Speaking of visitors...

Not quite the same as the friendly goat, but a bit out of the ordinary anyway.

I was at my computer the other day and saw some movement outside the patio door. Thinking it was probably a bird or one of the stray cats that use our yard as their playground, I glanced up to take a look-see. Hello!

Strolling across the patio was our resident groundhog! Now usually, this guy, whose main tunnel entrance is under a dead tree in the common area beside our yard, scurries along the back fence to get to one of his other tunnel entrances behind the neighbor's yard. Occasionally I see it out in the field, poking his head up through a tunnel or scrounging for something to eat. Once and a great while, we've spotted him in the yard. Not very often though, and certainly not a regular occurrence by any stretch. They just don't get real close to us human types.

So, when I see this furry critter at the patio door, I was somewhat taken aback. He sniffed around a bit and then very nonchalantly stood up on his hind legs, put his front paws on the screen, and peeked in to see what he could see. No one was more surprised than me as I watched him peek, sniff some more, and then mosey along his merry way.

'Course my camera was in its damn case and by the time I got it out and on, all I could see was his arse end rounding the corner of the house. *sigh* Another missed opportunity! (Lew sez I should wear it on a chain around my neck!)

Don't know what he was doing so close, maybe scoping out another food source or something, but I'll betcha things would have turned verrry interesting if one of my beasties had been lying by the door like they usually are.