Sunday, June 2, 2013

Raining Squirrels

 It threatened rain most of the past week and nary a drop. I kept holding off watering the yard all week thinking we'd get a little rain at least.  Yesterday I set the sprinkler and watered for hours. The ground was so dry it just kept soaking it up. It worked for Bluesun, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Today it rained most of the day.  Buckets of rain in the early morning hours.  I wonder what would happen if I watered both the front and back yards?

The three adolescent squirrels from the nest in the oak tree out front thought the sprinkler was great fun.  So did three from the neighbor's tree across the street.  Hey! let's play in the sprinkler!  Three more showed up from somewhere else close by.  Nine squirrels in one tree is apparently critical mass. The little buggers got very territorial all of the sudden. Squirrels in the tree, squirrels on the ground, squirrels in the wheel wells of the cars, squirrels under the cars. They spent most of the day chasing each other every which way, with occasional raids to the tree across the street, making little squirrel grunting noises most of the time. Most amusing.* Not as good as a litter of kittens, but I've no particular obligation to the squirrels, and I like it that way.

The BAR rules of cohabitation for urban wildlife are simple:
You are welcome to the oak tree.
As long as you stay out of my attic, I will not shoot you.

Belle kept commenting yesterday that maybe she'd get a squirrel feeder.
Uhm, no; and further more no.  One squirrel family in the oak tree is plenty.  We don't need a projek tree full of welfare squirrels.

Besides, someone has to clean up the gazillion acorns the oak dropped. The squirrels are earning their keep and full of squirrely self esteem and dignity.  Why would you want to take that away from them?


*Ever seen a squirrel get a water drop in its ear?  Little effer just about kicked his own ass out the tree head first trying to scratch it out.

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