Wildlife

The dogs and I have had a few wildlife sightings this past week. There was a pheasant crossing the road one day, then a couple of days later we saw two gorgeous pure white egrets at the river. We also saw our first European squirrel across the river. He was dark brown, which was a first for me. Henry got so excited he jumped in the river, forgetting that he hates water! Polly has no such problem as she wades right in halfway up her legs.

It’s getting cooler here – down into the low teens (centigrade) at night but up to the very low twenties during the day. It’s been sunny and comfortable but we’re forecasted to get rain for the next several days with lower temps. I’ve bought a load of wood for the fireplace and pellets for the pellet burner that heats the radiators but haven’t used any of it yet. I’m sure the time is coming for both.

I found a fairly straight tree branch in the forest and I’ve made myself a walking stick. Actually I’ve made one and I’m working on a second one. They both even have rubber tips on them. Whittling wood – another new experience! (Along with using wood filler, sanding and staining)

I’ve started painting the sunflowers on my kitchen wall. This will be a work in progress for a while I think. I can only handle doing about 2 hours a day standing on a ladder and/or the counter top. Between my back, my hip and my knee I’m falling apart. However, I’m also working on painting a couple of bottles and some rock painting. What can I say? It keeps me out of trouble.