The paintings are going better.
I don't hear anything in the studio walls anymore. (ie rats or squirrels)

But....there are birds in my fireplace. The flue is closed but i can hear the babies twitter when the mother comes down the chimney with food. When she flies in or out there is a big tunnel whoosh up or down. This has been going on for a few weeks. The babies sound louder and louder but they haven't left yet. And the mother feeds them up til 8 pm or so.

It would be so romantic and interesting if they were chimney swifts or some other interesting mosquito eating bird. However, the rat guy who was here the other week said they might be starlings. Starlings are the obnoxious loud irritating birds that nest in trees in urban areas in huge numbers. As they settle in for the night they boast and yell and declare all their adventures of the day. It seems to go on until well into dark. There are starlings downtown there are starlings in the trees of my grocery store and many other places where there are people trees and buildings. So far none here.

So, I'm going to wait until all the twittering and whooshing stops, wait for a few days and have someone put a better screen over the top of the chimney. All of this is a great diversion along with several others....allowing me to procrastinate on the paintings. Ha.