Livestock and Projects

      I glanced over the kitchen sink last night and saw movement below the window.
This wasn’t exactly newsworthy since our yard is a hotbed of activity in the squirrel and chipmunk world now that we are without cats.  As I drag out the hose to water and hear all the scurryings and chirpings, I sometimes feel apologetic for throwing off their schedules.

          This was something different, though. The Mojave-like state of our back yard in this drought must have driven our resident woodchuck out from under our shed. Having worked his way through the bee balm, black-eyed Susans, and hosta in the more distant part of the yard, he had moved up to greener pastures. In fact, it's about the only green pasture (albeit mostly weeds), thanks to our septic system.

    

      I could have watched him for hours. He squatted fatly in the shade and chewed and chewed and chewed. Each weed – and thank you, sir, by the way – disappeared into his face like an animated cartoon.  

          On the DIY front, I’m starting one of those projects that at first seemed so simple in my head, but then multiplied by ten in the cold light of reality.

          This old stool is in perfect shape, aside from the fact that our beloved but long-taloned cat Satchel had turned parts of it into furniture confetti. We had upholstered two chairs in the (too-distant) past, so I felt confident that I could pop some fabric over this stool, add some piping, followed by a skirt and voila!  

 

Then I hit Staple Land. After 45 minutes I had only removed one half of the skirt. And I’m trying not to think about what may have taken up residence in the lower portions.

          Meanwhile, my artist-in-residence has begun another painting.

 This all ties together nicely because it will be of Satchel –the furniture destroyer – and his fellow squirrel and chipmunk control officer, Sydney.