Who's In There?

Just now I was in the kitchen getting ready to close the drapes over the patio door when I spied movement in the grass. Two little brown lumps were clumped together, one disappeared underground and then the other one did the same. I realized that the scraped out dirt on the slope was the doormat of a bunny nest. The mama was grooming herself not far away while the babies were nestling into the hole for the night. I'd never seen that before. I thought they had a nest of leaves and fur, but it seems they've got a kind of hobbit hole in my yard.

 

This afternoon the lawn mower showed up and raced around getting the grass cut before the next rain came. While I watched him I saw movement in the tall, unmown lawn of the neighbor's backyard. Now I wonder if the baby bunnies were sheltering in there from the big, scary machine. Seeing the guy, I wondered when I'd get a bill since I hadn't seen one yet this year. I was just writing a text when I thought, I'd better check my Junk folder, and there was a bill. Due today. Well, it's not going to get to Bonduel by midnight but it'll get there in a day or two. I emailed him and apologized for being late and assured him that the check was in the mail. 

 

Today's drawing was Bakery Items. Not very inspiring or colorful, but a bit challenging to get the lines and angles right. The loaf of white bread took the most erasing. I think it's about time to stroll through my drawing books and find another one to play with for a while.

 

This morning a Downy Woodpecker landed on the suet cakes so that I could see it and take its picture. It didn't have red on its head so it's a female.

 

A squirrel discovered that I filled the suet nuggets feeder so it spent suppertime nibbling away at the mesh. I still can't understand how they can get anything worthwhile out of those little openings but since they come back it must be worth the effort.

 

It was almost suppertime when I decided to paint something. I paged through my watercolor journals and found four different pages of directions on painting hollyhocks, which means four different years of how-tos. It's okay. Not my best work, not by a long shot, but it's good enough to cut up and turn into cards. Next time I'll make the outside of the flowers ruffly and make the centers smaller. More leaves across the bottom too.

 

I finished knitting the first set of arms on Teddy Bear #2 and started the head but my iPad's battery was too low to keep it open and running. I use an app for the pattern and for keeping track of rows so I had to stop and plug it in. I'll do more tomorrow or maybe wait until Friday and work on it at Friday Night Knitting when I devote three straight hours to knitting. 

 

It was too hot and humid to walk today but I did do yoga this morning so that's something active. I spent most of the day rereading the manuscript and making small edits. I want to get it done and published by the fall so I can move on to trying my hand at a cozy mystery manuscript that's been hanging around for about 25 years. That will be a challenge.

--Barbara