Squirrelly

A warmer than normal December, including a balmy, green Christmas, has given us a rather frigid start to January. Wind chill temperatures have been below zero degrees Fahrenheit all week, save Sunday, which was warm and rainy. It's been a good week for staying in and eating soup... and things smothered in red chile sauce, things like enchiladas, scrambled eggs, and chicken Alfredo.

On my way to the shower late yesterday morning, I stopped at the upstairs window with my camera, just in case my little Fairydiddle should chance to be hanging out in the weeping birch where I so often see him. I was surprised to see a gray squirrel instead, perched on a knothole, enjoying a black walnut breakfast.

I wondered where the usual tree resident was hiding, or whether the gray squirrel had taken over and chased the little red squirrel away. I gazed into the upper branches, not really expecting to see anything, but there he was, looking down on us, me, and the gray squirrel on the knothole below still munching his black walnut.

Red squirrels may be small but they are mighty and fearless. He didn't waste much time getting himself down to Mr. Gray's breakfast table. I couldn't keep up with him once he got running. He took off after the intruder, nipping at his heels and chasing him around the tree trunk until Gray gave up, scampered down the trunk, and took off running across the yard to the safety of an entirely different tree.

Once Mr. Gray was thoroughly banished, Little Red climbed back into his tree and out onto the look-out branch just to be sure. It's probably a good thing I don't speak "squirrel" or I might have been embarrassed at his scolding, (Perhaps it was a good thing window was closed and I couldn't hear a thing.)

When he was altogether satisfied that Mr. Gray wouldn't be making a comeback, Little Red climbed up to Gray's previous perch, had a look around, and then settled himself into the open knothole. I'm kind of curious what he's got stashed in there...

Today Little Red was out munching on a black walnut at Mr. Gray's previous breakfast table. I even opened the upstairs window to take his photograph this morning, not because it's any warmer out there, but because my windows are so dirty. He sat there nice while I was quiet, but as soon as I said, "Hello, Little squirrel!" he took off. Ha ha!