10/10/2020> Like probly many during this pandemic we've been entertaining ourselves by watching the creatures in our backyard (see also post #772) or up on our roof. One little reddish squirrel in pertickler who we've name Shirley visits us daily right beyond our window before climbing the wall either by using a pipe or just clinging to microscopic nodules. There are 2 others in our backyard (1 presumably Shirley's lover... + seams Shirley is a he) + another black squirrel in the front. In post #789 we commented how we've been noticing a lot of dead birds lately, including a dove that smashed into our upstairs window + landed right on top of our liebury boox... all quite coincidental considering we've bin obsessing over birds this past year (the name of our forthcoming album is Herd of Birds). Well this morning we walked into our back room + saw a dark shadow flash in the corner of our eye + heard another loud smack against the glass right in front of us that left a streak of blood. We looked down to see if if the bird lived but what we saw was a large hawk standing on top of a pigeon in it's last throes of life, so the hawk must of been chasing the pigeon causing it to smash against our glass. At 1st we thought maybe it was a peregrine or some sort of falcon since they're the ones that typically hunt other birds in flight but seemed unusual that a falcon would stay on the ground beneath our maple tree, as usually peregrines like to eat their prey high up on top of things + there are no high buildings near us where peregrines would live (unlike on Riverside drive in Harlem where we were often treated to Peregrine displays). The squirrels were also interested in the hawk, a bit bothered that it had invaded their territory. The hawk ate most of the pigeon then flew off (carrying the carcass) into a nearby tree. We could hear some cat birds that seemed all hot + bothered so we went up on roof + seems the hawk had found a nest of theirs + was helping itself to a desert of cat birds chicks (another reason it was likely not a falcon as that doesn't seem like something a falcon would do). Here's a video of the hawk + of the squirrels getting frisky (to the music of Shellac):

10/12/2020> Our bedder-½'s b-day so she played hooky + we went on a Microcosmic DC walk, down to H street which wouldn't be much fun on a weekend, at least on the east end above Capitol Hill, the corridor with all the restraunts + bars. Then we looped back on I street hitting a few book boxes but then west of Union station I pretty much runs out so we went along K (for some odd reason J street doesn't exist in D.C... you'd think they wouldn't have I (sometimes called "Eye" street) to avoid confusion, but J? It started to drizzle + was rather blustery considering we were in T-shirts + we were burning out on these slogs so we'll do the bits west of the White house another time.