Red Squirrels - Neighbors from Hell

Red Squirrel Watercolor Acrylic Sculpture by countrymousestudio

A while ago, Ratty's blog Everyday Adventurer did a feature on Red Squirrels which reminded me of what difficult neighbors they are.
We moved from a very busy urban life to a cabin along a lake to find some peace and quiet.   We didn't know that a Red Squirrel already lived there.  I was used to them chattering at me when I went for a walk in the forest but knew little else of them or I might have changed my mind.

From the moment spring arrived, the squirrel was present and first light, each morning until sunset at night, everything that moved caused it to chatter angrily.  If you went outside, it chattered as loud as it could until you gave up and went back in.

I was determined to live peacefully with the annoying little thing until I put up my first bird feeder.  The previous owners had attached the feeder to the clothes line strung across middle of the yard.  Turns out  this squirrel would take flying leaps off the roof or tree branches until it could land on the feeder.  I spent weeks trying to find the exact spot to move this feeder where it couldn't reach.
There was a small 2 foot area it could be hung in that the squirrel couldn't reach but sometimes the wind would blow it out of that safe area.  The other problem was if it couldn't reach it, the squirrel just chattered more and more.  When it did reach the feeder, it would sit on the roof  chattering and attacking any bird that attempted to land. So to resolve the situation, I'd move the feeder so the squirrel could eat, then would refill it and move it away so the birds could eat.

Later, I foolishly planted a garden, which it also claimed.  It ate anything that grew above ground.  I never got a single pea, bean or strawberry.

It did give me two  very special memories though:
1. The neighbor boy discovered her nest full of babies in his attic and brought one over for me to pet before replacing them..  We noticed they were full of fleas (maybe that's why they were so irritable)
2.In the fall, it picked mushrooms and hung them on the tree branches to dry before storing them. At first, I thought my husband had done it as a joke but we watched and when the mushrooms dried, the squirrel gathered them all.
I never knew any animal did that.

For some beautiful photos of Red Squirrels go to Ginny's Blog 

Just found a site that sells squirrel proof bird feeders http://bromebirdcare.com/

Cute Squirrel & Tracks , Watercolor Animal Nature by countrymousestudio
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Watercolor Cute Red Squirrel Animal Nature by countrymousestudio
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Cute Squirrel & Tracks , Watercolor Animal Nature by countrymousestudio
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Smile for the Day

 

Raven

There has been a lot of articles lately written on crows and ravens but when I saw this video from Russia  I just had to share it.

It's only 57 seconds long

http://youtu.be/3dWw9GLcOeA

After the Storm

I don't normally take photos of the sky as my camera isn't great but we had a storm front pass through dropping snow and when it passed, we got about a half hour of clear skies before the next front came through.

I put the two photos together

It was much more impressive in real life

Fluffy white between trees is next storm front moving down the valley

The snow is supposed to come tonight so we'll see how much more we get.

Saving money on Bird Seed.

When I first put out the chick scratch instead of bird seed, the Mourning Doves were impressed.  They called their friends and relatives to the feast.
I had no idea there were so many in the neighborhood.

This was only half of them.  The other half were down eating. 
I may not be saving money after all.

Mourning Dove,Turtle Dove by countrymousestudio

Watercolor Mourning Dove, Turtle Dove by countrymousestudio

Special Birthday Mourning Dove, Turtle Dove by countrymousestudio
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California Quail in an Apple Tree

You know how the song the Twelve Days of Christmas has a partridge in a Pear Tree?

Well, I don't have one of those for you but I do have a Flock of Quail in an Apple Tree.
They are hidden pretty well so it might be hard to see them. I know when I looked out the window they sure surprised me and then brought a smile to my face.
They seemed convinced that I couldn't see them there.

It's hard to believe that this is the last post and photo for 2011.

I wish health, happiness and prosperity for all of you in 2012
Thank you for your interesting posts this year.
I am blessed to have met all of you and thank you for your comments.
I appreciate it very much

Favorite Christmas

This is an old story that has been going around for years but it's my favorite.

Grandma and Santa Claus

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.
I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered.
"Even dummies know that!"
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her
that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew
Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went
down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-
famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because
Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I
told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she
snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going
around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your
coat, and let's go."
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second
world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General
Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about
everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten
dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she
said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you
in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.
I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother,
but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed
big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas
shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-
dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.
I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors,
the kids at school, the people who went to my church.
I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby
Decker.
He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind
me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a
coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the
winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he
had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a
cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill
with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked
real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the
counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I
replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."
The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really
needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the
coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.
That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out
of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper
and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove
me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was
now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I
crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then
Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered,
"get going."
I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present
down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of
the bushes and Grandma.
Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door
to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.
Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent
shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night,
I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what
Grandma said they were -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and
we were on his team.
I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

I wish all of you a wonderful, blessed, joyful Christmas.