By happenstance I looked to the dormer window at the back of the house and saw brilliant red clouds. Knowing there'd be less than a minute to catch the light, I grabbed my camera and ran outside to find this breathtaking scene. There's a crow in flight right of center in the middle of the frame. Shot using my Canon EOS Rebel T3 with an 18-55mm lens. I'm in Lanaster, PA.

I stopped to take a cellphone-camera photo of these ginkgo biloba leaves on my walk to market.

An actress takes a break during dress rehearsal for a community theater production of Hamlet.

This is Calliope, my late Penelope's 14-year-old daughter. You may recall that I posted a tribute to Penelope here last week. I posted another pic of Calliope in the photography group tonight under the title "When I'm itchy I scratch."

I happened to be camping in the Dolly Sods Wilderness (Monongahela National Forest, WV) when the Brooks Bird Club was doing its annual bird banding in September of 2017. The group has a banding station at the crest of a mountain where mist nets are set before dawn to capture songbirds. The group occupied most of the sites at Red Creek Campground, where I too was camping, and they invited me to observe the banding operation. Below are some of the many photos I took while hanging with the group.

Black throated blue warbler



Setting a mist net

Banding a common yellowthroat

Penelope had nasal lymphoma and rallied briefly with a course of steroids. When she began eating and drinking less and less with each passing day, I knew I'd have to let her go. My vet and her assistant were angels of mercy.

She was a year old when I got her, and her just-weened daughter Calliope, from a rescue shelter. She was with us for 14 years. I'm heartbroken. I think Calliope is grieving as well. We still have each other.

I sometimes look to find her in her usual haunts. Shortly after she died I thought I saw her shadow and felt her brush by me to get to her feeding bowl. She came to me in a dream last Thursday night. She jumped on my lap and was purring. I could feel her warmth and soft fur. I held her close until she struggled. Then she was gone.

It's taken more than a month to finally post this tribute. I just couldn't do it; couldn't find the strength or the words.

I love and miss you, Penelope.

The final photo is of her grave in my flower bed. I planted crocus bulbs in the mound and they'll bloom in the early spring--if the squirrels don't get them first.

Thanks for taking a moment to view this.

Penelope Penelopuss
2007-October 17, 2022