Statues

When I was a kid, oh so many centuries ago, we used to play a game that we called Statues. (Here it is called "Swing the Statue", which is probably a better name.

One player is chosen to be "it." He or she takes each of the other players in turn and, holding them by a wrist or hand, swings them in a circle and then lets them go. The swung player must freeze as soon as possible and hold that position as long as possible. The first player to break the freeze becomes "it." Since the first player swung must hold the position longest, begin with the oldest child first. The entertainment value comes from seeing the strange positions that players end up in and watching them try to hold those positions. (From About.com.)

This grey squirrel would be good at the game. She froze in place at the first click of the camera's mirror lifting, even through the closed door, and held the pose until I tired of waiting for her to come closer. I moved first; she won the round.

"If I don't move, she won't see me."

He's got plans for this.

Maybe he's redecorating. Maybe he's just cold. Or he's heard we're due for a hard winter.

A scrawny black squirrel has been trying to steal a rag rug from my doorstep for the last few days. I caught him on video this afternoon.

What do you think he's up to?

Greening up

I always love the greens of spring. Even in the rain. They're even better when I can stand inside in the dry, and just point the camera out the window.

The sap is running in my little maple tree. The brown stems winding through are the remains of an old honeysuckle.

New hydrangea leaves, a yummy, minty green at this stage.