Of all the things I expected to find in my garage when I stepped in, a squirrel was not on the list. But I had left the garage door open for about ten minutes… And, it is that time of year, when squirrels go to the farthest reaches of creativity to stash a walnut for later.
So engaged was this furry friend in its task, that it did not notice me standing quietly, watching it make its way back towards the opened garage door and out into the sunshine. I checked in the wagon. Sure enough, there was a walnut right in the corner. Not a bad spot, if you have access to the garage. This is not a privilege I wanted to give our squirrel.
The other day I noticed a walnut neatly tucked under the seat of a bicycle, locked and standing outside. Perhaps the person hadn’t ridden in quite some time, and the squirrel stasher was quite confident his secret place would remain, or more likely he didn’t stop to consider that bikes are meant for movement – as the reasoning power of squirrels seems subject to some skepticism. But what they lack in power to reason, they make up for in creativity, courage, and industrious drive, I’ve noticed.
-Andrew, 10th St.
Washington School Neighbors is looking to publish stories about encounters with animals on its blog page. Old houses sometimes make for shared houses. If you have an interesting story about an animal encounter, we are accepting contributions. This month we will highlight squirrel encounters. Please email Andrew or Janelle: [email protected].