This morning, a water colour sky and I have had to rig up a screen to reduce the snow glare through my window.
Now I can’t see what’s going on in the driveway, but if it’s anything alarming the cats will let me know.
They won’t exactly stop at my desk to announce the threat, but it’s hard to miss the stampede of tiny feet fleeing the room.
.
Wednesday morning at 6.30:
The day after our last snowstorm, there had been not a squirrel in sight.
This happens, from time to time and I have always assumed that they go to a conference.
No doubt working on their strategies:
“Tap on the door and look needy.”
“Ask nicely.”
“Good morning missus!”
“Could we please have some nuts?”
“It’s alright to beg.”
“Missus, I is so hungry!”
“And it’s very cold out here!”
“Our tummies are all empty.”
“Try desperation.”
“I brush the tears from my tiny face….”
“If all else fails, be assertive!”
“Missus! I know you got nuts in there!”
“We need them now!“
Dee Dee’s eyes nearly fell out of her head.
“Don’t you let that thing in here!”
She ‘s a bit fed up these days.
On account of our other breakfast guest.
Who has begun to take liberties….
His Nibbs is a cool operator.
He comes to stare in at us. That little face in a window.
Magically, one morning he found his way inside.
The boy made a beeline for the sofa where I was sitting:
“Well hello! It’s awfully nice to see you!”
Which he demonstrated with loud purrs and head bumps.
“Oh you are just the best!”
30 seconds later:
“Thought I would stop in to help you with leftovers.”
Muffin was not at all pleased with that.
“Those are my leftovers!”
She pretends to be choosy about her food, turning her nose up at the wide variety we offer.
The leftovers are scraped into a bowl and placed conveniently below her favourite perch.
Most days I see her grazing happily, at leisure.
“Well, you know, it’s the blend of flavors that make it palatable.”
This particular day, Dee Dee was deeply affronted:
“Chewing his feet! On my sofa!”
It was all too much. She left in a huff.
“Swell! All mine now!”
This was still in the buttering up phase.
Coincidentally a cold, snowy day.
On a sunny day, he’ll take himself out to do yoga on the porch.
Before rushing off to another adventure.
This day, though,…
…he discovered the gang had been having a catnip party…
So he helped with those leftovers too.
His Nibbs seems to have decided life is pretty good when you have a nice warm home rather than a barn!
That squirrel should win an award on his/her acting performance š. Oh, and His Nibbs … he looks way too comfortable in your house – I don’t blame the other residents for being a bit annoyed with him!
My mother-in-law lives on a the edge of a large housing estate in Hertfordshire. But her house backs on to extensive woodland that goes for two miles. The local squirrels soon discovered that she puts nuts out for them eveery day, (peanuts in shells, and walnuts in shells) so have taken to tapping on her window if she is late feeding them. Sometimes there are as many as 12 of them sitting on her back fence. They watch the bolder ones tap on the glass, and when she opens the patio door, the really brave ones will come into the house and take them from the floor.
Best wishes, Pete.
Do British squirrels fight a lot? They are terrible here, even when there is food for them all. Many years ago, on Long Island we could feed squirrels at the door. They didn’t even seem afraid of the dogs. In Washington once I was out in the yard with a bag of nuts in my hand and a raccoon came and grabbed it from me then sat eating the contents.