The weekly newspaper came out today, and my favorite section, the police blotter, included the item that a large group of geese followed the mailman down Main Street.  It is unclear why the police were notified.

When I went to the PO to mail a few things, the woman ahead of me in line was receiving a very noisy package, which turned out to be a dozen baby guinea hens. Guinea chicks, I guess they would be called.  Much chirping from the box, so she opened it and showed them to me and the postal lady.

Much chirping at this moment from my studio, and Alfie is beside himself, investigating.  There is a chipmunk, it turns out, behind a row of books on a shelf. Maybe I should call the local police?

My last guest has gone home, after a nice lunch at Ebenezer's Pub, and with a big supply of freshly-picked blueberries. I will have to go out in the morning and pick some myself.

And here is Lulu, staring intently at a hummingbird on the other side of the screen, in the morning glories.

I worked most of the day on revisions to GIVER IV; luckily my guest, also a writer...and teacher of writing... was holed up in another room to work on student papers. We took time off for a nice lunch and then went back to our respective...what? I'd say dungeons, but I think we both love our work too much to think of it that way.

I'll get these revisions finished and off to the publisher by the time my last guests coe and go, and then I leave Maine (boo hoo) on August 30th. I have trips coming up in the fall (first one, San Francisco) and want to leave things completed and in order before I hit the road.

Oh! But before I go to SF, I will return to Maine for the evening of June 6th, to speak at the University of NE in conjunction with their art gallery's show of children's illustrators.  I know, I know: I am not an illustrator. But I was available, and I can talk a bit about the general world of children's books.  Info about the show and the two speakers (the other is Rich Michelson of the Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA) can be found at  http://www.une.edu/artgallery/childrensbook.cfm

So there is much to finish, much to prepare, much to look forward to. Much to look back on as well.