Kammie’s Oddball Challenge | ARHtistic License

A couple of weeks ago, the sky was murky due to wildfires miles away. The sun blazed orange as it slowly sank.

9F6475BF-ABD6-4C3D-BEC2-FA4079F226E1 — I attempted to capture what I was seeing on my phone. I walked around the yard, trying different angles, but the sun just showed up as a white ball with a red corona.

I suppose I could have gone back in the house, grabbed my DSLR camera, and experimented with aperture and exposure, but that seemed like so much effort. . . so I moved a little and tried again, nine times, with no success.

I finally gave up and shot the clouds.

So here’s the thing: last year, the arbor vine that draped over our pool pump fence died off, and I cut it down to the ground. But sprouts came up from the roots, and a couple of months ago, I tied some strings between them and the fence, hoping they’d twine around and find their way up. So far, no progress, but I have my fingers crossed. Here’s what they look like when they bloom: