After another cool, gray morning, I opened the door to invite in the afternoon sunshine. Sam Cooke was on the CD player, and suddenly the garden was full of bushtits, those tiny birds that come and go so quickly, in packs of fifteen or twenty at a time. They frolicked through the branches of the thinning birches for a few minutes, then sailed away to their next adventure.

Their visits are coming less often now, but they're always a welcome diversion. They chatter to each other ceaselessly, and once in flight they seem to bounce on the air currents. It always cheers me up to see them come and play for awhile.

They stayed a little longer than usual this time. I'd like think that the mellow sound of "Nothing Can Change This Love" had something to do with it.

My favorite waste of time got even more seductive today. TiVo downloaded software that allows me to record two channels at one time, or watch one and record another. Since I have two VCRs, that shouldn't have thrilled me as it did. But knowing I can watch CNN and MSNBC at the same time, and have slow motion and instant replay on both, makes me oddly happy.

Plus, I'm already paying for the service, so getting a new feature without giving up anything is like getting an extra cherry in my Shirley Temple.

I have no intention of watching CNN and MSNBC simultaneously, by the way, but I might just want to watch Friends and Survivor at the same time. That is, if we ever get to the point where we can take both eyes off the news for an hour at a time.

The Sounds of the Seasons channel is currently playing Bavarian folk songs and German drinking songs. The sound of yodeling echoes through the lodge here, as we pretend to prepare for Oktoberfest.

I tried to stay away from CNN today. I couldn't quite do it, because that's where the information is, and information is our best weapon. The more we know, the better we can figure out what to do. The trouble is, not all of the information is helpful. Some of it is wrong, and how do we know how to tell?

So I didn't obsess over the news, the way I've been doing. I just turned on the TV, picked up a few new facts (or someone's ideas of what the facts are), and then turned away. There's only so much you can sift through at one time.