So I wouldn’t call it “good coffee” by any stretch, but our morning brew was moderately better today. Thanks for asking. That said, I’m more than ready for our MOCCAMASTER! to arrive tomorrow…

So it’s time for a Chuck update.
A Chupdate, if you will.

As I’ve mentioned, Chuck is the groundhog that lives in a sprawling and Byzantine tunnel system beneath the Christmas trees behind our house.

And as the summer wears on, Ol’ Chuck here is…
Um…
How shall I put this delicately?

Chucky fat.

Now we’d originally assumed that Chuck’s chub was due to spending his days doing little more than lounging around, with an occasional break (or five) to have overly generous helpings of salad.

We just thought, you know, he’d become kinda Falstaffian out there among the jolly Christmas trees.

But, as it turns out, this was wrong.

Yes, Chuck has figured out how to work the chicken feeder. That little pot-bellied bastard has been out there each morning, before we let the chickens out, gorging himself on their layer feed.

And with that one little maneuver, Chuck has suddenly gone from “amusing marmot guest” to “irritating backyard nuisance” once again.

That said, the chickens are in no danger from him. Woodchucks are herbivores, so they wouldn’t even eat chicken eggs if given the chance. This fact appears to be quite clear to Beverly, as she doesn’t seem to mind him at all. She actually pecks the ground just a few feet away from where Chuck’s pudgy ass is chowing down on clover root and dandelion sprouts, and she’s completely indifferent to his presence.

Hmm… Well that or Bev is so dense that she has no idea he’s even there. Which I guess is distinctly possible too.

As for Chuck, I don’t think we’ve hit a point where our détente is nullified. Yet.

But this behavior certainly is going to require some additional monitoring.

See you tomorrow.

j.s.