Saturday, March 17, 2007
It’s becoming Spring. Tonight, during a walk, Bob and I saw a lump in the grass. It was a big brown lump. Could have been one of those piles of dirt the gophers pile up, or not. But it did seem to have a biggish clod at one end, and that clod did seem to be elongated. Maybe it’s a rabbit! The best way to be sure would be to approach - if it moved, it was a rabbit. But even on the (slow and quiet) approach, it didn’t move. However, the clod did melt and resolve itself into a rabbit, as we drew closer. And, when I passed it by, saying we didn’t need to make it move to establish that it was a rabbit - then it hopped away. So, it’s spring. We have seen the return of the rabbits.
We have also seen the return of Squirrel and Jay. I think it’s the same squirrel all the time. He just seems to know the yard so well, and there’s never more than just the one of him. And, he does seem pretty friendly with the jay. Today, they were hopping around in the same tree for a while - almost like they were playing tag in the branches. The bird is lighter (I think), and he does have the possible advantage of wings. However, the squirrel has better balance, as far as I can tell, and he has a very good grip with his 4 paws. I don’t know who won.
I watched Squirrel for a while, as he was puttering around in the garden. One thing he does love to do is dig holes. They start out little holes, and he digs at them. His paws go whap, whap, whap, and the dirt flies behind him. Then before you know it, his head is invisible in the hole. He keeps digging, and you can’t see his shoulders. Finally, he’s not digging so much as drilling himself in. You can see his body, not just getting into it, but a ripple as his hind end sends his front end further, and further, and further into the hole. Then, he’ll back out, and pat, pat, pat the ground until he’s satisfied that it looks smooth and even again.
One funny thing Squirrel did today was when he was harkening up the tree. You know how a dog looks, when he wants the squirrel who has just run into the tree. The dog puts his paws on the tree, and leans his whole body against the tree, and stretches, and barks and barks, and demands that the squirrel come back here! Well, a squirrel can do the same thing - except I don’t think there is a dog in the tree. Today squirrel was running around, and running around, then he turned and looked up the tree. He put his paws on the trunk, and stretched, and looked up. What is making that noise? Is it - I think I see it - it must be - and there it is - Nothing! So he turned around and hopped in one hop across half the garden, ready to be distracted by anything else.
We have also seen the return of Squirrel and Jay. I think it’s the same squirrel all the time. He just seems to know the yard so well, and there’s never more than just the one of him. And, he does seem pretty friendly with the jay. Today, they were hopping around in the same tree for a while - almost like they were playing tag in the branches. The bird is lighter (I think), and he does have the possible advantage of wings. However, the squirrel has better balance, as far as I can tell, and he has a very good grip with his 4 paws. I don’t know who won.
I watched Squirrel for a while, as he was puttering around in the garden. One thing he does love to do is dig holes. They start out little holes, and he digs at them. His paws go whap, whap, whap, and the dirt flies behind him. Then before you know it, his head is invisible in the hole. He keeps digging, and you can’t see his shoulders. Finally, he’s not digging so much as drilling himself in. You can see his body, not just getting into it, but a ripple as his hind end sends his front end further, and further, and further into the hole. Then, he’ll back out, and pat, pat, pat the ground until he’s satisfied that it looks smooth and even again.
One funny thing Squirrel did today was when he was harkening up the tree. You know how a dog looks, when he wants the squirrel who has just run into the tree. The dog puts his paws on the tree, and leans his whole body against the tree, and stretches, and barks and barks, and demands that the squirrel come back here! Well, a squirrel can do the same thing - except I don’t think there is a dog in the tree. Today squirrel was running around, and running around, then he turned and looked up the tree. He put his paws on the trunk, and stretched, and looked up. What is making that noise? Is it - I think I see it - it must be - and there it is - Nothing! So he turned around and hopped in one hop across half the garden, ready to be distracted by anything else.
