i like squirrels

Some people don't like squirrels. I know that now, but it took me by surprise when I showed this photo to a couple of friends and they got foamy at the mouth just from looking at this cute little critter.

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When I was twenty one, I lived next to a city park. There was a guy in the field house that worked there for years and years. He fed the squirrels regularly. These creatures were so sweet and docile, that I would bulk quantities of nuts and hand-feed the squirrels.

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Years later, I imagined that I would like to see the same thing at my house. But I had to change my mind when I saw the damage they did to my front lawn. Plus, I learned that some people have had squirrels damage their homes and make their way inside. No sir, that's not for me! I will tolerate them stealing from the bird feeder, but we don't need to have anything clawing and tearing holes to get inside my house. I am happier keeping my distance, thank you very much.

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People have asked for my photos before, and that always makes me feel good. But once, while visiting someone's house, I noticed one of my squirrel pictures nicely framed, and on a shelf. That kind of stuff motivates me to keep on hunting for good images.

squirrel man

Yes, I realize this photo doesn't look normal. Here is the back story... A squirrel hibernates in a radioactive vent from your local nuclear power plant. Later, a young man goes to the park to feed the squirrels, and gets bit by the glowing furball. Next thing you know, this dude is climbing walls and snacking on acorns! Can you see a greenish glow about this guy? It's not because of the new green screen toy I recently acquired... nooo, it is because of the radioactive glow.

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It was not as easy to "find" this as I originally expected, so I do not know how many more such scenes we will happen upon.

just out of reach

This squirrel was gorging itself in this tree. Here, you can see it getting ready to consume one more tasty red morsel. Our squirrel leaned as far as it could and pulled the branches closer to reach the prize. Sometimes, I wish I could do that for the weekend -- just streeeeetch out and pull it closer. This weekend, I'll be hanging out with close friends, worshiping in community with local saints, and hopefully taking a Sunday afternoon nap. But at the time of this writing, that feels juuuuuust out of reach.

red squirrel

[click photo to enlarge]

Meet Nick. (So named because of his right ear.) I have no illusions about keeping wild animals as pets, though I was once party to the domestication of these fluffy rodents at a local park.

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Years ago, I discovered that a worker at a field house fed the squirrels every day. They became so friendly, I frequently enjoyed hand-feeding them, myself. I could sit on a park bench, put an almond on my shoulder, and a squirrel would walk right up, take the nut, and eat it right there, next to me. They took them from my hands all the time. I'll bet if I was patient enough, and had no regard for common sense, I could have even held one of these squirrels.

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They were red squirrels of course. Gray squirrels are more skittish, and black squirrels are very rare in these parts.

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Yes, I said almonds. That seemed to be their favorite. I used to make bulk purchases of almonds in the shell, and hang around with these guys. (Since I worked night shift back then, I didn't have much of a social life.)

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Then I got married, became a dad, switched to days, and became much more sensible. These days, I don't try to train or domesticate them, though I occasionally leave mixed nuts out on the deck. My wife and kids try to recognize and remember who's whom, and they even give them names. This is the first time I've named any of the local squirrels.

photo hunting

Do you see what I see?

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Black squirrel. Rare 'round these parts.