November

A hawk hovering in our yard, waiting to scoop up dinner in the form of a chipmunk.

Squirrel stopping for a snack on the steps.

I am inside, writing my words, my mind half in and half out of the window.

Autumn 100%

It's one of those perfect autumn days here on Lake Chautauqua in western New York.

After two weeks of gray skies and wild winds, sun!

The leaves are just past peak, with more on the ground than on the branches.

Get out the rakes.

Squirrels and chipmunks are busy.

Time to get serious about storing those nuts.

Have to stop for lunch, right?

Love the shagbark hickories . . .

and the geraniums still blooming . . .

And when I come inside

it may not be possible

to write something chilly or harsh

because all the day's bounty

will fill up the room.

If I have a sad or wicked scene to write

it will have to wait

for a gloomier day.

You know?

The Watcher

This is the offspring of Big Squirrel, who used to hunch up in this same spot and watch me at my computer. He (or she) will watch for a few minutes and then scurry off. If I'm on the phone, the squirrel stays longer.

Listening?

I always feel obliged to have a little one-sided conversation, mostly along the lines of: "Okay, okay, I'll get back to work," or "What? What? I'm a little busy right now . . ."

Maybe I've been in this room too long.

More Distractions

I'm working at desk. Molto diligent. And then, glance out window. Is that a squirrel poking head out of hole?

Is that squirrel going to come out of that hole?

All right. I'm hooked.  It runs down the tree and onto deck and selects five or six leaves and crams them into mouth:

And then it runs back up the tree, taking the leaves into the hole/nest:

A couple minutes later, it repeats the process: down the tree, gather the leaves, return to hole.  After three or four of these treks, it emerges from hole and stretches:

First right side up, then upside down:

Then time for a pause and some sun:

Then a snack on its front porch:

And then some rest, perhaps a nap:

And then the squirrel starts all over again. . .

Its schedule is rather like my own: run around, gather things together, stretch, snack, nap, and repeat . . .

Squirrel Guard

A few feet from my office window is this tree.  An older, fatter squirrel used to pause here each morning and watch me work.  This squirrel may well be the offspring of that fatter one.  All the squirrels in the yard seem busier than usual today, gathering the hickory nuts that fell in last night's storm. Up and down the trees they go, up and down.  Only this one pauses to watch me.