The other day I had an encounter with a squirrel, well not actually an encounter, more somewhat of an invasion. I happened to look out the window onto my front porch and spotted a squirrel up on the porch with a huge nut in its mouth. It seemed to be confused on where it wanted to go. It came across the porch, then walked toward the steps leading off the porch, then turned around so it was facing the door into the house, then sideways again and disappeared off the side of the porch.
What was the squirrel thinking as he ran back and forth? Why did he choose to get up onto my porch? Was he trying to escape the rain? Where did the nut come from? This last question is relevant because I don’t have any nut trees on or by my house that I am aware of. How far did he carry that nut?
Photo by Grace Grogan Copyright 2014.
One question was answered by this, as I assume that this could be the same squirrel who left the shell from a nut on my sidewalk about a week ago. I saw the pieces and wondered where they had come from. Still I wonder where the squirrel was coming from, how far he is traveling to accumulate his nuts, and why he chose to walk up and across my porch rather than through the front lawn.
This is not the first animal encounter I have had. Past encounters include bunny rabbits, deer on the front lawn, skunks strolling on my driveway and sidewalk, a rooster walking across the front lawn, birds on my porch eating insects out of spider webs, and a woodpecker pecking at my house.
Whatever possesses these animals to pass my way I will never know. What is going through their minds as they travel across my yard I sometimes wonder. Why that woodpecker feels the need to peck away at my house rather than one of the trees I cannot explain. Wildlife in action. I’m still pondering over the thought process of that squirrel on my front porch.
--- LIFE IS A MELTING POT --- Grace Grogan...Writer, Photographer 