It's a gray, rainy morning here. I'm not looking forward to walking the dog. In fact, when we get outside, she may just turn right around and come back in, which occasionally happens in bad weather.
Did I mention that Dave recently bought a squirrel feeder? It's a little wooden box atop a platform, with a plexiglass window. The box is filled with nuts and, theoretically at least, the squirrels sit on the platform, lift the lid and eat the nuts. Our squirrels, however, don't seem to get it. They often ignore it completely, though I did see one a few days ago sitting ON the lid and sniffing around before scurrying away. We've begun propping the lid open to clue them in, but all that does is attract big, lumbering, flapping pigeons, and tiny tits that fly away with entire nuts as big as their heads.
Apparently our squirrels are challenged in the realm of problem-solving.
I saw one of my French teacher pals at school yesterday, and I could not bring myself to try to speak French to her. Why am I so hesitant? She's a teacher. It's not like she never hears bad French, and I really do need to practice! I also need to do some serious studying. I feel like I'm forgetting so much, and our next classes don't begin for a few weeks.
We were supposed to have another substantial tube strike this week -- there was lots of drama in the newspapers about it -- but it was called off at the last minute. As I've said many times before, I'm generally a labor supporter, but I think the transit unions create a lot of ill will with these strike threats. They're shooting themselves in the foot. (Feet?)
(Photo: A sidewalk chalk artist in Trafalgar Square, on Saturday.)
I can relate to your reluctance speaking French to a native speaker. It's completely normal. You should plan trip France. It will come to you there.
ReplyDeleteAs for the tube strike, this happened on the day we got married many years ago and in the end we had to run to make it to Marylebon register office just in time but covered in sweat.
And yet our American squirrels could probably create a new world order, the way they solve the physics of getting past all our squirrel baffles we set up so we're NOT feeding them at our bird feeders.
ReplyDeleteTheir American cousins could teach them a thing or two, I think...I'm waiting to see what happens with the cone of the latest storm...
ReplyDeleteYou definitely have inferior squirrels over there. Sad.
ReplyDeleteLove the chalk artist!
When I'm in Mexico, I am almost always way too shy to use any of my horrible Spanish. It's so weird. But I know exactly what you mean.
City life must have dulled the wits of those squirrels. I'm certainly glad there wasn't a transit strike when I was there the last time. Staying way out in Balham, I'm not sure how I would have gotten home in the evenings. I had a hard enough time dealing with several breakdowns on the line leading to Balham.
ReplyDeleteSilly squirrels.
ReplyDeleteLove this photo, the color, the composition. Superb!
ReplyDeleteWe finally bought a Squirrel Buster bird feeder and it works great. I can't feed them because we have so many we are overrun by the little varmints. I do feed them in the front of the house by just tossing out leftover chips, etc., and cracked corn. They share with the birds.
The squirrels in my part of the world are plumb psychotic, so I can't imagine actually inviting them to stay.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels
ReplyDeleteI love em.......bad tempered little fuc* ers
Squirrels in Los Angeles are insane -- I can't imagine inviting them! I do love that you guys are so gentle with animals -- what does Olga think of squirrels?
ReplyDelete