I am always the first up in our house, a consequence of work and dog feeding schedules. It leaves me time to sit in the kitchen, catching up on the news and working on email a bit.

It also means I can look to my left, out a giant window, and watch the sun spill down into our backyard. It’s one of my favorite parts of this house, this westward view into the woods. All year long, it gives me something different to see, light weaving through the woods and leaves.

Today, on New Year’s Day, it hit one lone tree for just a few moments. I sprinted upstairs, grabbed a camera and long lens, and made a few frames before the light shifted again.

That tree, a pine that has succumbed to the pine park beetle and died over the last few years, is now shedding its bark and will probably fall to the earth this year and slowly decay.

I sure hope this isn’t a prophetic image to start the year with …