The neighbors are disturbing me

[scarlettina]

In the last week or so, I've noticed some magnificent Steller's Jays hanging around outside my living room window. They occasionally land on my balcony railing, make their rapid-fire chi-chi-chi-chi call and take off again. They love the spine of my neighbor's roof for perching on; I'm sure it gives a great vantage point. I think they're nesting in the huge fir tree in the neighbor's yard; the big one I just saw had some straw or grass in his mouth and he flew right into the branches. Even as I write this, he's flown out again, beak empty, down to my backyard. ::pause while I step onto the balcony to look for the bird:: Yep, he's nesting. I just saw him soar back across the yard with his gorgeous blue wings outstretched and fly off into the branches again with more grass or something in his beak. Even now I can see him hopping amongst the branches. I look forward to watching him and his family this summer.

Edit: Today, instead of playing in the Seattle sunshine, I'm working on the story for the workshop, revamping with the intent of finishing something I started quite some time ago. So far I've chopped out an entire scene, put it to one side, inserted something new and much more revealing of character and worldbuilding. Am beginning to get a better feel for this character and for the shape of this story. It will be darker, I suspect, than I originally intended. Basic word count for today is about 800 words with a total (old stuff plus new stuff) coming in at about 1400. There will be more before I shut off the computer. I'm figuring this will clock in around 7,500 in the end. We shall see.