~~ For most of the summer, we had the "pleasure" of dealing with squirrels. Not just once in awhile - seeing them bouncing around in the yard & trees. I mean, seeing them everywhere -- in the yard, on the deck, sitting on our little table. Jumping on the front porch from one of the pine trees. Everywhere. Then, when fall started to arrive, one of the females started to drop pine cone pieces on the deck. And in LARGE numbers. It got to where we had to sweep the deck up to 3 times a day, trying to avoid stepping on pine cone pieces..the ones that have sharp points..and the left over inner core of the pine cone. A sticky mess, and one that would leave me yelling at the squirrel as she sat very contentendly up in the tall, tall pine tree.

Well -- it so happens, much to my dismay, that Said Squirrel was stuffing herself silly with the heart of the pine cones, because she was ready to have a litter. Which she did, and I've been watching the little babies as they've grown. One afternoon, I sat in my porch swing, laughing at the antics of the babies; they with their little faces peering around one of the trees, looking at me with the most interest in the world. And then they'd meet one another near the base of one of the hardwoods, sniffing each others faces, then bounce straight up, gather themselves together, and go bounding away in the trees. A true source of entertainment.

What I didn't know, or couldn't figure out while all the trees were in full leaf, was just where the nest was for the female. And with the snow "Storm" we had last week (look, for this area, it really was considered a storm..don' ask...) whipping the last of the leaves off the hardwoods, I was able to discover jus' how close to the house the nest actually is -- or was -- or both. There it is..as close to the deck as possible..right overhead, actually. And the female is still meandering around. Well..I think it's the female. Whichever one it is, it Still is crawling around our house. I can hear it up on the roof, doing Whatever it is squirrels do in Fall. Maybe planning their get away to the Florida Keys. Who knows. All I do know is that the babies have found their own little abode for the winter. And the adult is showing up less and less. But I fear getting my hopes up that she's gone for good. Seeing the nest this morning while bringing in firewood made me wonder if the adult isn't just getting itself more dug in for the duration. Which means listening to it frockling up on the roof for the foreseeable future.

Not much to show for my art today. With the hours of messin' around yesterday discovering what there is at the thrift stores, left me with no energy to finish my frames or my latest collage. But all is not lost..today is the final coat day for the frames, and the collage is getting it's last 4 pieces. Final top coat, and it'll be done.

But fixin' the dressing for turkey day tomorrow is gonna happen tonight. Then baking the pies first thing in the morning..both Danny & Gabriel have said they're coming to the cabin for thanksgiving. Gabriel hasn't even been down here since we moved, so I wonder what he'll think of our little place -- Danny will probably want to go over to the fishing dock & check out the river & Sound. Should be an interesting day.

Lady of The Tulips