I was hoping to do the bottom edge today, but a cast-on and 1800 seed stitches later on US6, I’m not quite there. My hands are looking forward to resting in their lined splints tonight. But man it feels good to get this project going.

Meantime, someone was nosing around directly outside the door not ten feet away from me yesterday. The double pane window fades the gorgeous white speckles against the deep brown contrasting with its scarf of a neck ring. It looked at me: hey, lady, got any birdseed?

No.

There were a lot of new holes in the neighbor’s front yard in the last week and yesterday they didn’t seem to be there anymore and I guess the ground squirrel was looking for somewhere friendlier. I was surprised, because the one I’ve seen has always been exceptionally wary of me or any movement on my part but this one, for a brief moment, had to be talked into remembering that it must act like bigger things eat it.

I noted its retreat went straight out the gate towards our driveway.

Where a burrow has been right under the edge for awhile. I’m guessing the paving material above helps keep its favorite spot warmer at night. After all, these homes were originally built with radiant heating; gotta keep up that mid-century-modern vibe.

Edited to add: they swish their tails to confuse rattlesnakes as to what and where they are. Someone captured a video of one doing that–and throwing mulch at it! I’m guessing it must have been near the squirrel’s nestlings. No harm done to either in this video, and now I know what a rattlesnake’s rattle in action looks like.