Squirrels IV

January 15, 2011

One of the first things I noticed after getting my dog in August was the scurrying of the squirrels. They seemed to be frantically collecting. They were working very hard which I always admire but it seemed too early for such frantic activity. I was sweating in the August heat standing in place while they scurried to and fro.

Someone once told me that early food collection on the part of squirrels and other creatures is a sign of a long, tough winter. Forget the Farmer’s Almanac, watch the squirrels. Even ferrel cats grow thicker coats in colder winters. It seems that animals and the weather are all in sync. Somehow they know to prepare more.

Being able to drive to the grocery store in all kinds of weather reduces our need to be in sync with nature. We forget to see, acknowledge or follow the natural rhythms of nature, which other creatures intuitively know and understand.

My rescued dog was found wandering in August with a leash and collar. When I walk him now, he dives at food like he is starving. The vet says this is normal when dogs have been on the streets for a period of time.

This dog was outside during the hottest summer in recent memory. Despite this fact, his fur coat kept thickening in September (another hot month) to the point that he has almost a second coat of fur. It is thicker than I ever noticed on my other dog, an American Eskimo, a dog with a thick coat of hair. It was like was getting ready for life in Antarctica. Right now, he is happy walking in this freezing cold, loves rolling in the snow, and has such thick paw pads that the road salt is not bothering him. He is like a feral cat with his thick fur...

I thought about writing about the squirrels back in August, but thought it was a little crazy. My ego is still tied up in not looking crazy.

When I wanted to write about the squirrels, it was because the neighborhood ones had attacked someone’s fall decorations. Real women have clean, beautiful and well-decorated homes. Sometimes, they decorate with the colorful ears of dried corn and corn stalks. On one hot September day, three ears of dried corn were strewn about the open grassy plain. They had been mercilessly attacked and stripped of their corn. I assumed it was a squirrel attack but I have no evidence for my malicious comment. I walked past the dried corn cob remains several times wondering why they would want the dried corn when fresh food supplies were also nearby. I am not an expert on squirrel behavior but what I observed seemed to be too early, a little too frantic and sort of lacking discernment.

We had a hot summer, a hot September and a warm October. There were even days in the fifties in November and December. We all kept waiting for winter to close in with each additional warm day. In August, it seemed to hard to imagine a tough winter since last years was so mild. Despite this, the squirrels worked hard for some reason.

Despite my fear of looking crazy, I wanted to test my theory about the squirrels and weather. I mentioned it to a customer. Thankfully, he agreed with me. He said he saw squirrels in Maine collecting nuts the first week of August.

Since December 25^th, we have a few significant snowfalls. I am sure that there is 20 inches of snow in our yard. I can’t help notice that the squirrels may be right about the winter and it has only just begun. I think that I am supposed to write about the fact that the natural world is on the same wave length which we share but do not tune into. There is a rhythm and reason for all seasons.