One More Scene of Winter

Last Tuesday’s snow forecast originally called for nearly two feet of snow.  We didn’t receive that much snow, but there were about 10 inches in my corner of the world and that was plenty enough for me.  It was a dense, wet snow packed down by sleet.  JT and I stayed inside until the storm was over.  Outside, one of the squirrels that lives in my yard hunkered down in the dogwood tree.

The backyard squirrels love this tree.  On sunny days, they chase one another up and down its trunk.  But last Tuesday was not a day for playing games.  Squirrels and humans tucked in for the storm, which is likely to be our last storm of the Winter.  Soon enough, the squirrels will scamper around the green lawn.  I’m looking forward to it!

Meanwhile, in Squirrel News

I am confident that the squirrels who live in my backyard get into my garden and help themselves to the fruit on my trees.  Despite this, I find them charming.  On occasion, I have been known to set out a snack for them.  I did this a few days ago, when I placed a rotting mini pumpkin on the back deck.  It took the squirrels longer than I expected to help themselves but on Thursday morning I looked out the window and saw this.

I was only able to make one more picture through the window before the squirrel took his pumpkin off for some private dining.  

That’s happy!

Squirrel Antics

I like squirrels because they are cute and industrious, but I am not sure that I would call them clever.  Case in point: 

My backyard squirrel, Pesky, found this corn in the neighbor’s yard and brought it home to my yard for his New Year’s Day feast.  This happened before the snow storm but even so, he couldn’t bury it because the ground is frozen hard.  So he stored his corn in my flower pot, where no other squirrels will be able to see it.  This probably won’t end well.

He’s also hard at work on a nest:

Here again, his real estate choice seems somewhat suspect and fairly unsafe.  But he’s the squirrel in this relationship, so I will yield to his judgment.  In the snow, his corn and his nest was covered, so the end of this story remains a mystery.  Take care, Pesky.

Dogwood Monday: Week 5

This morning my local NPR station, in preparation for a story about continuing Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, noted that the opening of the Jersey Shore on Memorial Day is just 6 weeks away.  I was in the kitchen and immediately walked over to my calendar when I heard this announcement, which seemed patently unbelievable in this year of a very late Spring.  It would seem that my dogwood tree is attending more carefully to the calendar.   The recent rains and warmth have worked their magic, and the blooms are about ready to burst open.

Joining the dogwood in the backyard are some other blooms.  The fruit trees are greening up.

There are sunny daffodils lined up in front of the hosta bed.

In the garden patch is a lone daffodil bloom, a spot of brightness in my otherwise messy plot.  I didn't plant the bulb there and I suspect this is the work of my friend Pesky.

In the front yard, more daffodils are ready to open.  The tulips will shortly follow.  And the calendar does in fact promise that it's just six weeks until Memorial Day.  Given the degree to which these last weeks of class are an exhausting experience, that's a very good thing.

Squirrel Appreciation Day

Though the rest of American neglected squirrels in the excitement of Monday's Inaugural celebrations, around here we did celebrate National Squirrel Appreciation Day.  I set out some treats for Pesky to enjoy.

Pesky eventually brought his lady friend to enjoy the largesse.  Tiger and Lucy eagerly watched, intrigued by the outdoor creatures.

Before the celebration was over, more than half a dozen squirrels had turned up to score a share of the snack action.  I couldn't get pictures of them because they are skittish and don't realize that I mean no harm.  

I've a soft spot for the creatures who live in my backyard, even if they do eat my garden and snack on my tulip bulbs.  There's got to be some good karma in that.

Squirrel Action Shot

My old friend Pesky is seen here helping himself to a holiday treat in the form of tulip and daffodil bulbs that I planted in the month of December.  It's a lucky for him that I find him charming and that I employ a tolerant policy toward garden pests because this is the sort of behavior that could cause a squirrel some real trouble.

All Squirrel, All the Time

T has a pet sugar glider by the name of Zip.  He is about what you'd expect from a pet named Zip: small, fast, sassy, and charming.  Sugar gliders are from Australia (yes, he speaks with an accent) and are a form of squirrel.

Around Sassafras House, we find squirrels rather charming.  In fact, it might be an unhealthy obsession.  Zip may feel that way, considering the fact that I got T a chocolate squirrel for Easter. 

I'm sure she won't take a bite while Zip is looking.