humorous and TRUE, squirrel story

[Ben Rigsby]

when i was a kid a Grey Squirrel came in through the open front door of our village home one summer day.
this was (i think) during the famous 1976 drought.
when hosepipe bans/water rationing extended for weeks, levels in lakes dropped several feet, ponds and rivers dried up completely and uk supplies of sun tan lotion and shorts went thru the roof./
there was no rain at all here for weeks on end. older readers will remember it well!

perhaps the squirrel was seeking refuge from the searing heat or even water?
no idea.

anyway, my dad, sister and i searched from top to bottom of our 3 storey abode trying to find our unexpected guest.
with no luck at all. no glimpse or sound.

after a while we gave up. reasoning that since we had so many open windows, the squirrel had probably found its own way out.
so we all sat down on my bed for a rest.

then my old man noticed a prominent lump under the otherwise perfectly made blanket and bedsheet.
(duvets werent invented in our house yet)
he then ever-so-gently prodded the protrusion with his index finger and (wondering aloud) said slowly....

"whaaaattssss..................................... .......THAT???!!

we all jumped out of our skins as the squirrel shot out from under the covers like greased diarrhoea and exited the the window to the porch roof.
cheekily, it briefly posed there - as if giving us the finger.:
before bravely leaping into the upper reaches of our hazelnut trees.
many feet away.
it was amazing.

a very novel wildlife encounter eh?


love or hate em for being here but you have to admire S Carolinensis for its character and spirit.

ben

[~T~]

:d:d:d

[tufftie]

Heehee - I used to have one that came in on a regular basis ( we fed and looked after squirrels) and he made me jump a few times. He was very good though and never investigated anything with his teeth. On the whole they are very gentle animals.
I agree totally they do have a lot of character and strength

[Baby Sue]