We have two suet cakes by a small maple tree behind the house. One of the medium sized woodpeckers has taken to hanging out in the tree for much of the day, flying to the suet, filling his bill and then going back to the tree. I love the high CHEEP he makes whenever Bernie and I go out on a pee walk. Most everyone we talked to earlier this winter lamented the dearth of birds coming to feeders. While we're still not seeing the numbers from previous years, there has been an uptick in the number of feathered friends around our three feeding stations as well as one very insouciant and fat gray squirrel. Sadly, there are no deer tracks to be seen across the back lawn. I really wonder if there are any left in the woods stretching from the old railroad all the way to the foot of Huff Hill.

I'm mulling an offer for several months of contract work for an arm of the government (one of the good ones, folks) in a branch of librarianship I used to excel in. It would pay well, involve travel to parts of Maine I love to visit and would have the potential to benefit a lot of Maine citizens. I'm intrigued, but the one thing holding me back is whether I have the energy and time to complete it well. Stay tuned for more details.