… the roses, as that old cliché tells us.
But, for my furry friends … it is all about the peanuts.
I feel badly I’ve not been to Council Point Park since last Sunday following my two River treks. In essence, I’ve been two-timin’ Parker, since I began sharin’ the love with Grady.
But, this week’s horrid ice storm, which left every inch of concrete coated in ice, had me rethinking any trips to the Park, or anywhere else for that matter. The ice event was treacherous, but breathtaking, as the trees and bushes shimmered, their bare branches encased in ice. I enjoyed the view through the front storm door window. I couldn’t have ventured out, even if I wanted to, as the freezing rain sealed my screen door shut. And when I did head out the door, that snow was just as slick, though it was a better bet to trudge through it, rather than on ice. I heard the crunch-crunch as my heavy boots plunged through the icy snow while I made my way to the garage to run the car, then back. We had a brief warm-up yesterday and the sun came out – yay! It melted most of the ice and today’s brisk breeze dried everything up … the wintry mess is all gone for a couple of days, until the snow returns late Sunday.
This furry fellow is so cute and cuddly looking.
Thursday morning was still slick and dangerous with glare ice galore. I opened the screen door and laid peanuts on the porch and the brick ledge, then tucked five more in my pocket for the opposite end of the ledge for when I went outside. I caught a glimpse of Grady watching me from the tree across the street as I doled out his breakfast. Next I saw him descend that tall tree and race across the street. As he headed up the driveway, his paws were skidding this way and that – wouldn’t you’d have thought his claws would act like ice cleats? I went and grabbed the camera to get some pictures of Grady through the glass.
Usually, I toss out the peanuts, then shut the door and head downstairs to grab my coat and boots to go outside. But instead, I surprised Grady by staying there at the door.
He was alone and paused on the porch steps where his eyes lit up just like a kid in a candy shop when he saw the extra peanuts I gave him for Valentine’s Day.
I realized Grady didn’t know what to make of my appearance there, but I swear I could hear the gears clicking in his brain. He was thinking “well that looks like Linda, but where are her feet?” [Hidden behind the door.] Or “Linda always wears a black hat – what is brown on Linda’s head?” [Hair.] “Why is Linda staring at me like that? [Because I want to take some pictures of you to share in a blog post.]
Grady continued to study me, perplexed why I didn’t close the door, but instead I continued to watch HIS every move.
He paused on the porch momentarily, deciding whether or not he should risk his life in case I reached out the door and grabbed him and pulled him indoors. [It is tempting sometimes because you’re so cute Grady.]
Part of what endears me to him is that he is so tiny that he hops and jumps to move along quickly.
He is such a timid little soul and I know he wanted those peanuts so badly he could just taste them. I talked to him through the door and said “go ahead Grady – I’m not going to hurt you!” He gave me one more look, almost like a lamb being led to slaughter, then finally made a dash to the corner of the porch, under the stoop, where I pile the peanuts so the squirrels and birds are protected from any swooping hawks. He was also out of my range of vision so I had to wait until he emerged in the middle of the porch again, where he dragged out a mess of peanuts.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Well he didn’t stay put for more than a second, then dashed over and grabbed a couple of peanuts and ate those on the porch steps.
He then decided since he had quite a pile of peanuts, and no one to share them with, why not hide a few?
So how did that work out Grady?
His first stop was the neighbor’s tree, where he paused, with a peanut in his mouth, but where was he going to put it?
Soon he began beating a path, grabbing a peanut, then running, mostly hopping, down the driveway, his little paws persistently going out from under him on the ice.
Grady does get an “A” for effort though, as he inspected all his favorite digging sites around the front yard, and the neighbor’s property [well, they’ll like me a lot won’t they?]
Grady even ran across the street to a spot by “his tree” but no go. Finally, he determined the ground was frozen. I suspect he was a loss where to hide those peanuts, so he tucked them here and there into the snow.
Or he figured he would just go ahead and eat them as Linda will give him more tomorrow. [Cute and smart!]
I think the weather will be better than originally predicted and the streets and sidewalks are clear after that warm spurt yesterday. I might have even done a short walk this morning but the wind was gusting from 20 to 30 miles (32-48 km) an hour and I didn’t want to roll along like a tumbleweed.
Tomorrow I’ll get down to the Park and lavish some attention and treats on Parker and his buddies. Thankfully he lives a mile from the ‘hood and won’t find out about “The Other Squirrel”.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I can’t imagine your rolling about like a tumbleweed!
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That was really stretching it a little wasn’t it Anne – I probably could not have done in too many decades to mention!!
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It was an excellent word picture!
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Dear Miss “Two-timer”………………………………..my favorite picture is seeing Grady jumping in the air…………………………enjoyed it!
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Hi Ann Marie – I was happy I got a picture of his jumps. He literally goes airborne, whether it is in the snow or the grass. He reminds me of a pogo stick!
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Linda
This Grady lives an adventurous life- across the street? Not on your trees?
And he has a white collar and white outlines on his tail fur? At first, I thought it was snow sticking on his hind legs but it is white fur- probably to camouflage him in the snow?
Does he eat biscuits?
What about the other squirrel ?Does he come too ?
I love the way, he tried to hide his nuts- for a later day. Wonder if the squirrels ever get back to what they have hidden and remember where their safe deposit lockers are.
Susie
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Hi Susie – At first I thought he lived in the backyard. I just have small trees in my backyard, and they are not trees I planted, they are trees that grew from seedlings behind my metal shed. When a 39 mph windstorm took out my shed and sent it tumbling across the yard about four years ago, I was amazed to see those trees had grown behind it between the shed and the fence. I saw him in the backyard when I was taking photos of the snow on the roses. I now see him in the tree across the street – there are several nests there in that tree, so I suspect he uses one of them.
I don’t know what happened to the fox squirrel (who looks like Parker) … he has not been showing up, but now cardinals and blue jays are showing up to help eat peanuts. Grady was lucky yesterday – it was just him and he had a great time, believe me.
He is much smaller than Parker, more the size of the black squirrels. They are more compact, long and lean and his fur is nice because as you noticed, he has the white fur on his front and on his ears. He’s fluffy looking. And he hops, almost like a rabbit. He was so funny yesterday. He really didn’t know whether to trust me through that front door … he watched me looking at him through the window, and was very cautious and finally decided it was safe and he could proceed for peanuts and I wouldn’t grab him or hurt him.
I felt badly the day we had the freezing rain/ice storm. I could not open the door and I suspected that might happen, so I went to open the door before sunrise so he would not see me open the door and come over and I could give him nothing. I did not set foot out of the house that day – you could see the ice was still pretty thick and slippery. Articles say that squirrels do remember where they hide their peanuts and tree nuts, and I don’t doubt it as they seem very intelligent, notwithstanding when they cracked into one another the other day in their zeal for peanuts. They were anxious for peanuts … poor things. I hope one of the other walkers took them some peanuts this week. I doubt people were walking down there until the ice melted though – it is treacherous. I will go tomorrow for sure. Thank you again for Lori’s site info – it looks like enjoyable reading Susie.
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It’s nice he got some Valentines treats and no competition for them. I think he is learning he can trust you…..and I can just picture him skidding along that ice! Most of ours has melted and I could have walked too, but it was way too windy.
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He is so very skittish Joan and I am guessing it is due to his size, compared to the fox squirrels. The other fox squirrel hasn’t been around lately … hope it is just because he stays up in his nest and not because of one or more of the Coopers Hawks. Grady’s feet were going every which way on the ice and at least he does not have as far to fall as we do, but I watched his paws and feet skidding more than a few times. No use putting ice melt product on that ice – there was just too much of it. The ice melt is good in that it doesn’t ruin the concrete but it is not effective either. I try to leave a thin layer of snow on the porch so our mail carrier can get some traction – she fell a few times when we had that bad ice storm during the 2014 Polar Vortex and we had glare ice on the driveways and sidewalks for weeks on end. She has a bad ankle on top of it, as she took two falls off someone’s porch last year … she finally reported their uneven and crumbly concrete and got a waiver to stop delivering and they had to pick up their mail until it was remedied. I was sorry to see that gusty wind Friday morning when it was so clear out and it would have made a good walk, even though it was a little chilly. All systems are go for today. 🙂
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Linda your last 2 comments to me on DAbbey and Susan Branch went to spam again, so I’ll reply here. Yes Susan Branch’s life looks cozy and perfect, but I wonder if she ever sits down with a cup of tea and rests. She has a tremendous output with 3 illustrated journal/books (and a 4th due out next year), calenders, mugs, blogging twice a month. Maybe she is one of those people who are just endlessly creative (like you!) but the watercolor painting alone must be time-consuming. I think I might blog on one of her illustrated books for my next Literary Salon. Put them on your reading list for someday…..I think you would enjoy them.
