There's been a fair amount of noise coming from my house the past few weeks what with nail guns and table saws and tile saws and sledge hammers and the full-throated roar of a diabolical air compressor that knows the exact instant you've relaxed your guard.

And yet, the neighbors are being wonderful. Well, most of them. There's one guy who lives behind me who, and I am not making this up, stands by the fence and gobbles like a turkey, as loud as he can, when my contractor and I try to talk.

And then there's the guy in the photo, a 50-pound uncomfortably large squirrel, who races down the tree to shout mean things about my color choices, and then give me the finger.