Sunday, January 18, 2009

What my eyes have seen....


















i haven't seen the usual assortment of squirrels dashing around the back yard. i don't think they hibernate as such, but they certainly keep a low profile at this time of year.
for a couple of days tho', as i looked out of my kitchen window to the corner of my yard where it meets the neighbour's fence, i've noticed one of the little creatures huddling beneath the bird house.
it seemed like every time i thought of him, i'd look up and there he'd be.
so still, so sad.
i wondered if he was taking some sort of shelter beneath the bird house;
too cold and weary to trot around looking for his hidden hoards of nuts under the snow.
maybe he was just hungry and had given up?
how long could he go on like this?

this morning as i looked from the window there he was again.
i squinted to see him huddled there,
and i was sad to see that he never seemed to move at all.

later on i went outside to help m.o.h. with the shovelling.
we decided to make a path of sorts approaching our shed.
it's mainly pool stuff in there which we certainly don't need right now but you never know when you might need to get in and get a tool or something.
the air was cool, but not too frigid, quite a lot of snow had fallen again, but it was soft and white and not too difficult to push aside with our shovels.

we worked silently side by side for quite a while,
pushing the heavy shovel loads and banking them either side of the path we made.
it was hard work, but it was good work.

then i remembered.
the little squirrel.
and as i remembered i looked up hoping that he'd be there still and that maybe i could make some kind of connection with the poor little guy.
and out of the corner of my eye, as i raised my head, i saw the outline of his shape.
and then,
as my head came fully up and things came into focus,

i realized that in fact he was just a post on the top of the fence.

i think it's called a finial?

do you think i need glasses?
:-)

(click on the picture to see what i saw)

28 comments:

I Am Woody said...

Too funny!

Crazy Mo said...

Ha ha ha ha!!
I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you.
What am I saying ... yes I am!!
You are absolutely gorgeous, Clippy!!

Pam said...

That's fabulous! YES, you need glasses.

Gberger said...

I can SO relate to this. Just went to see the eye doctor last week, because I can't read small print, etc. It's one of the "natural progressions" of growing more mature. Didn't I say that gently? My friend and I call ourselves "the sea hags," or (my personal fave) "old trouts."

ChiTown Girl said...

That is hilarious! I clicked on the photo to enlarge it before I read the post, and was so confused cuz I didn't see a squirrel!!

MikeH said...

Good one! I don't think I would have been able to see the fence, let along the squirrel.

Speaking of: do you know what I used to call squirrels when I lived in upstate NY? Targets.

Anonymous said...

to funny all that concern for nothing...judi

A Woman Of No Importance said...

Clipstress, wonderfully hilarious, you had me from the description of that little, forlorn squirrel.

I am glad that it's not just me, who has such experiences, and Griz is always asking me why I've got my eyes screwed up and says it makes me look like an old woman! And...?

I am about to tag 'you' on my blog today by the way, sorry about that - Hope you can come play? x

Anonymous said...

Oh my....you worry be sometimes lady!!

Gina said...

OMG hahahahahaha

awww i would have been so dissapointed!

Busy Bee Suz said...

Oh my goodness...this is too funny. Yes, I think you two did make a connection too. :)
I have had many different animals in my yard....some of them real and some imaginary also. ;)
funny girl!

Me said...

Ohhh Clippy I don't think you need your eyes checked. You're just very humane. Wanting to save a fence post. What next? A door knob?

Anonymous said...

Yep that's a finial!

Now around here we still have lots of red squirells, infact there are protection groups trying to save them from becoming extinct because of the grey ones who spread the pox to them and kill them. Northumberland has a lot of reds now and recently there were cases where it appears that some are beginning to resist the pox virus.

I go looking for them in the local woods and spend hours watching them jump in the trees. We wouldn't get them in our gardens here, the estate is modern with very little wildlife around.

I'm still chuckling at your post...

Chris said...

What if the squirrel is blogging right now about his encounter with you?

Snooty Primadona said...

I'm laughing with you... really!

Hey click on my email link & send me an email so I can send you the 5 questions...

Stinking Billy said...

clippy, okay, so you are knocking on a bit, and you are forgiven for forsaking old friends. I get like that, too. ;-) x

Anonymous said...

Ha ha - that's a great story. Although, looking at the photo, I can understand why you thought he was a squirrel!

Expat mum said...

Feckin' eejit. I'm so happy that I was looking at the original sized photo thinking, I can't see a squirrel- what's wrong with me?

Clippy Mat said...

thanks for the comments all.
and the sympathy.
if you can see the fence post in the pic, you can see my dilemma looking at it fromt the vantage point of the kitchen window LOL
non?
:-)

C said...

awwww clippy...
you old softee.

hahahahahahahaha

C said...

clippy we had a similar experience here last fall. my sister was over and we told her to look at the owl in a tree across the street. it was fairly large. so she's out there, whistling, chirping, calling out to it, talking to it...
diane and i were rolling, cuz we did the same thing the night before only to discover it is a wooden owl some one put there. so she's justa going on and on, saying how beautiful it is... we couldnt go on, we told her it was wooden, she didnt believe us cuz she said she saw it blink at her!
we still tease her about it!

C

Anonymous said...

You are so funny!

I can't believe that is snow outside your house. I have never been to the snow before.

You should give the squirrel some nuts.....or birdseed. :-)

J. Hi said...

What a kind heart you have--to feel such sorrow for that poor fence post. lol You made me smile.

lady fairchilde said...

So...I don't get it - you're saying there's no squirrel in that picture????



j/k
you are too cute.

Gill - That British Woman said...

yes you need glasses, very runny story.......

I finally got around to doing that letter thing you assigned me, it's going to be posted tomorrow. I am cursing you up and down as who in their right mind can think of ten things they like starting with the letter "W"???

Anyhow I came up with a right lame bunch of likes........hope you're laughing at my misery..LOL

Gill

Dumdad said...

Nothing wrong with wishful thinking!

Evil Twin's Wife said...

Ha ha ha!! I do stuff like this all the time.

Hadriana's Treasures said...

I've not heard that word before. Love it and your story though! :)