Around the yard of my house we have squirrels. We have hickory, oak, and mulberry trees (or something like that) in the back and they attract these critters. The ground this year is littered with acorns and the little fuzzballs have been busy burying things.
They have grown brazen, too. This year one of them is attacking my one of my flower pots on a daily basis, turning it over and digging out the dirt. Every morning I find it tipped over and I put the dirt back and right it, only to have to do it again on the morrow. The pot has some hen and chicks in it or I would just bring it inside.
Another, or maybe the same animal, ripped open a bag of mulch I had left on the deck. This surprised me. Maybe there was a grub worm in the mulch? In any event, there was mulch all over the deck yesterday morning.
Our squirrels are gray squirrels or red squirrels. They are quite large. I kid my husband and tell him that when we are old and poor (because goodness knows there isn't going to be any safety net for us like our parents have had) we will subsist on squirrel if he can still see to shoot them. I have eaten squirrel but I was quite young and I can't recall if I liked it. Probably not as I am not fond of wild game.
I enjoy watching the squirrels out the window. They are not quite as difficult to photograph as birds, and certainly not as hard to get a picture of as a chipmunk, but they still scamper quickly and do not stand still if you open the back door for a clear shot.
However, if I venture to the edge of the lawn where the trees are, and stand very still for 10 minutes or so, I am usually rewarded as the squirrels venture out. They keep a safe distance but continue with their day so long as I don't make much movement.
We can learn a lot from a squirrel. I suppose if I put more acorns aside every year I wouldn't worry so much about eating rodents when I am old. However, unlike an acorn, money doesn't just drop off of trees.
It's also probably safer if you put your money in a jar and bury it like the squirrels do the acorns. For sure the banks aren't safe anymore!
Okay, I am rambling so I will stop now. Thank you for reading and have a good day.
If we had a keen vision of all that is ordinary in human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which is the other side of silence. - George Eliot
I think most squirrels probably forget where the heck they buried their acorns/nuts anyway.... hope you don't forget where you bury your money jar!
ReplyDeleteWe have fruit trees and blackberries...and the odd tomato during the summer. Hope I don't have to end up eating squirrels. Do you think I would get sick of pies and jams?
ReplyDeleteOddly enough we don't see numerous squirrels in our neighborhood, which is more rural than my mom's home in NJ. I just spend last week there and watched several of the grey ones digging in her back yard and they were very brazen and hardly ran off when I chased them. But, I did not have my camer along for any photos.
ReplyDeleteCute photos! We have a lot of squirrels in my area, and they seem busier than ever this year.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures, Anita. The squirrels certainly can be pesky, but I must admit that I find them amusing and enjoy watching them. They are bold and cheeky little critters sometimes, though.
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