Since retiring from teaching (two years come June) I am writing more, since my excuse of not having time because of how much time teaching requires is no longer my safety net of non productivity.
I diligently try to write from 9 am to 2 pm and even though the hubs will pop in and say a brief “hi” as he does retired guy stuff around the house, I have to say writing is quite solitary.
However, I have discovered writing has become less solitary since I have set up a bird feeder, birdbath, and squirrel platform outside my office window. My bird buddies, an ever changing rotation of chickadees, nuthatches, and sparrows brighten my day. The squirrel adds hilarity as it plots to get more than its fair share of birdseed.
The other day a white-crowned sparrow discovered the feeding station as well as wayward seeds on the windowsill. He hung out all day.
A personable sparrow
At times it seemed as if he was peering in at me. Wanting to encourage his return I sprinkled more birdseed on the window ledge. The sparrow did not return, instead the resident squirrel crashed the party.
Yes, it is big for a squirrel
I do not get as much work done, unfortunately, with all this distraction, but I did manage a blog post.
The upside of the rainy days we are experiencing is the snow has melted. Usually this is an inducement to get back outside and start walking once again. However, low temps and blustery winds are keeping me inside.
My YouTube walking workout is not the same as striding along the sidewalk and hiking along trails, but it’ll do for now.
I do miss being outside closer to nature, listening to birdsong, squirrel chatter, and watching the deer slipping in and around our yard. This winter we set out more food than usual for the critters and have reaped the benefits of armchair observing.
Here are a few favorite moments:
Outside my office window. One of our resident squirrels enjoying his bounty.
This guy will sit up in the apple tree as if he is surveying his kingdom.
Starlings have been attempting to bully their way into the feeding fun. Not my favorite bird but they were fairly impressive in their gathering.
*Oh oh, news flash–seven inches of snow expected to come in at 9 pm. Yikes! Hoping spring will rally forth soon.
Not sure if we have adopted a squirrel or if she has adopted us.
It began with me spotting a medium grey squirrel bounding across the lawn. A somewhat unusual sight. Deer are more frequent visitors. Squirrel activity diminished with dogs moving into the neighborhood.
Or so we thought.
Upon spotting the bounding squirrel I mustered up my squirrel call. You know the one, that high-pitched ch-ch-ch the do. Yeah. She was impressed and came leaping right over to me. She look fairly surprised to find me instead of a swaggering grey suited critter of interest.
Since then she has shown little fear of hanging out in the yard with us. Costco is making a tidy profit from the bags of peanuts the hubs buys for her.
She will cautiously approach us and grab a peanut from our fingers. Rolling and measuring its worth in her mouth she will then deposit it in some part of the yard. Digging like a little terrier she pats it in place with dainty satisfaction and traipses over for more. I split them open because once open she tastes that peanuttyness and snacks right on the spot, inches from where I sit on the bench. Syringa, does truly work for peanuts.
Now we have a couple of new additions. A tiny sable squirrel who discovered the neighbor’s squirrel proof bird feeder could not deter him. He used our fence as a diner freeway until trashing the bird feeder in less than two weeks. He has moved on the freebie peanuts laid out for Syringa. She’s having none of it.
Their tussles and chitterings range across the lawn and through the lily leaves. Entertaining turf wars at its best. We call this little guy Skitter, since he moves as fast as a drop of water on the pancake skillet. He’s too fast to snap a photo.
And a third squirrel has appeared. Yet, this one is a puzzlement. I notice it is small with characteristic squirrel gray coloring yet its eye rings are white like a chipmunk and so is its tummy. The legs are brownish. A hybrid squirrel? We’ve dubbed this one Buddy, as in “Hey, Buddy—what are you?”
The birds are beginning to vacate the area for warmer climates so there is less action at the feeder. On the other hand, the colder weather is ramping up squirrel activity as they gather nuts and bury them all over the yard. I find peanuts in my plant containers, in flower beds, and all over the lawn. How will they find them all?
Syringa will come over and spread out on the concrete like a dog when we are hanging out back. Classic splooting stance.Buddy infiltrating Syringa’s snack tray. Strange markings for a squirrel, wouldn’t you say?
Pam Webb 