Our Friend the Wild (yet tame) Squirrel

Our Little Friend

So lately we've been going out and going for walks in the woods through various trails nearby. There is a particular open field where this special little squirrel is always hanging around. He is easy to recognize because he moves in a very specific, erratic manner.

I've had wild critters get close to me before, but not like this little guy. I think I may have posted a picture of him from about 6 months ago similarly getting close to us. But at that time, he wasn't getting quite so close. He was behaving even more strangely back then, doing backflips. I thought perhaps he was mentally challenged or something, but I guess he was just playing.

I managed to get a bit of video this time. He was trying to climb on @little-ricky and @afturner wasn't very happy about it so I had to chase him back a bit. But it was nice to have him come up so close and trust us. These days you don't get many experiences like this, especially with the way that people treat animals.

My guess is that he's never been treated poorly by others passing by, and perhaps given a snack here and there. I just hope that he doesn't run into any really mean kids because they could easily hurt him. In fact, I am pretty sure that if I put a nut on my shoulder, he would climb right up my body to get it.

Other Oddities in the Woods

We also came by this interesting piece of... art?

I didn't want to disturb the gnomes, so I just took a few photos and moved on. It must have been made very recently because it wasn't there the last time we walked down this trail. I love the little ladder!

It has been great getting out a bit more this week. @afturner and I both have gotten our first Pfizer Covid shots, and are looking forward to getting the second one in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to feel a bit safer going out and visiting some friends again. It's been a very long year and some months.

Finally, that light at the end of the tunnel is coming closer!