail are brown with yellow and white accents, and its tail has a bright yellow tip. The Cedar Waxwing's most distinctive feature is its red-tipped wings. It’s on a budding tree with a blue sky.
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Sorry, I’m not selling my X100V. I’ve had it since Sep 2021, and I only had to wait 2 months to get it. It’s great.

DPReview: “Can’t find a Fujifilm X100V? What are the alternatives?” www.dpreview.com/articles/…

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Spotted our first Marsh Wren today at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. That vertical tail is something else. #Birds #MarshWren #Fujifilm

A brown Marsh Wren is perched along the top of a brown reed among a field of reeds. Its tail is pointing straight up! There are some Spring fresh green reeds amongst the brown reds and there’s a calm water pond behind the wren
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It has been a week. Today, introvert me gets what it needs and now I’m alone for a bit. Always difficult balancing my needs with my assumed & expressed wishes of others, even loved ones.

A black and white cat enjoying the sun at a sliding glass door. She’s so contented. This was her last day.
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Annie the Cat taking in a big dose of sunlight (again, but cuter this time). I hope she shakes her sinus infection soon. A black and white cat laying against an open slider with her head cradled by the slider's rails. Her sunlit fur has a rust hue.

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Photographed our first Downy woodpecker today. #Birds #BirdWatching #DownyWoodpecker #Fujifilm

A petite Downy woodpecker with a black and white striped head and a black and white body that's kind of fluffy. It's foraging on a tree trunk. There's a twig in front of its face.
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Here’s Annie the Cat enjoying some fresh air. She’s been sick but we’re fighting through it. #caturday

A tuxedo cat laying on a hard floor in front of an open sloding glass door. The cat is enjoying the fresh air coming through a screen. it's bright outside with blurred grern foliage.
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Our young “New Century” Asian Pear tree is in full bloom. Our “Hosui” Asian Pear isn’t mature enough to flower and cross pollinate. Maybe next year!

Three open white flowers at the top of a very young thin leafing out tree. A stake is next to it, keeping it up right. The background is composed of blurred out gravel.
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Not long from now is Summer. Better get our fresh baked sourdough fix while we can!

a golden elongated loaf of sourdough with slightly blurred kitchen racks that have many implements upon it