Look, look, look, lookin’ out my back door.

Ellie B switches to high alert come half past five every weekday.

Every sound out front brings our dear Dogamous Pyle up on the recliner for the very best view out the picture window. It matters not if I’m already there. Ellie B thinks she makes a pretty good laptop.

Oh, the routine that surrounds Karen’s arrival home from work.

The dog bounds to the side door. She wags merrily, squints her eyes to a head pat, gets her hair on Karen’s work clothes.

Then Ellie B beelines to the back door.

Out to the back yard we must retreat, all three of us.

Not a bad idea, dear Dogamous Pyle. You get to show off, chasing squirrels, hunting the woodchuck that likes to lie under the shed, making the most of our Syracuse city plot to stretch it out.

Karen and I, we get to sit in our new red Adirondack style chairs, talk about our days, breathe deeply, count our blessings.

I keep my iPhone handy in hopes of catching a good shot of a Cardinal that feeds just over the fence in Good Neighbor Tim’s yard. Last night I spotted two. They were too elusive for my picture hunt. Karen was impressed at my ability to mimic their calls.

I also take a minute to marvel at the progress of Karen’s butterfly garden.

My dear wife chose well what goes into our dirt, spreading out a cycle of color.

Last night, the daylily and bee balm were showing off. The butterfly bushes are on deck, just starting to push out their highly attractive blooms.

I will be on butterfly alert with the iPhone soon, too.

Hopefully I’ll get to share bird and butterfly shots before the leaves retreat to the ground.

The daylily and bee balm takes over on the left. Daisies hang on in the middle. Butterflies will soon hover over the bushes in the back.