easily amused

I've gotten far more than the $20 worth of bird food I bought yesterday in amusement at watching ten mourning doves try to fit on a small hanging feeder, and at the couple of raccoons who for the last half hour or so keep popping their heads up over the side of the deck to decide whether the fact that the cat is parked in front of the screen door means that they shouldn't come up and raid the platform feeder. (Gateway has zero interest in going outside to check them out now that he's noticed that they're much larger than the chipmunk, so he's not exactly Mr. Effective Home Defender.) Yes, I know that I should probably try to bring the feeder in at night so as not to get them too accustomed to the fruit and nut buffet on the deck, but for tonight I'll let them have their snack because they are completely adorable and I am the world's biggest sucker.

The area that I grew up in, while not a thriving metropolis of any sort, didn't have that much in the way of wildlife and I am still inordinately charmed by the feathered and furry visitors in the back yard. Apparently we also have at least one fox in the area, but I'm reasonably certain it's not going to show up on my second-story deck. If it does, it's time to be afraid because it's only a matter of time before it learns to work the doorknob.

PSA for yarnaholics (not that I know any of those)

Today is Prickle-Prickle, day 30 in the season of Bureaucracy, 3271.

Target is currently carrying a couple varieties of novelty yarn and bamboo knitting needles in the "everything's $1" bins. I saw needles in 4, 5 and 13, and the yarn is "fuzzy fur" (.4 oz/65 yards) and "funky fringe" (1 oz/90 yards) in a variety of colors. There are also a couple of basic pattern books, one for each variety of yarn. These aren't with the knitting kits over with the art supplies, they're in the $1 bins usually near the front of the store.

[Edit: Looks like some stores also have a boucle yarn and crochet hooks.]