Whew! It sure has been a while since I posted anything. The end of summer/beginning of autumn brought a type of hectic I just wasn't entirely prepared for. I've been writing like a ...I dunno...an obsessed writer? I must have used up my supply of metaphor for the week: I've been writing a lot is the point I'm trying to make. Regardless of how fast the speed-of-life is moving, there is always something just around the corner to leave me completely joyful. My squirrelly pal [pictured above] has been amusing me daily.

He has a daily routine. He shimmies up the pole,

does a trapeze dive for the feeder,

grabs a handful of food then swings back and forth (upside down) while he chews! When that mouthful is done, he gets upright and does it all again! I tried to tell him he might choke, but being that I'm not fluent in Squirrel I was never really able to get my point across.

Another delight just outside my window are the birds whose food my squirrel has been eating. Chickadees are plentiful and apparently they're also always hungry!

This pair stopped by a few times in October. I'm new to actually caring about what birds are doing and what song they sing and although I suspect this is a common bird, I can't find it online. I'd appreciate it if anyone has a spare moment and might be able to drop me a line to let me know the name of this bird.