Making mischief – Part 2.

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Linda Schaub

The sign in front of the house read “Welcome Little Monsters” and seeing this sign gave me a chuckle because, just down the street, a squirrel was wreaking havoc with a harvest display – boy, would those homeowners be mad when they came home! They would not have to wonder what “little monster” had come trick-or-treating early, because the teeth marks, big bite out of the pumpkin and pulled-down cornstalk pointed to the obvious: a squirrel had come a’ callin’. Yes, this squirrel definitely did more damage and plundering than the other squirrel I wrote about in this post back in September.

In Canada, they use a British term … “little bugger” when describing someone who is mischievous. My parents sometimes called me a little bugger if I tried to do something I knew I wasn’t supposed to be doing. But, that someone doesn’t necessarily have to be a human either. It might be your dog, or your cat, even the backyard squirrel that tips your bird feeder upside down to rake the seeds to its mouth with one paw, by using its claws as a scoop.

So, whether you were labeled cheeky, a rascal, a hellion or a little bugger when you were young, likely that moniker was all in fun. Now this squirrel below was a first-class little bugger and I’ll show you why.

It was a beautiful day and I took the long way home from the Park. I was short on scarecrow and Halloween decorations pics to pepper throughout my Fall posts, so I thought I’d stroll through a different neighborhood and get some shots before the elements ravaged the harvest décor.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see much harvest décor since I paused for about fifteen minutes to watch this Fox squirrel ravage this harvest display in record time.

As I neared the display, I saw a crow scarecrow and hoped I could get a close-up of it, so I stopped. I circled the display to get the best shot and the first thing I noticed was the chunk of pumpkin missing. Then I looked a little closer and saw the bushy tail hanging out of the cornstalk on the left side.

At the back of the display, while viewing the mischief that had transpired there, I was greeted with a steely gaze when the cornstalks rustled and a head suddenly popped out from between the dry leaves. Obviously I had distracted this squirrel from retrieving the Indian corn embedded in the cornstalk. [I wish some of the photos were not so dark, but there was a huge tree nearby.]

Thinking I was a force to be reckoned with (or I wanted some of the Indian corn for myself), he scrambled over to the other side, where he shot me a rather defiant look. Well it was déjà vu … a rambunctious squirrel, a crow scarecrow and pulling on the cornstalk to retrieve a cob of Indian corn. It was so similar to the other mischievous squirrel scenario, right down to the pained look on his face like “do you have a problem with me?”

I have to admit the pair was photogenic.

For a minute, I thought he was taking the high road by jumping off the cornstalk onto the ground, but that wasn’t his motive at all as you will see shortly.

I stepped a bit further back so I could take a picture of the other pot of white mums which went flying when he jumped off the cornstalk onto the bale of hay where the pot was sitting. Nice going!

The mischief-making was not over yet. He was ready to try the other side of the cornstalk for any Indian corn he might have missed.

But this time he could not scale the cornstalk using the hay bale, so he had to make a maneuver … could he make it and jump that high?

Well, he made it as you see below and I guess it is more enjoyable to eat your breakfast upside down hanging from your feet. I prefer to eat my oatmeal by sitting in a chair … just sayin’.

He scrambled around to reach all the Indian corn he could find and something tells me he was not about to leave until every last cob was eaten.

If anyone wonders who ate all the corn, I’m sure each of these corn-lovin’ guys would point at one another and say “he did it!”

About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and in 2013 I decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things seen on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, so my blog is peppered with folks I meet or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post. I respect and appreciate nature and my interactions with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. I retired in March 2024 after a career in the legal field. I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, primarily working in downtown Detroit, then working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Mass Communications (print journalism) in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I would like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met, shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy. I hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
This entry was posted in nature, walk and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

39 Responses to Making mischief – Part 2.

  1. Kate Crimmins says:
    October 29, 2019 at 9:16 am

    Great pics of a fun squirrel!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. incahootswithmuddyboots says:
    October 29, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Cute!! What great pictures, Linda! I can believe how the squirrels mess with those Halloween displays! 🎃

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      October 29, 2019 at 9:13 pm

      Thanks Sabine – glad you liked them. This squirrel was really a little devil at that display and the cornstalks in back were already sagging and pulling apart from his weight on them. I should have gone back the next day and checked out this place to see if the homeowners just took the entire display down. A few years ago I was walking down the street and saw a trio of black squirrels climbing all over this display on a homeowners’ porch – you can see them in this header pictures: https://lindaschaubblog.net/2016/11/01/sometimes-you-feel-like-a-nut/

      Liked by 1 person

      • incahootswithmuddyboots says:
        October 29, 2019 at 10:44 pm

        Well, I have to say that our West-coast squirrels seem to have better manners! At least the ones I’ve encountered. Lucky for you Linda that you have black squirrels in your area. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      • lindasschaub says:
        October 29, 2019 at 11:39 pm

        I agree with you Sabine – our squirrels misappropriate everything for their own use and benefit! Those black squirrels are rambunctious in their own way – in that post, they believed in the adage of safety in numbers. On their own, they are timid. I got some cute black squirrel photos to use in an upcoming post, but I’ll give the squirrel posts a rest for a bit.

        Liked by 1 person

      • incahootswithmuddyboots says:
        October 30, 2019 at 12:12 pm

        Who knows if our squirrels would do the same if given a chance to destroy such a display! I think yes. Squirrels will be squirrels! 😂

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Laurie says:
    October 29, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    Wow! What great photos. You are a wonderful visual storyteller, Linda. It was a good think you had your camera along to document the “little bugger” at his mischief!

