Creekside Meditation

Spring morning at Bolin Creek

Yesterday was the kind of day I'm happy to live in North Carolina. The air was softly fragrant with spring flowers. The sky was Carolina blue and the sun warm but not hot. I walked along Bolin Creek and ended up at a favorite spot for meditation. An inscription on a creekside bench reads: "Welcome life traveler. Have a seat, and let the sounds of Nature awaken your inner stillness ..." 

The high cries of red-shouldered hawks mingled with the rush of water over rocks into the still pool. 

On the walk back, I happened to look up just as a hawk was alighting on a nest of sticks in a dead oak tree. I missed the chance to photograph the hawk, but here is the nest. 

Later, while I transplanted ferns and epimediums into the woodland garden bed, our neighborhood red-shouldered hawks screamed overhead. Here's an old photo of a hawk perched on a low branch in our backyard. I count on them to keep the voles under control.