Call me daffy, but I love to watch squirrels, and so does my
little cat, Boo. He spends hours jockeying for a spot ,in the sunlight,
by the patio door, to watch his buddies brave the elements
just to get seeds.....
I gave them peanuts the other day..and darn if I didn't see the
furry thing dash across the snow,then begin digging furiously in the snow
until only his ears appeared.....he was burying his peanut....is that nuts or what?
He almost buried himself. It was 10 degrees out
But that is the charm of these little beasts....free spirits of the garden
who go about their business ignoring me until I get too close
but showing up at my window with hopefulness in their eyes for a handout
Sure they dig up my pots on the deck
sure they eat my tulip tree flowers
sure they knock over the birdbath EVERY day
sure they dig up the ground stashing things like seeds and nuts
But they plant trees, too...did you know most oak trees started growing
because of some nutty squirrel doing what he is driven to do?
Why you might even say he's a fellow gardener ..hee hee
They bring me joy
and that is enough, isn't it?
and besides.....they are wild animals
whose habitat happens to be my garden
coexist, I say
Dear Suz, Oh no, I cannot share your love of squirrels. As each month passes, their number increase and they are expert bulb lifters. Nothing deters them and destruction lies in their wake. I do believe that they are God's creatures and must be allowed to co-exist......but please can they be confined to your garden not mine?!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh Edith
ReplyDeletejust plant more bulbs :)
love you
I'll take yours, no problem
I suppose if I had a very formal garden, it would bother me these pesky digger
but in a natural setting
they fit right in
ying and yang
I am so fascinated by those little guys. I love watching them run around the yard, jump in trees and fluff their tails. They have sweet little hands.
ReplyDeleteHave a fun weekend.
Dogwood..you are so right..it is their little mits
ReplyDeletedrives boo crazy...them eating seeds right in front of him and there isn't a darn thing he can do about it!
Yes, they bury them in the snow and sometimes eat them as the snow melts. It is a way to put some aside for use later when there are no more nuts on the ground or in the feeder.
ReplyDeleteWe feed unsalted peanuts in the shell and also shelled ones. They actually prefer the ones still in the shell. But they will eat the shelled ones and they also love black sunflower seed that has been hulled so that the only part left is the center meat part. They love that as do almost every known bird, including robins.
I left you a comment about handwriting under your comment and brought part of it over here in case you don't get back over there.
You should be on the lookout for some old diaries and notice how elegant the handwriting is. Or on those I have seen it was beautiful and just a German Baptist family diary. He would record how long it took him to drive his horse and buggy from the farm into Dayton, Ohio. Several hours. And then back again. It was an all day trip and the horse had to be cared for as well as the people in the buggy.
Cohabitation seems a good word for getting along with squirrels in winter. So true.
ReplyDeleteWe've both been having squirrel visitors! :-)
ReplyDelete(there are photos of my cat Sammy and his squirrel friend posted on my incredible joy blog.)
I love the photo, it is a really good one!
Oh this is the best thing I had read all day. I too love to watch the squirrels. I have walnut trees in my backyard. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for them, I also have a squirrel hunter named Annie. She is a black lab mix you can see a picture of her on my blog. I fact, I have all my animals on a running slide show there. I need to rig a camera up because the coexistence between my dog and those squirrels is genuinely comic. Annie can clear the yard in half a second flat and boy do they see her coming. It is a riot. I wrote a poem about them you might enjoy. http://www.livinginthemiddle.com/2011/01/skiouros.html It really has to do with the kids in my area that shoot them for the heck of it. I am trying to teach them to enjoy them and leave them be.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo! Great new camera! Great photographer!! What a great picture. You know, I guess they don't remember where they buried those acorns and nuts. Thank goodness for some - that's how the new trees grow.
ReplyDeleteKristen...another animal lover..and not just of the tame type...squirrels, so misunderstood..like rabbits..I like them too
ReplyDeleteI will visit your poem
Annie, she is only doing what she is called to do...I'll bet it is a riot and much joy to watch
Joy comes in so many packages...lucky us who see it
I love 'em too! I gave you one of my weekly awards and you can collect anytime you like.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogging!
Came here by way of Everyday Goddess
ReplyDeleteand I'm glad she does this every week...picks out the creme de la creme.
You love gardening so much, that God MUST love you even more, for that--taking care of Creation..doing the 'people' work.
And squirrels are 'fellow-gardeners'? I could use a couple--do they pull weeds?--grin!
PEACE!
We don't have squirrels in NZ and I was so excited to see them in London. They are very friendly in Hyde Park.. because visitors like me are so delighted to see them.
ReplyDeleteSuz,
ReplyDelete"and that is enough, isn't it?"
Surely, it is.
rel
hi suz,
ReplyDeletei tried to find your email so i can give you the html code for your goddess award.
contact me at:
elisehingson@gmail.com
i will help you with adding it to your blog.
Squirrels are so industrious... I could watch them for hours too.
ReplyDeleteI now have a pet squirrel named Rocky. Several weeks ago I rescued one - you can read about it here: http://backdoorlogic.blogspot.com/2011/01/adventures-of-rocky-frozen-squirrel.html
The squirrel is doing well, he survived but his house didn't make it through the heavy snow that we've had... he is back in his tree house but comes to my yard for nuts.
Don't you love happy endings?
Dr. M & I love squirrels too! We take many pictures of them out back eating bird seed - the silly birds knock the seed out of the feeder, so the squirrels don't even have to try to climb up to get any :)
ReplyDeleteI love the squirrels! They are hilarious as they go about their busy days. We also watch rabbits here...we seem to have hundreds. The kitty's favorite afternoon activity is watching them out the window as they munch away on the lawn (they help to keep it mowed!)
ReplyDelete