The weather has turned a bit nippy, and the garage is much warmer than a treetop. The bait is still untouched, but this is a verbal creature, and gives away its presence but not its exact location. I wouldn’t be surprised to find it has made a comfy nest in one of my many baskets. Indeed, I suspect its family members are concerned. In the middle of the night, I hear feet (many) running across the roof, and strange sounds coming from the owners of the feet.

I see that there is currently a Google adsense ad for a squirrel trap on this page.

One of us is thinking of using a radio to blast our guest out. But the other of us works in a home office under already trying circumstances, and will suffer more than the varmint.

It may be that we are in error, that it is not a squirrel, but a gnome instead. If that is the case, and it is annoyed enough to exit one day in a great huff, I will do my best to get a picture or two, if gnome images can be recorded on film. Maybe those are other gnomes hotfooting across the roof at 4 a.m. If so, they do not speak English.

From Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Germany, Scotland, France, Finland, Israel, Iran, and Poland.

Our neighbors, the ones who recently sold their house, are in The Netherlands now. I wonder if they got a good look today.

Is what my sons call the frozen hash brown patties that fry up nicely crisp and, well, brown. When the checkout clerk spotted them, he exclaimed, ‘Oh, I love those! Oh, yeah! On Sunday mornings, I cook them and put an omelet between two patties!’

Sometimes we make home fries, sometimes french fries, sometimes we grate potatoes, and make our version of potato pancakes. But when we’re in a hurry, and have a steak or two thawed, but not much else for the plate other than salad, we go for browns.

Special camera equipment may be added so that scientists can better study lightning, the part we cannot see from earth.

Much has been written about the extra-large turkey legs sold at fairs for between $4 and $7 each. Tony Fatso tells you how to get the same result at home, if you are willing to brine.

I think I could do this.

They were all elderly patients living in an Ontario nursing home. An infectious disease expert has said it is not avian flu, flu, Legionnaires, or SARS.

Conditions were not right in the spring where I planted many packets of seeds. A few against the back fence managed to survive.

No sign of entering the well-baited trap. Yesterday, we knew it was still there due to the low sounds we heard. It seems to be quite the ventriloquist, or else has invited its cousins in for the warmth and hospitality.

Today, I decided to try something a little different, having sensed that it does love its peace. Disposable aluminum pans make quite a racket when applied purposefully and with some hostility. There was a low murmur of discontent from the nooks and crannies.

My neighbors must think I am aspiring to the art of cymbal playing. Soon I will call on my sons to bring their didgeridoos home for some real rodent-harassing sounds.

Actually, they learned to reproduce rhythms that we can recognize as a very short vocalization similar to the Batman theme from the TV show. In other words, if you were a dolphin, you could learn to mimic the rhythms aimed at you by a scientist, largely because you got a treat by doing so.

This is a first for a non-human mammal.

If you have bags of Classic Romaine, dated 9/23/05, American Blend, dated 9/23/05, or Greener Selection, dated 9/22/05, better toss them out. The FDA today announced that these, distributed nationwide, may contain E. coli.

So far 11 people have gotten sick, with two in the hospital.

If you like a certain kind of music, these preference searches can help you find more along the same lines. Same for books and gifts. But sometimes the system goes a bit awry when you buy a one-time gift for someone other than yourself.

In an age of overwhelming choices, it’s reasonable to expect some help based on collaborative filtering. Detractors say that such filtering limits the interest range of individuals.

In some ways, life is back to normal for the alligators, turtles, and egrets. For humans, it’s a slow, slow process.

It’s almost time to string up those orange lights out front. If you’re into Halloween in a big way, here’s a striking outfit to enhance the festivities.

Taken by Eduardo Vedia today.

Residents of Spain and Portugal had some of the best views of the annular eclipse.

Tropical Storm Stan formed yesterday, and is moving toward Mexico. A leading hurricane forecaster predicts at least two more hurricanes during October.