One week from today is Thanksgiving and you know you’ll have that bird on the brain up until that day.
You’ll get up with the chickens, because that plump Butterball turkey has been thawing out. You’ve consulted the instructions a few times, since that turkey isn’t going to be cooking itself.
And then there are the sides and the desserts to prepare – a lot of work for people to just wipe their mouths and then go shopping (if they are so inclined). Did you know the average American will consume 3,000 calories for Thanksgiving dinner alone? Gulp!
Better hunt for the fat pants – you’re gonna need ‘em.
A season of gobbling began with Halloween, then on to Turkey Day.
Now begins a season of indulgence … treats at home, work – everywhere you turn, there are treats to behold. What should you resist? What should you eat? Decisions, decisions – perhaps you’re still on a sugar high from all the leftover Halloween candy. We had such horrid weather Halloween night that not too many kids, nor parents, were traipsing around the neighborhood for a few measly Snickers bars or mini packets of M&Ms. Well, you didn’t want them to go stale, right?
There is fast food to be gobbled up after shop-’til-you-drop days on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday – a burger and fries scarfed down while scrolling endlessly through Amazon’s list of sales.
Don’t gobble ’til you wobble or you’ll look like my furry friend above.
You remember Stubby – I first introduced you to him in June of 2018. The day I “met” this little guy, I wondered about that bobbed tail – now it has a shock of white on the end of it. A few days later I had just left a few peanuts on the path by the pavilion area and he lunged to eat those treats, just as a Cooper’s Hawk saw this squirrel as his meal ticket. To my horror, I made Stubby a sitting duck and the hawk aimed right for Stubby, who, evidently had eyes at the back of his head, (just like your mom or your elementary school teachers), and he made a run for it … he didn’t even stop to take a peanut “to go” … he ran under one of the picnic tables in the pavilion and the Cooper’s Hawk, a bit red-faced, made a U-turn and went back to sit on the fence and sulk. I took its photo, albeit blurry – that big bird was no doubt angry, but Stubby’s life was saved. It’s easy to find Stubby, for obvious reasons … he, like Parker, is always front and center when I arrive at the Park.
Lest you think that Stubby got his new moniker of “Chubby” from me feeding him treats like the adult-sized “Nutter Butters”:
… well that would be a misnomer, because those peanutty biscuits were my contribution to the birds, those sparrows that sit and watch my every move, wondering “when will Linda will bring treats for us?”
Well, just like the squirrels are piggy at your backyard feeder, Stubby made it a point to misappropriate the Nutter Butters for himself. Poor birdies. It looks like Stubby had second thoughts about stuffing his face with that Nutter Butter, but eventually threw caution to the wind and ate it in front of the sparrows. That’s not cool Stubby.
Stubby may look roly-poly now, but it is not all my doing! Mother Nature has helped out by providing Stubby, just like the other chubby squirrels, with an added layer of fat and thicker fur, to thwart the Winter cold. I am not only picking on Stubby; here are some of his brethren:
Can you pinch an inch of fat? Looks like this pudgy peanut pal can:
So as we near closer to a day of turkey with the trimmings and slices of pumpkin pie with generous dollops of whipped cream, kindly remember your jeans and how painful tight pants can be when you can’t breathe in ’em. Or maybe just print out a picture of this guy below?
[Butterball pictures courtesy of Pinterest]
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I long ago figured out that overeating is not a good way to celebrate any holiday. I pace myself and stay within reason. It’s the first few bites that have the most impact on your taste buds. Best to savor. Hope your critters have a good holiday too. Lots of visitors with nuts.
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Kate – I really don’t indulge either, especially since not working in an office where people are always bringing in goodies. All those potato chips I ate a few weeks ago was a fluke. When my mom was still here, there were lots of baked goodies and other treats around, but I don’t keep them here anymore. I think I am set with the squirrels for a few months for peanuts; got a couple of seed bells for the birds (last year the squirrels ate them, so I will figure out something so the birds are taken care of too – the squirrels think everything belongs to them).
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I refer to the time between Halloween and Super Bowl Sunday as the Eating Season. That’s all anyone around here wants to do which, like Kate said above, I don’t do. I like Stubby who to my eye seems like a healthy squirrel. Kind cute with that tubby tummy.
