When I was a kid, I had a Great-Aunt Mary whom I loved but who I thought kind of batty because she was a bird-watcher. And now look at me, here with my binoculars, all excited because today there are rose breasted grosbeaks and purple finches at the feeders.

I have had company for the entire past week and now am by myself so perhaps it is that the birds provide camaraderie now that the house is empty and quiet.

Lulu the Cat is also quite intrigued by the feathered wildlife. She sits on the windowsill with her tail twitching.

She is eyeing the chipminks, too. And Alfie, who has no interest n brds, squirrels, or chipmunks, is very aware of the large woodchuck who spends time in the garden. But he hasn't decided what to do about it.

Next week I will be off to New York to the Readers and Writers Institute at Columbia Teachers' College but that is my last trip until the National Book Festival in Washington DC in late September.

Now, with the time to concentrate, I am working on the next...I think it is the sixth...Gooney Bird book in the series. I hadn't decided what particular topic the second graders would be studying in this one; but I asked a group of middle schoolers for their thoughts, and they came up with the one I've chosen to use.

It reminds me of the time years and years ago, when I was doing the books about Sam Krupnik. I was working on one in which Sam was trying to collect his mother's favorite smells in order to make perfume for his mom's birthday, and I visited a school and asked...I think it was fourth graders...what smells I should include. They were filled with great ideas and I ended up dedicating the book to them.

I wish I had the time to visit schools the way I once did. But my schedule has become almost unmanagably clogged, barely leaving me time to write. So school visits are one of the things I have had to let go of.

It is sprinkling again after a day of heavy rain yesterday and a night of wild thunderstorms last night. But we were fortunate and had a gorgeous sunny week when my friends were here. We had breakfast on the porch every morning and watched hummingbirds at the feeder as we sipped our coffee.

A pair of cardinals, too.  Dear Great-Aunt Mary: finally I get it! Now that you're gone.