The Autumn crop of acorns seems to be arriving pre-baked! Perhaps our unrelenting heat, with many, many days above 100 degrees, stoked the stove and took it's toll on Nature's fruits and seeds. They look so different this year - hardly a touch of green, mostly golden to deep rusty brown, expanded in girth..........ready-to-eat.
I have a zillion squirrels in the garden. I've always wondered why I never see a tiny baby one, they are always fully grown. Glancing out the kitchen window this past week I did catch this little guy though. It was definitely teeny, perhaps half the size of the usual ones sitting and munching on the deck rail.
I fell in love immediately, grabbed the camera, and quietly raised the window blind to get better shots. He saw me, but didn't jump on the oak tree and skitter up the trunk like the older squirrels do. He sat chewing on a piece of bread...........
............maybe pre-baked, ready-to-eat acorns were unappealing to a youngster with baby teeth. He made eye contact with me.
I loved the 'littleness' of him, the tiny ears and paws, long whiskers, the beautiful very bushy tail gently balancing and then curling around him.................but what made him perfect was that bright and wonderful sparkle in his eyes. In fact, he was so adorable I know I'll easily forgive him if and when I spy him on the bird feeders gobbling up the seed!!!
Do you enjoy watching squirrels in your garden or a park? They are smart animals and always fun to watch at play.
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