fun and seriousness

We went up to the foothills to a potluck at Ellen and Lees'. The young hummingbirds here were easy to get near but lack the flashing purple of the adults.

This is Beth, Ellen, Mary and Shanti. Community folks I've known a long time with our lives interweaving.

Lee keeps bees in the living room as well as regular outside hives. You can watch these bees from either side, watch how they maintain the hive. They fly in and out of the house through a small hole through the wall to the outside.
We went on a wonderful walk to Shanti's house down the road. Some of the wildflowers are still blooming. I quickly forgot the name of this one...

Now switching gears, below is Reverend Pickett, up from Texas where he worked for many years as a prison chaplain, ministering in the last hours to the people in their last hours before being murdered by the state. He has become a very strong force for restorative justice, urging everyone to take a stand against the death penalty. Thanks to the Chico ACLU Branch for staying on task on what we need to be doing, besides wandering around in the wildflowers.