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I wonder why those comments went to spam Joan – I can’t imagine anything strange or spammy about them?? Thanks for your compliment and Susan Branch has talent beyond what I could ever imagine … it is everything she touches! I look at her house, even the little vases on the window ledge – everything is just cozy and inviting. Even Jack the cat looks perfect, like she painted him in place. I will have to put her on a reading list someday. I discovered Susan Branch through one of those page-a-day calendars I bought for work years ago. I loved it – all the quotes and watercolor drawings. I’ll look forward to reading your review of one her books.
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What I find funny is that Grady hasn’t learned that the ground was frozen. Unless he forgets each day?
I too thought his claws would give him great purchase on the ice. I worry about him crossing the road! I hope he looks both ways!
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Yes, I kept watching him try to dig … do you think it is an instinctive behavior for them or any wild animal that forages, in that they eat their fill, then store away the rest? There are two guys at the Park that feed the squirrels and they said to me, if the squirrels eat some peanuts, then leave some, they are not hungry so they won’t give them more. One guy even picks his peanuts back up if he sees this happen! Well, maybe that’s true, or maybe they go to alert the others about a new food source, if they don’t see all the other squirrels at ground level. I would have thought Grady would have a better grip on the ice too. You could see in these photos how bad the ice was, even in the street as they never salted the street. It was treacherous. Most was glare ice so no traction – the bumpy ice, like on the porch where the mail carrier had left her mark with her boots, was a little better. I try to leave a little snow where she has to walk. I worry about Grady crossing the street too – he saw the door open, down the tree he went and just runs across … same worry with Parker … they are on auto pilot and not heeding traffic.
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The other day my husband and I heard this song on the radio and I thought of you and your pals. LOL
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yset_ie_syc_hp-s&p=mississippi+squirrel+revival#id=4&vid=c593c442336837383d9b63e17ce4eb63&action=click
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Ha ha – that was hysterical Ruth. I wondered what happened to Ray Stevens after his big hit “The Streak” … I can imagine one squirrel wreaking havoc in a church like that … thank you for sending this to me.
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So glad you liked it Linda. 🙂
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This is nice work how you rolled out these things thanks for sharing
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Thank you.
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LOL – “The Other Squirrel” made me chuckle – he’s a lucky guy. I’ll be back to see “How the Peanut Turns”! Stay safe, and enjoy your walk, the critters will be happy to see you, too!
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I love that … “How the Peanut Turns” … I may just have to use that line one day Shelley! You and I need to start ghost writing quips for one another – we’ve already traded a few. I had a nice walk, albeit cold at 24 degrees real feel, and then the the unexpected snow came twinkling down in abundance – grrrr! For a little while I thought I was in Wisconsin!
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LOL – yes, we are quite the ghost writing pair! Glad you had a nice walk. It was a high of 12 here yesterday, but sunny. Today, more snow…that trip of ours can’t seem to come soon enough!
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You really need it after your Winter … we’re getting 1-3 inches of snow today starting late morning/early afternoon … there are varying reports … Accuwether says in 65 minutes. The worst of it is another ice storm on Tuesday night – might make for pretty pictures in the early morn with the full moon, but we just got everything melted and cleared up and here we go again. SMH.
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Ugh…I feel your cold weather blues! It’s snowing here again, too.
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We need a “dislike” button … it’s snowin’ up a storm right now here.
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Oh, no, sorry to hear that! The storm missed us this time. But there’s always more week left for a storm to find us!
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Started snowing last night around sundown …it has not stopped, but a light snowfall, not the heavy stuff. I could not match your deck time-lapse photography with the snowfall thankfully. I’ve not looked or heard snow totals for us …. they are just mentioning snowfall for the northern ‘burbs as they get it worse. Tons of accidents … thank goodness for working at home for both of us. I can remember long bus commutes to get to downtown Detroit … I got my best reading done, unless a bus didn’t show up, then we stood up, hanging to the grab bars and packed in like sardines. That might make a good blog post – hmm.
