It’s been a couple of months since I introduced you to Fred, our affable neighborhood squirrel. Recently he decided to come to our back door for walnuts instead of inquiring at the front door. And sometimes he stays to eat them on the railing of our deck. One such morning, when I wasn’t feeling so well, Tim grabbed the camera and got these wonderful shots!
Fred comes around several times a day for his nuts. We’ve seen him chase away other squirrels who dare to come near the front porch or the back deck. One day he took a few steps into the house so now Tim is more careful about how far he opens the door. It brightens our day when we hear him “knocking” and see his little face peering into the sliding glass doors. It’s endearingly comical when leans over the edge of the front porch railing, stretching out so he can scan the bay window for evidence of human activity in the kitchen. His visits are delightful!
Yesterday I overheard Tim talking matter-of-factly to himself as he stepped outside onto the deck, “It would be nice if Fred cleaned up after himself.”
photos by Tim Rodgers
Oh, Fred, you must clean up. You won’t be invited back if you don’t.
Silly squirrel. 🙂
At least the mess he makes is biodegradable! 🙂
I hope Fred is hunkered down during the storm! Cute pictures, Tim.
He still came by for his walnuts — I guess he didn’t mind the rain! 🙂
Sounds like quite the character, 🙂 great shots, Tim!
He does have a lot of personality and is so much fun to watch! 🙂
What a cutie Fred is. Are you sure he’s a male?
I hope you are feeling well again, Barbara. xx
(PS, your card and letter arrive yesterday – thank you! I will reply by mail, now I have your address. <3)
Honestly I have no idea about Fred’s gender. There are no readily observable differences between male and female squirrels. Thanks so much for your well wishes, Joanne. 💙
What lovely shots! I’m sure Monk would never permit me to have a Fred hanging around, eating nuts, in our backyard. Thus, it’s good you have him so I can enjoy his antics virtually!
For sure Monk would lose his mind if Fred came up to your door and started begging for walnuts. I can just imagine the excitement! His presence provides us with hours of entertainment. 🙂
Fred went inside your home, Barbara!?! Next time Fred just might hop up onto the sofa to enjoy snacks! Great photos Tim! Sorry you were feeling under the weather. Hope you have recovered.
Thank you so much for your well wishes, TD. Some days are a struggle… Fred looked just as surprised as we were when he took a few steps inside here. 😉 We won’t let that happen again!
I bet Fred was completely confused and didn’t know what to do!!
You know, Barbara, that I certainly understand the struggle! When I was younger I would asked my Dad, “How are you doing?” His answer was always the same, “Some days are better than others.” I’m right there with him on that!
Fred did look confused but he quickly decided to turn around and return to the great outdoors, much to our relief. It was over before we had a chance to do anything about the situation. I’m right there with your father on that observation, too.
Fred is a real looker. Your photos of him are spectacular. I have faith that you’ll be able to train Fred to be a tidy squirrel… in another lifetime.
Thanks, Ally. At least his discarded shells are environmentally-safe and -friendly. 😉
Oh, I am behind in Reader and so happy to catch up and see Fred – it made my day. I love these shots Barbara and kudos to Tim on getting such nice photos of Fred. He is really chowing down and enjoying his treat – photos 4 and 5 … talk about “open wide”. I can imagine your surprise (and Fred’s) when he was suddenly in the house. That became a real issue with “Sammy” the Fox squirrel that two neighbors beside my mom and me fed. It got so that if we opened the side screen door for my mom to go in/out of the house, which was a lengthy process going up/down the stoop, we had to watch Sammy, even if we shooed him away momentarily. Fred is a real cutie. I’m hoping I see my little pals at the Park tomorrow. I was there Monday, but we’ve had torrential rain Monday, sleet Tuesday and today it was snow. Then we have this “Bomb Cyclone” coming in tomorrow and extending into Saturday. Next week’s Arctic chill, coupled with the snowfall will not bode well for feeding my friends.
Thanks, Linda, I was thrilled with the shots Tim got that day, too. 🙂 I remember some of those stories you’ve told about Sammy – squirrels seem like they might make good pets with their personalities, they seem to like people and feel quite comfortable around them. Hope that bomb cyclone didn’t knock your power out but I’m glad to know you have the generator. (And I hope it’s working when needed!) Where do they come up with these crazy names? Is a bomb cyclone any different than a good old-fashioned blizzard? Hope you and your critter friends stay safe!
They are so cute Barbara – their mannerisms and as soon as they know they can trust you, they are just like pets. I used to follow a sit about Jill the Squirrel, an Eastern Gray Squirrel who fell out of her nest during a Hurricane and lives with the humans took care of her. I think you’ll have a lot of fun with Fred. I think bomb cyclone is the same with the blowing snow, but it has something to do with warm air clashing with cold air … we had snow, then rain and that caused it. Two more days of this high winds/light snow and all week for the bitter cold.
That’s so true, Fred does feel very much like a pet. 🙂 But with no litter box to clean and no muddy paw prints in the house. 🙂 The food bill must be getting up there, though. 😉 Hope you’ve been safely hunkering down during the storm.
Yes, Fred has “adopted himself” right into your family hasn’t he? I had hoped we would turn a corner soon, but tonight we have the same scenario as Sunday night into Monday … we will have -25 or lower real feel and below … it is already 5 air temp with a real feel of -18. And more snow Thursday and Friday. I’ll be doing a lot of hunkering down. I shoveled this morning, what I could on the City sidewalk – the bottom layer of snow is still attached to the ice. It’s like this another 10 days with a warm-up to 40 on the 26th.
Those are dangerously low temperatures you’re suffering through! I have to laugh, this morning it is 17°F here and schools are delayed for two to three hours, depending on the county. We were instructed to leave the water running overnight, etc. Back in New England we wouldn’t get this excited over the cold until it got far lower than 17°F. I remember when it would get to 0°F and my parents would bundle us up and send us out to walk the half mile to the school bus stop anyway. That being said, I don’t suppose the water pipes down here are as well insulated as they are up north.
Well we have a reprieve while it snows for two days, then we have the same dangerous wind chill readings Saturday morning. End of next week, low 40s which I hope will melt this big mess. They had no school Tuesday or Wednesday and the kids were off on Monday for MLK Day. It’s funny you mention walking the half-mile to the bus stop because the news said “well with so many kids walk to school, we have to close the school.” I got to thinking that I don’t remember having snow days nor “cold-weather days” either. Yes, you are probably right about that … I’ve had the dripping faucets and multiple laundry washes to warm the pipes going now since Saturday.
I guess we’re getting a small reprieve tomorrow and then another arctic blast this weekend. But next week on Friday they’re predicting 70°F for a high! The weather is keeping us on our toes, making it difficult to plan walks, etc. We’re picking up the grandkids after school today but I doubt we’ll be taking them to the park… sigh…
Wow – I was excited about our 40 degrees as I thought it might help with the ice and snow. They’re already saying we will have flooding woes. I had 3 inches of snow to shovel this morning and another 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow morning, then the arctic blast. Sunday is my only/best day to venture to the Park as I can go mid-day. For sure you’ll be going to the park next week. You will have plants pushing through the soil!
Hello Fred! Boy, are you going to be well fed by your new neighbors. Understandably, you need to be good and continue to delight and entertain them. Okay? Okay!!
I’ll say Fred is well fed! I don’t know how many large bags of shelled walnuts Tim has mail-ordered since we’ve moved here but it’s more than a few. Fred might just eat us out of house and home. 😉 (But he’s so cute it’s worth it!)