Feathers or Fur?

Clearly they are feathers, but the clump at top left hangs together like fur. I found it on the porch when I took Spike out for a Kong fetching session. These feathers are all I found, but I don't think the discovery bodes well for the fate of the bird that wore them.

It's been a very quiet day. Progress on the lots to either side seems to be two steps forward and one step back. Yesterday out little lane was full of cement trucks and very long flatbed trucks carrying bulldozers. I met both coming and going. Cement was poured in the foundation trenches to the west, and an even larger earth mover was delivered to the site perched on the rock cliff to the east. 

Today all is quiet again....

The sun sets at about 6pm now...progress! Our lovely sunny and mild weather continues, causing drought worries to rear their ugly heads in some quarters. 

The officials in charge...there seem to be armies of them at all levels of government...are cautiously optimistic that the current covid surge (the 4th?, 5th? since the beginning of the pandemic on my birthday almost two years ago) has peaked and is beginning to subside. The hospitals have coped pretty well because although omicron is much more transmissible it is much less severe for those who have been vaccinated,  90% of the hospitalized are unvaccinated. I can't think of a more stark illustration of the advantages of vaccination, but the number of those who have chosen not to do so has barely budged.

A report from the secretary of commerce indicates that the country is likely to grind to a halt due to 'supply chain issues' and the fact that we as a country do not make anything anymore. A huge shortage of chips is affecting everything from electronics to cars here. A couple of plants are being built to manufacture them here, but won't go into operation for another two years. 

Like the trains and their tracks that have been replaced by automobile choked highways, the signs of 'progress' seem to show that we are going backward.