My precious Fan appeared today

I was sitting out on one of our rock walls with my trusty 300mm watching the Orioles, Catbirds and male Hummingbird, taking lots of photos that would probably be deleted once looked at. I was just having fun, doing something I do every spring since I could hold a camera and especially for the last decade, thanks to blip. Suddenly, I saw a chipmunk face poke out behind the big granite slab we have in back of our fire pit. The little eyes in the adorable face looked right into my eyes, in a way that made me look closer, wondering why the little one was so extra friendly. It turned and scooted off, but I saw the short tail, the tail that ends in a fan of darker fur and I hoped against hope that it was my late to show up this spring, tame chipmunk, Fan. 

I went in to tell T who was hard at work in the loft and came out again with some peanuts. I went to the back of the garden to another wall where I had seen her scoot to, put the peanuts down and waited. Sure enough she appeared, sniffed my outstretched hand and settled in, packing her cheeks. The tattered, sliced right ear, the fan tail and the open heart, my favorite little striped girl had emerged from her burrow. I suspect she was nursing babies and has now sent them off into the big world around Dogcorner Cottage.

She hasn't made it down to the patio yet, her burrow is in the woods on the other side of the barn, I saw her running toward it on her trips to unpack her peanuts. Finn, her suspected husband caught one look at her on the far wall and began a furious 30 minutes of chipping.  A shouting vocal warning I suspect, telling her he was the tame one now and the patio is his territory. I beg to differ, it's big enough for both.

Extra, Red-bellied Woodpecker papa and Fan

For the Record,
This day came in with a few rain showers, then turned into a glorious summer like day. It's pouring now with rumbles of thunder.

All hands wary.