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It is a food fest sometimes Ally, especially if you have a lot of family and holiday parties. It was different working on site, especially when we were still at the Firm as vendors were always bringing in treats, people brought in their baked specialties to share, but I mostly restricted my treats to home only. Yes, Stubby is chubby, from treats and a layer of fat – his fat goes away come Spring though. The rest of us have to work harder at making that happen. 🙂
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So, it’s not just me who struggles with gaining weight at this time of year? Squirrels have the same issue. Poor Stubby! I bet he lost the end of his tail to some kind of hawk. He deserves a few Nutter Butters to help him fatten up for all of those cold winter days which are right around the corner. And, you know, high school teachers have eyes in the back of our heads too – it’s not just the elementary school ones who do! 🙂
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Yes, it happens to the best of us, not just the furry friends it seems. He needs more fat since he has less furry tail to wrap around him – I might as well Stubby him up. I took the cookies for the birds who stare at me every day; as many as 10 will sit on the garbage can rim looking for a handout (they nest up in the pavilion). There are always pickin’s in the Summer as there are some grills near the picnic tables, so the sparrows are ever-hopeful for crumbs. I did not know you still needed that expertise once you got past elementary school, or I’d have included middle school and high school in that statement too Laurie. 🙂
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The photos you get of your critter friends are amazing! The pictures of Stubby eating that cookie was so cute. Ha! Yes, having eyes in the back of my head came in quite handy even with highschoolers! 🙂
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Thanks Laurie – I was lucky to see him first eyeing the cookies, then climbing up on the picnic table, so I stood there patiently as I figured he was going to stuff one in his mouth any minute. I am happy when I am lucky enough to be at the right place and right time. I got a funny picture today of a duck who looks like he is laughing! 🙂
A high school friend of mine taught middle school for years at a school for gifted children. But she taught at regular schools too before that – she would regale us with stories on Facebook how the “gifted kids” were more mischievous than the others.
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You have a great blog, Linda. I have nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award because your blog is a real sunshine! Please click the link for details: https://drmarthacastrodoctor.com/2019/11/21/sunshine-blogger-award-nomination/
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Thank you for this nomination Martha – I am honored and grateful that you enjoy this blog.
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You are very welcome, Linda.
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Thank you again Martha.
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Adorable little squirrels! I’m glad they’re all ready for winter.
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They do look like little butterballs don’t they Rebecca? Mother Nature has them ready for the long, cold Winter – I don’t know if they’ll like it anymore than I will!
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Your fat, funny, furry friends!
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They’ll be rolling down the pathway to greet me pretty soon!
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squirrels eat peanuts and Hawks eat furry peanuts!
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Yes – the hawk needs a big gulp of water afterward though!! I hope I never see this happen – Jeff said he watched a hawk get a Fox squirrel in his backyard last year. I’ve not seen any hawks circling overhead lately at the Park or in the neighborhood, but I saw some turkey vultures over the Park last month, (now that I can recognize them from afar) … we had a real influx of turkey vultures this year in their migration pattern according to the interpretive talk on that riverboat trip I took October 19th. Did you see the white tip on Stubby’s tail? I think it is like when people go through trauma and their hair turns white prematurely. I wonder if it is the same concept for Stubby?
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schedule him to have a chat with a shrink!
Turkey Vultures would not attack,they are part of the after the party clean up crew!
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I couldn’t have watched that slaughter – he used to be a hunter though, maybe that is why he could? I forgot Turkey Vultures’ purpose … whew, my little buddies are safe!
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they still could be scared to death by them! They aren’t a pretty bird!
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I didn’t like the looks of that bright red face either when I saw my first one – I had to ask the eagle expert if I took a picture of my first eagle? Nope, just a turkey vulture.
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they are very important birds! They clean up carrion and stop disease.
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Lucky squirrels! With the upcoming cold weather they sure are lucky to have you!
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I worry about them Sabine as I keep hearing about this bad Winter we will have and I don’t doubt it – if it is not snow, it is just plain ugly weather these days. I am a mile away each way and the neighborhood walking is often dicey. The forecast for the four-day weekend is out and supposed to be cold, rainy/snow showery and blustery … of course, that is six days away and they are not always correct. I’m hoping they are wrong so I have four days for long walks. The snow event on Veteran’s Day and the ice that quickly followed are all melted now thankfully.
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Linda I can’t believe the hawk tried to get Stubby with you so close by!
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He was pretty fearless Diane (or extra hungry) … I think I was shaken up more than Stubby!
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Did you take that last picture?? I love, love it!!
Eliza
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Yep – he looked a little surly didn’t he? I saw him up in the tree and I stood there until he looked my way. 🙂
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🙂 Do you zoom in your pictures or are you really standing that close?
