Pilchard knows there will be a squirrel to watch. She's taken to sitting by the back door. If I were to open that door and ask if she would like to come out onto the deck with me, she will run back into the house. I'm not upset by that. There are ample places about the house to lie in the sunshine and, eventually, the windows will be opened for fresh air. (Yes, I still have my snow shovel upstairs. I'm not moving it until Mother's Day. I'm superstitious.)
A month ago, I moved a small plant stand I got from my mother into the office and tucked it under one of the windows. It's the perfect height. Covered with a towel, the cats can sit and look out or sleep while being next to me. Often when I'm playing World of Warcraft, Pilchard is asleep in the chair to my right, but Mija would have to sleep on the rug. She didn't really like that. With this set up, she's asleep to my left and Pilchard is asleep to my right and all is right with the world. It's also the perfect place to look at squirrels.
I piled a bunch of peanuts right at the end of the deck rail, right outside the window. This little guy knew right where to go to get them. He would snatch a peanut and run away. Then he realized Mija couldn't get to him and he took to eating the peanuts where you see. Eventually, he depleted the pile.
It was very interesting to watch. He looked kind of mangy at first, but then I realized he is shedding his winter coat and will look really scruffy for a couple of weeks.
He got kind of used to me aiming the camera out the window at him. I'm intrigued by how smart he seems to be. It took him about 3 peanuts to realize Mija couldn't get him so he would take his time to remove the rest and then sat there and ate one. That's a taunt if ever there was one. He took off, at first, when I pointed the camera at him. But, he realized, about the same time as he realized Mija couldn't get him, that I couldn't get him so he took his time.
My friend, Patt, had a squirrel she fed on the way to her office. They are vermin. They will give outdoor cats fleas. They can be highly destructive to new plants or electrical wires or insulation in your attic should one get inside, but they sure are darned cute. I don't think the girls would know what to do with one, other than chase it, if they caught it.
At noon, a couple hours after he had cleared the deck of peanuts, he was back, just to bask in the sunshine.
I'll wait a couple days before spreading out more peanuts.
Beverage: Huckleberry tea
Deb
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