...the Journal

The Guest
Refrigerator Door

For the next few weeks, we'll be seeing magnets from Ned & Marta's refrigerator door.

This isn't one of Ned & Marta's pug, but just a pug magnet



Here are some of my theatre reviews, if you're interested.

Updated 3/10/01



WHAT I'M READING...

She's Come Undone
by Wally Lamb


WHAT I WATCHED...

nothing



That's it for today!

 

AFTERNOON OF A SQUIRREL

25 April 2001

It was a lovely evening. The sun was preparing to begin its descent into the Pacific Ocean. I was sitting by a lagoon watching the ducks perform water ballet or dive bomb each other trying to be the first to catch the bread that someone was throwing from an upper balcony somewhere.

My friend was still at work, and I was enjoying a rare opportunity with no work to do, sitting on her patio, and reading my book.

Suddenly I felt a pressure on my foot and a scratching on my pant leg. I looked down and over my knee I could see the bushy tail of a squirrel. This was a fellow who was used to being fed on this patio and she wondered where her peanuts were.

She was so bold that next thing I knew, she had climbed up to my knee, demanding that I find her a peanut.

I calmly got up (she jumped off as soon as I moved) and went inside to grab a handful of peanuts, then settled myself back in the chair again. In no time, she was back, taking peanuts out of my hand and, running off a little ways to eat them.

When my supply of peanuts was exhausted, she leaped onto the table next to me, walking boldly up to my face, so close I could smell peanuts on her breath, and see her swollen nipples (indicating she must have a litter of babies somewhere). She looked at me quizically, wondering where there were more peanuts.

In due time, she was so sated with peanuts that she just collapsed on the fence to catch her breath.

When my friend returned home, I told her of the squirrel's antics and she told me that there were several of them around and that they had become so brazen, they would practically knock on the back door demanding to be fed. If she wasn't quick with the peanuts, they would climb up and down the screen door until she got there. One day she inadvertently left the screen door open and left the living room, when she came back in, the squirrels had climbed up her "kitty condo," where she stored the peanuts, and had been having a gay ol' time gorging themselves. She eventually moved the kitty condo outside for the use of the squirrels (but kept the peanut supply inside).

It came as a surprise to me, many years ago, to discover that squirrels are not as common in the wild as they are in this country. I remember taking our Brasilian daughter, Sonia, to the state capitol, which is teeming with squirrels, and can still hear her excited squeal of esquillo! esquillo! as she watched them scamper about. In Brasil, squirrels are animals one finds in the zoo, but never in the wild.

More recently, when Peggy was here, we also went to the capitol to see the squirrels, and while she did not squeal, she, too, pointed out that one does not find squirrels running around Australia. (We also discovered that squirrels don't like Rice Krispie treats!)

We get kind of geocentric in this country, thinking that if it's a certain way here it must be that way everywhere. Americans who think it's odd to find an Australian intrigued by squirrels in the wild in California will be the ones shrieking "kangaroo! kangaroo!" when visiting Australia.

I've always loved the little critters (squirrels) and thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon encounter with my bushy-tailed friend this afternoon.

There are more pix at Club Photo.


One Year Ago:
Doggone


Some pictures from this journal
can be found at
Club Photo


<- previous | Journal home | bio | cast | archive | next ->
Bev's Home Page

Created 4/25/01 by Bev Sykes