Groundhog Rumble

Seems there's trouble in groundhog paradise. Remember Pablo?Or more correctly called Pabla (Paola? I never took Spanish, just several other languages). We discovered her living under our shed just after closing on the house.

And then there are Pepito and Pepita, discovered shortly after our first groundhog. Here's a family portrait I took (click for a larger view):

Today I caught Pablo chasing one of the (now large) babies at a frantic pace across the yard. Then I saw the lower branches of our evergreens shake mightily. Pablo returned shortly to the middle of the yard, munching some grass, and then returned to the shed. I look up again a few minutes later (I can see the backyard from my computer desk) and notice Pablo and a baby both in the yard. I head to the kitchen for a better view. Pablo bides his/her time and then again chases the baby across the yard and into the trees.

This must be related to what I read online about the young being kicked out of the nest around July 4 every year, although Pepito and Pepita are like so many hangers on and must have resisted striking out on their own. Looks like Pablo means business this time.

In other news, I've had an extremely productive Friday in spite of being sick. I'm spending the rest of the afternoon tackling a game plan for the rest of the summer, after having organized everything for my class, making their midterm, making my notes and slideshow for Monday, and a few other class related things. Productive Fridays, I think, are especially sweet since the payoff is huge! We've got some plans for the weekend: seeing Harry Potter tomorrow, going to a double header soccer game (the quarterfinals of the gold cup), and maybe the shore again if the weather and my health cooperate!