Last night I stood in the kitchen, trimming the sage, snipping dead thyme and bundling dry lavender branches.  It kept my hands busy as I talked with a friend.  In the end I tossed the litter haphazard on a white piece of paper that just happened to be on the table.  In the morning I rose, drank my coffee and prepared to sketch out my day.  And then of course I glanced at the paper, at the textures and colors, the shadows in transit… what could I do but run to get my camera?   A few more leaves crushed, petals pulled from various nooks, colored paper unfolded, an old bird’s nest found …  and somehow my morning became special.