A Northern Flicker dropped by this morning to get a quick drink of water from our bird bath.  This isn’t a bird that I normally see in our backyard, so it was a treat to get a glimpse of him.

… to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.   ~John Burroughs