Squirrels

 Squirrels have been my nemesis this week.  Today there was a gang of four of them chasing

each other up and down the crooks and around the planters.  They finished eating the peanuts from the peanut wreath and started on the cob corn back by the fence, hanging upside down to do it.

They also decided to leap onto the platform feeder and contort themselves, one at a time, into it so that they could eat the few sunflower seeds I put in with the safflower seeds.  They made me crazy today but I've been feeding them and the birds for too long to expect them not to take advantage of anything they can reach.  Durwood had a vendetta against squirrels and I'm beginning to see his side of things.

Not many lilies today.  Just this one tiger lily.

I knitted another toe sock for casts today.  It was dreary this morning which made me feel low and dreary too so I spent most of the day finishing reading a novel and then knitting.

Sunset tonight was almost visible from my front yard.  What I could see wasn't the center of it but I liked the colors and the light.

15 August--Barbara Malcolm, Better Than Mom's. 

They turned to walk back to the counter.  Fay picked up the coffee pot and raised it inquiringly at Raymond and Elmer, the two remaining codgers.  Elmer shook his head. 

“None for me,” said Raymond.  “Now that the excitement is over, I think I will go on home.”  He dug into his pocket, pulled out three crumpled dollar bills, and tossed them on the counter.  “That should cover my coffee and biscuit, right?” 

“Right,” Fay said.  Leaving an entire quarter for my tip, she thought but did not say. 

Elmer left a five-dollar bill next to his saucer.  “Keep the change, Fay,” he said, winking at her. 

“Thanks, Elmer,” she said, “you are a real pal.”  She knew the wink meant he was leaving extra so she would not be stiffed by Raymond’s quarter.  Just as the two men reached the door, she remembered something. 

“Do you two still want the six biscuits Brady was boxing up when all the excitement started?”  They both turned right around and came back for the boxes Brady had ready on the pass through.  Raymond had to break a ten-dollar bill pay for them and actually left her a dollar tip.  Fay felt a little lightheaded with surprise at his generosity.

            Needless to say, that day Naomi got the job.  She and Brady developed a connection that usually only comes after years of marriage.  Without speaking, one would hand the other the utensil they were just about to reach for.  Naomi persuaded Brady to add a few of her favorite recipes to the “specials” menu.  The fried chicken plate, served with mashed potatoes and gravy, and coleslaw was so popular with the customers that it quickly made its way onto the permanent everyday menu.

Today's toss was a red teapot that holds more tea that I could drink in a week and a glass beverage jug that I like the shape of but never use.  I'm kinda appalled at the amount of crap I have that I can so easily get rid of.  When I go downstairs I always see at least one thing I look at and think, "you can go."  Will I run out soon?  Not a chance.  There are two big storage boxes of old Christmas decorations that are just taking up space but I'm saving them for the fall.

--Barbara