Today J and I decided to walk along the canal that runs past our condo. The trail was covered with thousands of grasshoppers that seemed to attack us as we walked down their path. Blackbirds flew up around us, feasting on the insects that swarmed above the water.

It is the first time we've walked the canal since we moved here. It is a different kind of beautiful; full of dull, dry colors. We discovered a certain beauty in our own backyard, if only we step outside to see it.