Peek a Boo

Doubt not, so long as earth has bread,
Thou first and foremost shalt be fed;
The Providence that is most large
Takes hearts like thine in special charge,
Helps who for their own need are strong,
And the sky dotes on cheerful song.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The Titmouse”

The Tit Mouse are coming

They make a big screech

The Tit Mouse are coming

They don’t live at the beach!

-Maverick Elton, age 7
“The Tit Mouse” (2007)

The titmice and the chickadees are frantic- a cold rain is falling, and they are emptying the feeder with frenzied urgency.

Normally the titmice like to linger at the feeder and call to the cats, tormenting and teasing through the window, cocking their heads in feigned and amused bewilderment.

If I am near with my camera in hand (they don’t mind me on my own), they will scold and refuse to land. I think the autofocus light puts them off.

Today, however, they are all business, completely ignoring my camera at the open window, mere inches away; which makes me a bit nervous about the days ahead. Do they know something I don’t know?

I’m still not dealing well with the change in weather, I am grumpy and generally out of sorts, and I really feel for my poor husband, who is nursing a cold and a sore hip; he will be out in the rain and the cold and the 55 mph wind gusts all day.

The rain turns the construction dust into red clay, and when Jeff returns home he will look something like this:

photo via:

Only redder in hue and with two eyes. Also, holding a pink Igloo cooler.

The steadfast focus of the birds at the feeder make me think I had better turn my attention to readying my own home for winter. The blankets are already out, but maybe the woolen scarves and hats need airing; the heavy curtains need to be hung at the windows; the heavy coats and long underwear want washing. I need to inventory the children’s winter things, the snow pants and gloves; I think maybe Jacob has outgrown last year’s boots, perhaps his winter coat as well; back to Goodwill I go.

How prepared are you for the cold days to come?
What is on your fall to-do list?