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      October 29, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      Thank you Laurie – I am glad you liked these photos and the story too. The narrative was easy to do as I used these pictures in the same order of his ravaging the decorations … I was just shaking my head while watching him. After he initially saw me and figured I wasn’t going to shoo him away, he just stayed there, doing as he pleased. He was a resourceful “little bugger” and I hope he at least took some Indian corn home for the wife and kids.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Ally Bean says:
    October 29, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    Fun photos. A bet this is a story repeated all over the midwest around this time of year.

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      October 29, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      Thanks Ally – I am sure you are right. I’ve encountered it many times. I’ve even seen them biting the flower tops off the mums and eating them – they don’t like the leaves and stems, so they leave them next to the pot.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Rebecca says:
    October 29, 2019 at 9:19 pm

    Humorous photos and story! What a spunky little squirrel! Glad you were able to get these shots.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. AnnMarie R stevens says:
    October 29, 2019 at 9:33 pm

    Miss Linda……………………..you probably could sell those close up pics of “Mr. Mischief” himself they are so adorable and seasonal appropriate……………….AND ………it was a gorgeous Fall day………………………..it just means you are a great photographer!

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      October 29, 2019 at 10:36 pm

      Thank you Ann Marie – you are kind to say that and I just happened to be at the right place, at the right time, and that squirrel became a great subject. My favorite picture was him posing with the crow scarecrow. It was a beautiful Fall day and warm as well – what is coming down the pipeline does not fill me with much joy and you neither … I hope this prediction of very gusty winds, then snow showers and maybe light snow does not happen … fingers crossed for both of us.

      Like

  7. indianeskitchen says:
    October 29, 2019 at 11:32 pm

    I have never seen a pumpkin eaten like that….I had to laugh! I guess they have to eat too. Those are fantastic pictures Linda!

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      October 29, 2019 at 11:43 pm

      Thanks Diane – I knew when I saw him, if the pictures came out okay, it would be a fun post. With no one to shoo him away, or speak harshly to him, he thought he’d just stay there and enjoy himself. 🙂 He could have taken a bite out of that pumpkin from the back for goodness sake!

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Jenny says:
    October 30, 2019 at 12:36 am

    This was certainly a glorious story that brought a smile to my day. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Shelley says:
    October 31, 2019 at 7:54 am

    LOL – you have a gift of being able to capture squirrels in action. Great photos and a fun post to go with it. I wonder if the homeowners were watching you while you were watching the squirrels…?

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      October 31, 2019 at 8:09 am

      Thanks Shelley – he was a mischief maker for sure. I don’t think anyone was home because they likely would have come outside and shooed him away. He was destroying everything in his sight. Little bugger! It was a corner house, so I could watch him and take pictures without intruding on their property, so it worked out for me.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. ruthsoaper says:
    October 31, 2019 at 8:03 am

    So funny, Linda. We had some little bugger eating the corn off of our stalks and assumed it was a racoon. I am now thinking it was a squirrel. LOL! He/ she didn’t eat the pumpkins though (YET).

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      October 31, 2019 at 8:18 am

      Glad to give you a giggle Ruth. Well I also discovered some news about a little bugger in my backyard … I’ve been feeding Grady peanuts in the backyard and found some scat back there – I knew it was a larger animal than a squirrel and asked my neighbor if he has seen any cats … he responded to my question saying “two large cats and a raccoon in both our yards!” I was in shock – a raccoon … this is not a rural area at all. I must find a new place to feed Grady because I am not going to encourage a raccoon’s presence … yep, I Googled and they like peanuts. But he is eating more than peanuts … likely climbing into someone’s garbage as there are no fruits/veggies in gardens this time of year. Jeff said the raccoon was on their deck by their door wall and was huge.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Pam Lazos says:
    October 31, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    What fun for them and you, Linda!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Eliza says:
    November 7, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    I never can get pictures for they run away. I’m glad you can get them!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • lindasschaub says:
      November 7, 2019 at 6:32 pm

      That squirrel was so engrossed in getting into mischief that he gave me “the look” when I first saw him, as if to say “what do you want with me – I’ll do what I want here!” So he was so busy climbing around the cornstalks and eating Indian corn, pumpkin and tipping over the flowers that I could get these shots – otherwise they do run like the wind sometimes (unless they stay to eat peanuts!)

      Liked by 1 person

      • Eliza says:
        November 9, 2019 at 1:31 pm

        They always run when I’m about! I’m glad you get them to stay for the pictures…

        Liked by 1 person

      • lindasschaub says:
        November 9, 2019 at 8:47 pm

        I took some more cute shots you will like Ellie – a few of Midnight the black squirrel and some of Parker … took them yesterday as it was sunny and froze my fingers off. Did not have the gloves with the flip-back fingers and took my regular gloves off – it was cold yesterday too, not as bad as today though. Do you feed them some peanuts Ellie? Not a lot, just a few peanuts in the shell. They’ll come closer then and even the younger ones will run the other way when they see me, even with peanuts. I don’t get that because they see the other squirrels hanging out together on the path. Maybe they are just young and skittish.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Eliza says:
        November 10, 2019 at 8:55 am

        I’ll have to try that. I’ve never done so. I rarely see them, just on the odd occasion and when I venture nearer they disappear, but if I’d keep peanuts in my pocket…..

        Liked by 1 person

      • lindasschaub says:
        November 10, 2019 at 9:48 pm

        Oh yes – peanuts are a squirrel magnet. And you’ll be a squirrel magnet too. Also try talking softly to them, coaxing them to see what you have to offer them. Once that happens, there goes part of your “allowance” for peanuts. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.