Portland got a sprinkle of snow last night--just a dusting, but enough to make the quality of light entirely different from what it was at this time yesterday. For here, in the land of streetlights, the nights are never pure darkness: there are always circles of glimmer, and they reflect and refract off the new snow, spinning bands of white into a Van Gogh sky.

I went for a walk with my neighbor yesterday; and while we were in the little patch of trees known as Baxter Woods, I glimpsed a low sweep of wing, and then the wings rose and settled and they were a barred owl, perched on a pine branch, eyeing us complacently. In Harmony we had so many barred owls: their "who cooks for you?" cries were a regular night sound, and we saw them often in our trees. (Unlike other owls, they often hunt during the day.) But I had never seen one here in the city, and I was so extremely happy to sight this one. My neighbor was also thrilled, and we stood for a long time just watching our owl turn her head and fluff her gray feathers. 

You can see her in the center of the photo, half-camouflaged among the branches.

Anyway, two good things: fresh snow and a barred owl. And I made good progress on my editing project. And I put together sushi bowls for dinner that turned out really well: sushi rice (hot short-grain rice whipped with sugared vinegar) topped with sesame broccoli, pan-fried tofu, and a carrot-miso sauce. I was very pleased with that meal.