Several years ago Kenneth built a sandbox for Steven to play in. To keep the cats from using it as a giant litter box, he made a nice top for it so we can cover it when it's not in use.
This winter, even though it has the cover firmly in place, it has become the home of a little red squirrel. It squeezes in through a crack that has appeared in the one corner.
We have been entertained watching it as it gnaws the shells off of walnuts until they're small enough to fit inside. It tests the size every couple seconds in its hurry to get inside safely out of reach of the bossy bigger squirrels.
There are several other bigger kinds of squirrels that come visiting the walnut tree as well. They're equally as entertaining to watch.
Between all the birds and squirrels to watch outside the kitchen window, it's almost a wonder that any of the other rooms in the house get used.
One of the bigger squirrels taking a rare quiet moment before darting on up the tree to retrieve another walnut.
Once spring arrives and the little red squirrel moves from its home in the sandbox, we'll be getting rid of the sand and possibly the sandbox as well.
As long as they don't try living in the attic or elsewhere in the house, I actually really enjoy having squirrels around.
I used to love squirrels and think they were really cute until they tried to gnaw their way inside our camping trailer through the steel frame in the floor. Happily they never succeeded, but they drove me crazy all summer. Every morning, right underneath the bed,we could hear them gnawing on the frame. They were particularly bad that year. Other people had to go out their doors wearing bowls or pans over their heads because the squirrels would sit up in the trees and hurl pinecones at them. No kidding! I don’t know what was wrong with them that summer. That was two years ago and they haven’t been that bad since.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Betsy
We have a small city park cross the street from us home to a female squirrel and her babies I think she has had 2 or 3 litter of babes because she chases the older one's out of it when she is getting ready to have new one's. It fun in the spring, summer and early fall to watch them explore(the babes that is).
ReplyDeleteI bet they are a joy to watch and much better than anything you can get on TV.
ReplyDeleteWe love squirrels! The market up the road from us sells raw peanuts, and we go trough several bags season. The squirrels bury them all over the yard; we get lots of plants but our ground is too solid for them to grow. One year a tree in our front yard fell down and we cared for three tiny "kittens", nursing them with syringes until they were old enough to release. My sister would have had a fit. She loathed the things!
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