My Back Yard

In Scotland they’re building a highway overpass that will be for squirrels only.

“300 ft bridge to protect Tufty Club” will unite two pieces of red squirrel territory after a new highway goes through.

I’ve been dragging my feet about getting our second-floor bathroom painted. I picked the colors awhile ago with an interior design consultant.

But all of the additional decisions seemed daunting:
* Strip the wallpaper
* Choose and get a ventilation fan installed
* Pick a new light fixture with one socket that doesn’t work–and, anyway, we can’t find the cover for the fixture
* Find an electrician, painter, etc.

When I met an architect, I asked her for the name of someone who could do the electrical work. She gave me the name. When she saw me a month later, she asked if I’d call. No. It’s way too daunting.

But, lo and behold, the contractor called me today. Turns out he paints, in addition to doing electrical work. Also, he will make recommendations about the fan. We talked and he’s going to send me a rough estimate as prelude to deciding whether we’ll meet.

Something may happen to our bathroom. But don’t hold your breath.

Twelve pairs of low-heeled pumps, idled by her layoff,
lie far under the bed, deep in the dust bunnies.

One pair of zebra-striped fuzzy slippers makes her smile
though they clash with her polar bear pajamas.

One pair of plastic slip-ons carries her from bedroom to
home office to kitchen and outside to feed the squirrels.

My prince has come. My Yaku Prince, that is.

I planted three rhododendrons in my front yard three years ago. Although they had flowers on them at the nursery, they haven’t flowered since I brought them home. Then, on Monday I noticed deep pink buds on two of them. Now three flowers are open.

This offers some consolation for the waning of daffodil season.

Thank goodness for wildlife rehabilitators. Here’s a story about another helper of squirrels.

I enjoyed sitting on a plane recently because I:
* Didn’t clean the house, wash my clothes, update my files or engage in similarly necessary but unfulfilling actions
* Lacked Internet access to suck up my time while yielding no measurable results
* Could read the newspaper and magazines without feeling that I ought to be doing something else

I read a checklist to help decide which items to keep and which to toss:

1. “Does it lift my energy when I think about it or look at it?
2. Do I absolutely love it?
3. Is it genuinely useful?

I’ve never had much luck growing forget-me-not flowers. So before I sowed my seeds this year, I turned to my aunt for expert gardener advice.

Mix them with sand, then sow them in soil that you’ve loosened up, she said.

So, I’ve done that. Plus I’ve put a daily reminder in my calendar to moisten them. Now I’m on forget-me-not watch. Hoping I’ll spot some shoots in the 1-3 week period it’s supposed to take them to germinate.

My seed packets are old, so I won’t be too disappointed if they fail to grow. At least I know I’m getting them off to a good start this year.

WeatherBug tells me that today’s predominant pollen is “Birch, Maple and Poplar/Aspen/Cottonwood.”

At least one of those does NOT agree with me. My eyes teared up while I was giving a presentation today. That has never happened before. I’d better stay inside the rest of today. No playing with my squirrels.

Some squirrel lovers contribute a lot more to the well-being of squirrels than Iggy and me.

Go to “Squirrel Watch: Empty Nest Again” for a touching tale and adorable photos by a rehabber.

View more photos at “Squirrel Watch: Year Two Preview.”