Pretty Clever

My squirrels at work haven’t quite reached the point where they will accept a nut from my hand yet. They do stay put on the wall and wait for me feed them so I can get within a few feet.

Now that it’s getting cooler they’re coats are really thick looking and very pretty. I guess they’re filling in for winter. You should see them pose while they’re waiting for me to come feed them. So cute!

I know the general perception of squirrels is that they are dumb critters and yes, sometimes they do seem to be but I have to tell you that mine have learned a few things this summer.

First, they know I am specifically the person who provides them with all the yummy nuts. How am I so sure of this? The facility where I work has several separate buildings. I feed the squirrels in the closed in garden outside my window in the main office. One day I was leaving a different building and one of my squirrels was lounging on the fire escape. I asked her what she was doing there, away from her yard and told her that she was going to miss lunch if she didn’t get back where she belonged. Yes, you guessed it. I had a squirrel escort back to the office. I assume she recognized my voice since I speak with them all the time.

Second, they know which door I come out of when I feed them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve glanced out the window to see one of my buddies standing up, looking in the back door, waiting for me to appear.

But yesterday tops everything. I was sitting at my desk, working away and hadn’t realized how late it was. It was a nice day and the window was open. I kept hearing this odd noise, not really tapping but not scratching either. Eventually I looked. My squirrel friend was on the windowsill plucking at the screen to let me know I was overdue with her snack. Thank goodness that’s all she did. If she’d screamed or chattered as they sometimes do when they’re chasing each other around the yard I probably would have jumped out of my skin! I suspect she knew that which is why she went about quietly getting my attention. Otherwise, she would have missed out on her afternoon treat altogether. See? Not so dumb, is she?

Yep, It's Thursday

With all that happened yesterday and the aftermath today which is the equivalent of gawkers parading past a bad traffic accident, I completely forgot I got my summer haircut. What a shock it was to step into the shower this morning and find it missing. Of course that was after I already started with way too much shampoo for the little amount of hair I have left. Poor Mouse usually wakes me by tugging on a few strands and there’s not even enough for him to do that. Guess that’s why I woke to the sound of his meowed complaints instead. Maybe next I’ll play with the color. My only concern with this is that once you start you almost have to continue. I just don’t know if my attention span is long enough to deal with it on an on-going basis.

I work in an office smack in the center of downtown. Sounds bad but this particular office is located in a converted home. I sit between an eight foot window that looks out on a walled garden and a gorgeous brick fireplace.

There’s a squirrel who I’ve been watching for months. Now that the weather’s warm, I’ve decided to attempt to befriend him, much to the dismay of most of my coworkers. One woman went so far as to tell me she deliberately aims for them when driving. Hm, not something I understand. In fact, to me, that’s just plain cruel. They’re living creatures who aren’t hurting her in any way.

My friend Molly’s children just got a pair of rats. Ones that live inside the house. Ones that they’ve named and hold. Pet rats. She’s posted pictures if you want to see them. I’ve heard rats make cool pets but they’re not for me. Nope, I’d rather stick to my fluffy-tailed squirrel friend who lives in the yard. I’m sure by the end of the summer I’ll have her sitting with me at lunch, eating cashews out of my hand.