Research

​It’s been a quiet summer here at Scarborough Studios.
I’ve been studying diligently. It’s been hard work, and I’m nearly done.

What I’ve found is that:
A bunny hides under my butterfly bush.
A ground squirrel is willing to sneak across my occupied patio when necessary to reach fallen bird seed.
My bird feeder will hold up to a dozen sparrows.
Cicadas are flying bullets.

Squirrels are adept at picking each single solitary seed from the head of a sunflower while hanging upside down.
That same sunflower, whose empty head hangs over quite dramatically, holds about a half-gallon of rain water in its dried out basin. (While checking to see if there were any seeds left, I tipped the head, sending most of the water down my neck. Research can be surprising.)

​Doves do not sound peaceful. They make a strangled gurgling sound when they fly.
Blue Jay babies are dorks of the bird world.
If the umbrella is moved just right, a person can stay out on the patio nearly the entire day.
Ice cubes melt fairly quickly in lemonade. And that’s okay.
Books are better when read outside. So are crossword puzzles.

​I don’t want to bore you with pages of minute details. Plus, it’s time for more lemonade.