Our street is extremely busy. It’s four lanes, and one of the major through streets of our town. It is not unusual (though highly illegal) for cars to do fifty and sixty mph. If one of the squirrels is trying to cross the street, it can be deadly…and often is.
Most of the neighborhood has at least one complaint against these little pests. However, they don’t care. They show us just how much it bothers them daily.
Hanging Squirrel: I’m not talking about the “get a rope” kind. We had a bird feeder in the back yard. Our cat likes to watch “bird TV,” and would sit for hours staring at them. The squirrels, however, got more of the seeds than the birds did. They would hang upside down from the tree the feeder was in and fill their cheek pouches. That is why I used the past tense. In the end, the squirrels destroyed the plastic feeder.
Wire Road: The phone wires in our back yard form a roadway of a sort for squirrels. What’s really amusing is when they have an orange from our neighbor’s tree in their mouths while they are trying to run across the wire. They never slip, but it is hilarious to see. The orange is half the size of the creature carrying it.
Avocado Thieves: I love avocados. I love them so much, I planted an avocado tree. What I did not know is that squirrels love avocadoes. I also did not know they feel they should take only one or two bites out of each one before moving off to the next one. I wouldn’t mind so much if they ate the whole thing. Instead, they ruin about half the crop.
Tree Planter Extraordinaire: Our neighborhood used to be a walnut grove, and there are still plenty of the trees around. The squirrels grab the nuts and naturally bury them. However, they don’t always remember where they buried them and we have walnut trees springing up in the oddest places. Usually they spring up in places I really don’t want them, like in a flower bed next to a concrete walkway.
Despite the problems they present, I enjoy watching the little rascals. We have a pair that live on our avocado tree, and they climb up and down it all day. I get a good view of them from my seat, and they always make me smile.