54 delicious degrees on the Front Porch. A bit of a foggy morning. Quiet, too. Unusually quiet. Does the fog do that? I sat out there till my fanny went numb. Glad I lingered. Having just decided not sit there any longer, I turned off my camera, picked up my phone and coffee cup, looked up and spotted a tiny red squirrel in the neighbors yard. Twitchy little guy. Never still for a second. He darted across the street into our yard and up a tree. How I wish I had my camera on. He proceeded to scamper down the tree. Then back up the very same tree. He launched himself onto the limb of a neighboring tree, scuttled down the trunk then beat feet over to the next tree. Up the trunk. Down the trunk. Hopped gracefully over some downed tree branches and through a pile of leaves to the next tree. Darted straight up about 15 feet and here's where my head replays, everything, in slow motion, what I wish I had video taped. He leaped for a branch that proved to be just out of his reach. Realization set in about half way thru his jump. He quickly contorted his body to prepare for a landing on a lower limb. Limb is too generous a word for the puny twig he finally landed on. It bent under Red's weight, slung him back and forth a couple of times, hind feet and tail flailing in an attempt to find something, anything to grab a hold of. Maybe it was all that thrashing about that caused the little guy to lose his grip, I really can't say. But on a downward sling, lost it he did. He was unceremoniously flung to the ground where he landed in the pile of leaves at the base of the tree. Red, being such a twitchy little thing, instantly poked his head out of the leaves, executed a quick series of glances in every direction, decided the coast was clear and shot back up the tree. In a matter of seconds he disappeared into our back yard via the tree branches. After I quit laughing at the little guy, I realized I had just learned something. I have long wondered if squirrels, chipmunks and other such tree-climbing critters ever fell from the trees. I can now say without a doubt that they do. May your life be blessed with many delightful and entertaining critters.
LIVE LAUGH and LOVE Travelers!!
