It's Finally Friday!

You couldn't tell by the weather, but autumn is on it's way. These pine cones are starting to turn now. They have a lot of sap all over them. Not really sure what that is for. Just a couple of weeks ago, these pine cones were still green, as you saw with my pic of the baby praying mantis. This pic is actually the exact same pine cones that the mantis was on.
I was out Tuesday evening trying to get more pics of the Sharp-shinned Hawk, but when I did get a glimpse of him, he was too far away. So I wandered over to a walnut tree that is on the Maddox's fence line. I saw two of these nests side by side. Thought it might be something other than a spider making the webs.
Until I saw this little guy adding to the webs. Apparently this is his winter house.
I can't let a post go by without putting one of my raccoons int here, if I have a picture. They are starting to get used to me standing in the doorway taking their pictures. This one, shortly after I took the picture, decided (s)he would use the food dish as leverage. Wrong thing to do! The dish flipped over off the step, onto the raccoon. It wasn't really sure what to do for a moment, then started eating what had landed on the patio below. This one is not Taffy. Taffy's tail is very thin, not fluffy. This one and the one that was with it both had bushy tails. Maybe Taffy's babies, but I'm not sure. I know I have at least three raccoons that visit me. Taffy and two that have the bushy tails. Don't know yet if they are male or female.
I got this shot of the woodpecker yesterday afternoon while I was fixing dinner. I'm not sure if it's a Downey or not. I know that there is another that looks similar, but I don't know the difference. I had the camera on the counter set for a hummer, which I never saw. There was a Black-capped Chickadee out there at the same time, but too briefly and hidden at the wrong end of the feeder. I would like to get a shot of a Chickadee, as I haven't gotten one yet. Soon enough, I suppose.
I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to let my recipients of the award know it was here for them yesterday. As soon as I posted, my mother called needing me to pick her up from her luncheon up town. Her classmates get together on the third Thursday of the month and have lunch at Karen's Kafe. Only the ones living locally, of course. Next month is their 50 year high school reunion.
Gonna get off here for now and clean up Michael's disaster area, better known as his bedroom!
Love Ya
Lisa