SKY THE SQUIRREL

  

Sky with missing piece from tail, Mamachuck keeping an eye on things.

We were having supper last evening at the dining table watching the comings and goings of our wild friends in the backyard. Two of what we believe are squirrel litter mates were scrounging peanuts and sunflower seed around the giving stone. One, who had come from the East to rescue his mate during the bugtussle with Mamachuck, was sporting a 3" rectangle missing from tail. In fact, all the hair was gone all the way to the bony tail spine. We speculated as to the cause of removal: a big fight with another species or some kind of adulthood initiation like a notch taken from an ear in humans. At least with their species, the hair will grow back. 

We bantered names- literary: Noam Chompsky; ironic: Lucky; basic: Chunk and imagined the two siblings discussing the tail incident: 

"You're lucky to be alive" snapped his sibling. "That's what you get living off to the East by yourself. Strength in numbers, you idiot". 

Over the days, I noted a behavior quirk: he often looks skyward. Sometimes while he is on all fours while snacking, other times while prairiedogging. I named him Skyeye or Sky'ye or just plain Sky. I wonder if his tail wound was caused by an avian or is he just a curious guy?