h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"If, as Peregrine claims, Marduk will draw close to Earth next September, astronomers should already be able to see it," Jennifer said.

"I'm sure Joshua Free will claim to sense it any day now," said Florence with considerable sarcasm.

"That will not do Joseph's sect any good," Caleb said. "We should get together with the other family members and try to get to the bottom of the whole thing now. If Marduk ain't there, we've lost nothing. If it *is* there, the lunatic fringe will create chaos."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the squirrels watching us again. At the other end of the hall, Faun was also aware of them. She walked over to me. "It's funny about those squirrels," she said. "When Joseph first became fanatical about ancient Sumerian tablets, he showed me some, and all I could see was that some of the symbols resembled squirrel tracks. Did the people writing these things let squirrels walk on the wet clay before they baked the tablets?"

"Or were the squirrels actually doing some of the writing?" added Sibyl, who had also walked over to join us.

"Do you know something we don't?" I asked her.

"You'll think I'm certified if I tell you what I know," she said.

"Perhaps," I conceded, "but this is the time to gather whatever ideas we can. A few months from now may be too late."

[Amy P]

What happened to Nutshell 5?

I must have forgotten to post it.

I've posted it now.

Sorry about that

Wa'al, I read them in the correct order, anyway, despite everything.

I have to start getting deeper into the plot.

Spent part of the afternoon shopping for seeds and nuts.

Supermarkets are so much more convenient than turning over autumn leaves looking underneath.

A lot depends on what you'll use the seeds/nuts for. In February and March, I look for seeds that I can plant -- zinnias, marigolds, asters, clematis, etc.. I usually buy these online from places like Johnny's Seeds.

If you need them for your birdfeeder, it probably doesn't matter whether they were grown organically from non-GMO stock. I have found that once you've grown morning glories, cosmos, or coneflowers for a while, they self=-seed.

Chippy the Chipmunk really tore into the giant sunflower heads we laid down by the bird feeder.

I have a perennial sunflower in my yard,but the blossom is small, and may not get a chance to develop a seedhead.