THOSE DARN SQUIRRELS

We have one very insistent squirrel. He first appeared at the diner mid-late Summer last year. He is missing the final quarter of his tail so we dubbed him Stubblefield or Stub for short (forgive the pun). This guy seemed to get along with the siblings as there didn't seem to be a lot of aggressive behavior between them. One thing he picked up on very quickly was the habit of the siblings particularly Izzie to come up by the deck slider and prairie dog for peanuts. This made us wonder if he is an old visitor or even Rolla. Throughout the mild times during the Winter and especially now, Stub and the others are at the screen. 

It has not gone unnoticed. I've witnessed at least 3 nose to nose encounters separated by a screen and glass door between Stub and Buddy. Last evening before supper, I was on the couch hanging out when I heard Buddy make a series of high pitched calls. I turned around and outside, sitting upright with one claw in the screen, staring at Bud was Stub. It was straight out of a Sergio Leone flick where two strangers, one newly arrived in town, take an immediate dislike to each other. They engage in a series of escalating public encounters: few words are ever spoken, it's all in their eyes, the hard glances, the body language. In a meeting in the street, both men are in motion, never stopping and as they pass, one spits out tobacco juice. This will come to a head and will not end well for one.

Buddy hasn't gone outdoors yet-we're waiting for warmer weather. We have no idea how he is going to behave but all indications point to Bud being a major predator. But, we have witnessed in the past how squirrels delight in tormenting kitty kats. We hope that they will, at best, come to some sort of detente.