The Goings-On At My House, Well, Outside My House

Part 1

I am just in from raking up pine needles. They fall from my neighbor's three pine trees that stand close to our property line. I have filled my garbage can with needles, but I haven't made a dent, as they say. Have to do more some other day. As if I could ever get them all. They COVER my lawns.

Can you guess how I feel about those trees? I could mention that they receive no "care." But why bother?

Part 2

On the sidewalk, directly behind the post my mail box sits on, was a dead, hairless, headless something. I thought, at first, a baby mouse. Too big for that, though. Rat. I didn't like that thought.

It's been there--this is the third day.

Today, while raking pine needles, I called Ron and Janice to come over and see. They agreed, too big for a mouse. He said gopher. I said rat. She said rat. Hard to tell since it had no head. But the internet has me thinking it was a rat.

How did it die? you ask. (I knew you would.)

Ron and Janice said there's been a great horned owl around the last few nights. Ron said ,"Yep, it ate the brains." I didn't ask why not eat the whole thing.

Ron picked it up with a twig from the pine tree, examined it, and said, "Do you want this?" Guess what I said. He took it home. Probably going to dissect it, or something.

Part 3 Way outside my house but in my neighborhood.

I went walking outside today, weather permitted such a thing, and I saw something I didn't know ever happened. The nearby McDonald's has closed. Not one single car in the parking lot, that was a clue, so I read the small sign on the door: This McDonald's will close December 15, 2015.

Heavens! It's February 25, and I'm just noticing.

The name is torn off the building, no golden arches anywhere, the children's play area inside is gone.

The little sign suggested four other nearby locations.