Squirrelly

There's a little squirrel hanging around our place.   

I see him (or her?) going back and forth with spruce cones- over the fence on the pond side, under the cottage, and sometimes even on the other side of the cottage by the boats.  You can recognize him because he's got white fur on his back.  I wonder where he's putting his cones for the winter.  He's so busy.  He doesn't seem very scared of people.  When K was working on his boat, the little squirrel came right up on the side deck. I saw him there too.  Then a couple days later, on the back patio, he ran right thru my legs into the breezeway and went under the cottage!

Without our cat Lisa, who was very good at killing mice, voles, squirrels, birds, etc., K suggested setting a rat trap (like a giant spring-type mouse trap).  I feel sad to kill the little squirrel, although I know they can cause all sorts of damage.

Seeing that squirrel makes me think of the seasons. I didn't grow up with "seasons" so never really thought much about them.  I remember wanting to wear sweaters for "Back to School", but it was always way too hot.  When we lived in Irvine, CA for 3 months, K missed the changing weather. I enjoyed the continual sunniness. Now that we've been here for almost 10 years, I've come to really enjoy the seasons. 

They bring a nice rhythm to the year.

 Watching that little squirrel getting ready for winter also makes me think of the White Stripe song  "Little Acorns". It talks about a squirrel storing up acorns for the winter and if the little squirrel can do it, so can we.  Although I'm pretty sure the song isn't about getting your chores done before the snow comes, it does make me think of all the things we need to do to get ready for winter. (Cue list of home improvement projects- We need to finish the soffits and fascia (to help keep out squirrels along with snow which seems to blow right through them), the eaves troughs, and some cedar shingling.)

Enjoy the last week of summer! :-)