One of the best things about the warmer months...

...is taking my morning coffee outside. Ideally, the sun is not yet up above the trees. I go sit in an Adirondack chair under the cherry tree or on a stump among the tall grass and wildflowers next to my bathtub-sized pond. My toes are wet from the dew. I do more watching and listening and thinking than sipping, but the coffee gets sipped eventually. Between the birds, the bugs, and the frogs (and now, tadpoles) there's a lot going on, and I miss a lot just by having only two eyes and two ears, but it still feels incredibly rich and filling, overflowing really. No sign of human activity other than the faint noise of cars on the main road a quarter mile off. A great way to start the day.

It's most definitely my favorite time of day. I've tried to capture the joy of the birds that early on my phone, it never does the full spectrum of noise justice. I was unaware of how songbirds could fill the air until moving here awhile back. Watching the stretching colors over the sunrise beats most sunsets in my opinion.

I have two rocking style chairs that I have just pulled out and got to sit outside with my chickens enjoying the good weather.

I think it is important to just take in your surroundings and enjoy the slow life sometimes. Thanks for posting Ned!

Absolutely. Sitting on the front porch with my beautiful wife and my poochy before the kids get up makes for a good start to the day. We've got a cell tower a block away that turkey vultures roost on. Always interesting to watch them sun themselves and get going for the day in the mornings.