Good news

There's good news today. Guarded, but good. Joe's wife called me a few moments ago and told me he is improving some, and has been moved out of ICU. He's still on a monitored unit, as I understand it, but not intensive care. This is a very good sign. Please continue to pray for him.

I'm sitting here at this huge window, which was created solely for the purpose of allowing me a full, unobstructed view of the beauty that Joe has engineered out there. I spend a lot of time right here, which may or may not be a good thing, but I surely do get a lot of pleasure out of it.

This morning, to my surprise, three little juvenile squirrels have made the yard their playground. There's a male and two females, siblings obviously, as they appear to be all the same age. They're not quite grown, little bodies are smaller and lighter than they will be in a few weeks. Their tails, which will eventually be thick and lush, are a bit scraggly and just look unfinished. Ever playful, they have chased each other into every nook and cranny out there, up the trees and back down, round and round the trunks, into the shrubs and out - I wish I had one tenth of their energy.

As I said, I was surprised to see them. I wasn't even aware that anyone was raising a brood right now. I knew that squirrels raise a family in the spring, and again in early autumn, but this midsummer litter has surprised me. I guess I still have a lot to learn about squirrels.

I have three nest boxes in my trees, and I can see two of them from my window. The third one is in a tree near the house, and is up pretty high, so the roof overhang blocks my view of it. These boxes are shared by the squirrels and the birds. One moves out and the other moves in, alternating occupancy throughout the year. I know there are baby birds in the two boxes which I can see, so this little group of siblings either grew up in the one I can't see, or in a nest in some other location. I haven't noticed any leaf-and-twig nests in any of the trees, but that doesn't mean they're not there.

I'm glad to see these little juveniles, as they'll provide entertainment and a lot of laughs for the rest of the summer. Eventually, they'll move on, to scout out uncharted territory. Their mama will chase them off if they don't go on their own, but she probably won't do that until she's ready to deliver another litter. Oh, it's a jungle out there!

Be blessed, friends.