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Bummer on the snow. Mr. just told me we have 3-4 days predicted this week for 3-5 inches of snow each round. I think February is going out like a lion. I’m with you there – thank goodness we work from home. This week though, I have several meetings scheduled where I do have to venture out. We’re quick to cancel them for bad weather this season, so we’ll see how the week unfolds. Stay safe! Happy Monday to you!
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Fingers crossed you can cancel those meetings Shelley. Winter is wearing on me and ours is not as severe as yours, plus we had almost six weeks with just cold and no snow/ice in December/eary January. Stay safe too.
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You have two families and they both love you!
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And the family members at the Park aren’t shy about expressing that love. 🙂
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You have captured some absolutely great pictures of these squirrels !! I have so many of them in my yard always all over my trees and they move sooooo FAST! Great photos and Great Post !!
https://jessierenea.com/despite-the-haters-be-great-anyway
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Thank you Jessierenea – they pose better than the birds who don’t like to hold still for too long! They sure do move fast unless you start feeding them and then they’ll slow down and be your pal for life. I just read this link you sent me – thank you. Those are good words to live by if you’re going to make it in this world!
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Lol you pick the hardest creatures to take pictures of is what it sounds like and you are GREAT at it ♥️ thanks for visiting my post too!!
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You’re so welcome – I will pop back and visit again soon.
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Same! I look forward to reading more posts from you! I appreciate your positive energy!
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome ❤️
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I love all the pictures……
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Thanks Eliza – happy they gave you a smile. Who in the world does not like squirrels? (Except maybe when they dig up your flower gardens?)
Years ago my father planted tulips all over the yard in the Fall and in the Spring, no tulips came up but squirrels had dug them up and were chewing on them and discarding half-eaten tulip bulbs all over the place – oops! I think I should make that story a blog post, but I don’t want to hate on the squirrels. Enjoy your weekend! With our time difference, your evening is about winding down … I have been picking through pictures from today’s walk and hopefully can get a blog post done tonight.
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I’ve been feeding the squirrels at my mother-in-law’s assistive living place sunflower seeds. How anything survived the recent arctic blasts is amazing! (Many people don’t realize that global warming causes colder winters in the midwest U.S.)
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Another blogger told me she feeds sunflower seeds to her backyard squirrels and they love them. So for Christmas I decided to treat my fur pals royally … they WERE supposed to share their treats with the birds, but I suspect that never happened: https://lindaschaubblog.net/2018/12/23/seasons-eatings-2/
One of the meteorologists I follow has been a weatherman for 35 years. Paul Gross is very interested in climatolgy and he attends many conferences through the year and has won many awards for his papers and studies. He is always preaching to us that due to global warming we are having these erratic weather patterns, including the temperature swings, like a 70-degree swing in temps, you no doubt experiences in Chicago two weeks ago. And the colder Winters. He promises there will be other Polar Vortexes like we just experienced … if you lose any plants, don’t bother replacing them. I lost a ton of perennials and bushes in the 2014 Polar Vortex … my roses rallied back, but I thought they were goners. And we lost 95% of the invasive bugs as well I’ve heard – stinkbugs may be eradicated by the recent Polar Vortex.
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😂 Your passion about not letting the other know about “the other squirrel” is so heart warming. It feels like Grady put on an extra show for you that day 😁
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Thanks Zena – glad you liked that line. 🙂 One blogger commented “I’ll wait for the next episode of ‘As the Peanut Turns'” … we had a soap opera here called “As the World Turns” … it was on for decades. That Grady is so cute, I want to scoop him up and bring him inside.
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So funny! Now you are “cheating” on Parker with Grady. At least they both appreciate all of your efforts. I never knew squirrels would skid on the ice. Grady let you get some good pictures of him today. He is a cutie!
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Yes, “cheating” on Parker. I wouldn’t think squirrels would skid on ice either, but this was glare ice. You could see the driveway and the street in the picture, mostly glare ice with the occasional bumpy ice – the porch was not too bad – Grady could walk there and the steps. He is very cute, so petite and timid, yet very inquisitive. I was warming up the car to take it for a spin and he was watching me from high on the ledge … he won’t come near me, but it’s like he wants me to know he is there and acknowledging my presence.
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awww go, Grady, go!
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He knows how to “work the porch” doesn’t he?
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