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Hi Ellie – I zoom in, like for that picture, I was pretty close to that squirrel on the branch, but with the squirrels I can get pretty close up since they are used to me, so they don’t run away (except the black and gray squirrels which are always timid, even the one here at the house). When I first began the blog, I had a digital camera with 4X zoom. Those pictures were not so clear and I really knew nothing about digital cameras, I just went and bought one and I wanted an easy-to-use camera and a Canon as I’ve always used Canon and never had any troubles with Canon. So I got that one. One day my next-door neighbor saw me leaving on a walk and was on the way to Elizabeth Park (where I saw the big group of squirrels) and asked if I wanted to go along. I had not been there in many years, so I said “yes” – my neighbor, who has since passed away, had COPD, and she was on her portable oxygen machine and didn’t want to over-exert herself and stayed in the car. We saw a few groups of geese – she handed me her camera (already focused/zoomed, etc.) and I took pics from the passenger side. I took out my 4X camera and took identical pics. Later in the day she sent me all her pics and I showed her mine – what a difference! I said I’d use her pics for my next post and said “why do my pics look so small?” Naive me … I really didn’t know about zoom … she said she had 12X zoom so I bought myself the compact digital in 2015 with more zoom. I actually take 90% of my pics with that camera; in 2018 I bought a DSLR with a long lens … it was a kit with the bag, etc. It was on sale for Father’s Day and a great bargain, but I don’t use it that much as it’s easier the other way. I have a post that will publish around 7:45 a.m. today and I took pics with the DSLR … got lots of close-ups of mallards.
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Cool!
Phones don’t seem to have the same awesome zoom options 😦
I think I saw the post, but maybe I didn’t, not sure…
Love, light and lotsa glitter!
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I didn’t realize that they did not have the zoom feature. You have to get closer, but you are plenty close in all the pics you have been posting as you got in great details.
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I stand right next to it! That’s why I can never get clear pictures of animals because they’re further. I was trying to capture some other water on leaves but it was so small that even next to it I couldn’t get it..
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I always come home with ducks that look like dots as they are too far away – I am glad for digital cameras as I’d be in the poorhouse if I was using film like the olden day. You have to take a few peanuts or a treat for them to get them to come a little closer to you. Then be quick as they either stay put and munch contentedly or they bolt. I was walking at two parks today and it was really cold … 27F (-3 C) – brrrr. And I was down by the water in both cases. But luckily there was no breeze, that was the dealbreaker there for me. I had lots of layers on and only my hands got cold. I did take the bigger camera today and got some more pics of the squirrels at Elizabeth Park (where there were the whole group) and got some close-ups up in the tree. Also took lots of peanuts, had lots of takers, and had some birds show up as well (blue jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches) … had a great time and walked 7 miles (11 km). I took a ton of pictures but likely won’t use them for a while as I’ll do a few Christmas posts first. I took a picture of some ice that had frozen between the leaves. Took about five shots, and in looking at what I took today, the ice does not come through as nice as there. It looked blah but there was no sun until I was about ready to leave – perhaps sun would have made it a better picture.
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Sometimes the beauty can’t be captured…
You can still buy disposable cameras – the camera that has a roll of 27 film in it, that you can’t take the film out or replace it.
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I didn’t know that – at one time you could buy a disposable video camera. I bet that is not possible anymore since most people have video on their smartphones.
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You actually can buy disposable cameras today, but not to video. I’ve seen them around on occasion. Google it 🙂 On amazon they’re a fortune. I recall getting them in the pound shop for a pound once or twice. Now they’d probably be at least £5, but you can get them for way more if you want…
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I just Googled and it looks like CVS drugstore (a drugstore chain here in the States) sells a disposable video camera for $30.00 (23 pounds) and half of that again to develop it and you have to go to CVS. My camera does do videos – not sure how though. I’m bad with directions. I spent one entire day reviewing how to use the DLSR and have a difficult time remembering what I learned to implement it.
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I hope someone can teach you how to take videos. It’d be fun for you to be able to!
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I think so too Ellie – I need to read the book. The saleswoman suggested I get the bigger photo card so I could take videos and it was on sale, so I did. Maybe for next Summer?
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Yeah, you’ve time then to learn.
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‘Fat pants’ lol! Love it x
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The squirrels, just like us humans post-holidays need ’em. 🙂
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Haha very true! Stretchy pants until the new year! X
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Indeed!
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