A quick knitting update:

Event: Sweater knit (this one, to be exact).

Progress: body done, sleeves 1/3 done. Still need to do body edging.

Prognostication: not likely to medal, although it's possible. Lost too many days at the start, will lose most of tomorrow, as I'm off being charming yet authoritative to high school band members (and, somewhat harder, to their parent chaperones. The kids usually aren't much of a problem.). May get the sleeves done tonight or tomorrow morning, but there's a lot of edging+collar to knit.

(Knitting Olympics: choose a project (or goal) that will be a challenge for you to complete/achieve during the Olympics. Cast on during the Opening Ceremonies, bind off/run in final finishing thread during or before the Closing Cermonies. More info at The Yarn Harlot.)

Wild America....

In the morning, we often have three or four dozen "mixed small birds"* at or under the the feeders or in the rose, plus either a dozen doves or three blue jays. And the occasional squirrel. This afternoon, I looked out and there were only two critters that I could see. The hawk who hunts our backyard was nestled into the (otherwise vacant) rosebush, looking at the birdfeeder. Which was occupied by the big squirrel, who is *big* (body is about 12"). The squirrel was apparently unconcerned, feeling that he was too large for the hawk to try for. The hawk agreed, and eventually flew off to the brush pile.


(* mixed small birds = some combination of gold- and house- finches, four or five species of sparrows, tufted titmice, chickadees, and juncos.)