here's life

Well, maybe I don't have a life, but this afternoon I spent an hour or so, (nobody was keeping track) watching the "pond" where the muskrat lives. Turns out it isn't one muskrat, but four, plus a turtle the size of a mousepad. I think it might be a snapping turtle. The turtle would sit with his nose and eyes out of the water. I wondered how the two species would interact, but I am not sure if the muskrat even know they are sharing the puddle with a reptile. If a muskrat approched, the turtle would slowly transform back into a grey-green rock on the muddy puddle floor.

It seems that out of the four muskrats, one is left handed---or maybe left-jawed. Today they spent much of their time gathering grass. After climbing up the bank, they would nose around at the base of the grass, and eventualy emerge with a bundle of grass sticking out of one side of their mouth. Usually the right side, but one of them gathered grass in the left jaw. I am not sure how they hold the grass while they cut more, but they seem to be fairly efficient little guys.

Today I ordered tickets to fly out to see my brother and his wife in a few weeks. It should be good to see them, and hopefully they will have completed the buying of a duplex by then. My younger brother will be there as well as some other people I know. I'll have to work extra in the evenings here to make up the time I will miss, but what are evenings for?