Most people like animals….
After all, animals come in all shapes and sizes:
Big ones. Small ones.
Furry ones. Nearly naked ones.
Loud ones. Quiet ones.
Hyper ones. Passive ones.
Ones with siblings. Party of one, ones.
Snuggly ones. Prickly ones.
Fragrant ones. Plain ones.
Ones with big poop. Ones with little poop.
Tall ones. Short ones.
Fat ones. Thin ones.
Ones who can swim. Ones who climb.
Sneaky ones. Obvious ones.
Colorful ones. Bland ones.
The point is, it’s hard NOT to like some kind of animal, there’s so much variety. They each have unique patterns of living which can be similar to ours. Seriously, have you ever watched an animal and said, “Huh. I have days like that. I can sympathize. Get in the car, we’ll go for a beer.”
We used to have a squirrel that roamed our backyard years ago. To be friendly, I would put nuts out for this little guy. He would pick them up every day and go off and hide them. Sometimes he would run up our waterspout to hide the nut. That wouldn’t be my first option for hiding a nut, but I’m not a squirrel.
He had nuts all over the place.
Nuts in the trees. Nuts under trees. Nuts in the flower beds. Nuts by the fence. Nuts under the deck. Nuts in the vegetable garden. Nuts under the front steps. Nuts in the neighbor’s yard. Nuts under piles of leaves. It was nuts, nuts, nuts.
How does he remember where he stored his nuts? It’s not like he has a Geo-Caching app on his tiny cell phone.
For example:
I’m awful with directions. Give me specifics like, “Go east on Route 25 until exit 4, then take a left on Water Road and go until you come to Pike Creek Road, take another left and the place is at 234 Pike Creek Road.”
I have no clue what those directions mean. If, however, you say, “Pretend you’re going to Target, take the exit ramp AFTER the Target exit, keep going until you pass the water tower and take the next left. Keep going straight until you see the yellow house that looks like a wedding cake and turn left again. The place is just down the street on your right, it has a big sign out front.”
Now, those directions I can follow.
But for a squirrel, they don’t use GPS. I bet they never find all their nuts. That’s why they’re hiding so many. They can only remember 3 out of the 10 spots where they’ve hidden nuts. Finding additional nuts is their version of a jackpot winning.
Their day job is twofold: find the nuts and hide the nuts.
I’m willing to bet, some of the nuts they find were originally found by them a month ago and hidden in that spot. In reality, squirrels are probably suffering from OCD:
“I’ve got to get the nuts. I don’t have enough nuts. In need more nuts. This is a good nut. Is it time for a treat? OH! Look at this nut, it’s a twofur. Do I have enough nuts? Where did I put that nut? Did I look here for nuts? I need more nut storage. Is it time for a snack? I need more nuts. Did Jack just take my nut? I think he stole my nut. Oh, here’s a nut.”
Do you think they remember some of the storage locations cause they’re stockpiling in the same locations? Or do you think they have multiple hiding areas incase of the Zombie apocalypse? Which for a squirrel, I’m not sure what a zombie apocalypse would look like.
Like the squirrel, I too, spend half of my life looking for things I’ve put somewhere.
The other thing I ponder about animals is why they choose to live where they live. Some things I understand.
If you’re a fish, you enjoy the water.
Barn Swallows call rafters and eaves home.
Tigers like steamy environments.
Cows prefer large open pastures.
Moles thrive under ground.
Bees choose hives.
Frogs, they prefer to jump out from hiding spots and scare you.
Backyards can be a haven for many animals. Birds of every type. (Although, I’ve never seen a Turkey Vulture in our backyard.) Squirrels. Chipmunks. Deer. Groundhog residents. Snakes. Some people get more extraordinary visitors such as deer, raccoons, opossums, and skunks. They come, they snack, they return home.
Or, sometimes they opt to make your home, their home.
The squirrel I was providing nuts for….he ended up nesting in our roof. My husband thought I was crazy when I kept saying, “Something is inside the attic, scratching to get out.” Now, I believe in ghosts, but I’m fairly certain ghosts don’t scratch around frantically with their nails. Besides, I didn’t hear any unworldly death moaning or ooooOOOOOoooo-ing.
Ever wonder what makes a homeowner say, “Well now, that’s something?” when pondering the backyard animals? It usually happens when wandering around the yard a hole is discovered next to the garage or house. And I don’t mean a hole from using a garden stake to hold up the tomatoes.
I’m talking.
A. Hole.
A. Hole, that you’re not about to get down on all fours and look into up close.
You do what any reasonable person would do. You fill in the hole.
It reappears.
Now, it’s not a sink hole, nor is it part of the Andreas Fault line. The hole is definitely a doorway and if you look close enough, there’s a tiny welcome mat and house number.
What’s perplexing in these situations is the universal question:
Why live with me when you have an abundance of wilderness not far from here?
Looking at The Hole, it’s easy to rule things out. Definitely not a duck, deer, wild boar, or mountain lion. Pretty sure, it’s not a chipmunk, pygmy goat, Tasmanian devil or bunny rabbit. Which, looking at the neighborhood, it comes down to four possibilities:
- Opossum
- Skunk
- Groundhog
- Raccoon
After conferring with the neighbors, everyone agrees:
It would be best to have a groundhog, but the chances are slim. The groundhog prefers the garage and the neighbor’s backyard shed.
Well, then maybe it’s a raccoon. Has anyone ever seen a raccoon in the area? Yes, in fact on my morning walks I’ve seen a raccoon. I’ve seen two raccoons in town…and unless they were coming home from the bar at 5:30AM, I’m pretty sure they were on the prowl for an easy late-night snack à la trash receptacle.
Whatever happens, just don’t let it be a skunk.
The morning after removing the critter’s welcome sign and encouraging eviction and relocation via hole filling, it becomes quite obvious. The winner, winner is the stinky critter.
The definition of “perfume ode de toilette” takes on a whole new meaning as you open the door. Currently, I’m not looking for a scent that includes the descriptive wording of, “wild, wilderness musk.” Although, this scent, if I do say so myself, is both memorable and lasts all day.
Ponder Me This....Musings on Life 