Monday, October 23, 2017

Autumn Visitor










A lover of all things autumn, I was thrilled to see this brave little guy on our front doorstep! 

At The Farmhouse, which was surrounded by fields, we saw only a couple of squirrels in thirty-five years. At Pineapple House, however, they are regular visitors. I don't mind at all. Their antics are quite entertaining!

Here is a poem my oldest used to love as a child. I can still hear her sweet little voice reading it . . . 

Whisky, frisky,
Hippity hop;
Up he goes
To the tree top!
Whirly, twirly,
Round and round,
Down he scampers
To the ground.
Furly, curly
What a tail!
Tall as a feather
Broad as a sail!
Where's his supper?
In the shell,
Snappity, crackity,
Out it fell.


39 comments:

  1. 🍂 May they never find their way to your attic or basement, Beatrix. It will be great fun plucking all those trees they’re planting come spring. 😏

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    1. Vee, am I detecting a dislike of my autumn visitors? 😁

      (I really don't want them in my attic or basement . . . although I have had less desirable critters in my attic at The Farmhouse.)

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  2. Squirrels are entertaining, that’s for sure! We have pecan trees and the squirrels keep me busy pulling up all the trees they plant in the most unusual places. Great photos!

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  3. I have a few (hundred) for you to adopt if you'd like! This little guy (or gal) is pretty adorable. Is that a leave in it's mouth? Great photos!

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    1. A few hundred? Oh my.

      This little guy had some sort of nut in its mouth. We could not identify the kind of nut that it was. We're pretty sure that it was not something from our yard. It's a mystery!

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  4. Such a cutie. My brother is a photographer and loves taking pictures of squirrels.

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  5. Cute, but.... they get to my pecans before me, they eat the bird's sunflower seeds, need I say more. Having said that, I do enjoy watching them scamper about.Now if you like, I might be able to catch and send you some.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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    1. But they are sooooo cute! (You can tell I'm not a farm girl, can't you?) :)

      Too bad they love your pecans.

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  6. They are cute, BUT they steal all of the bird seed! If there is something within 6 inches and tall they can jump on anything and reach the squirrel proof bird feeder! They also dig the flowers out of my planters and hide their nuts. We have too many of them. Arrgh!

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    1. Such troublemakers! They kind of seem like naughty children.

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  7. He looks very much at home on your doorstep!

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    1. He was pretty brave, looking in on a crowd of people at a birthday party! (Maybe he wanted cake?)

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  8. Wonderful photos! We have plenty of squirrels--one even perched on our kitchen window sill last week--the first I've seen that. I would take them any day over deer. Somedays it seems like we have as many deer as squirrels! If you didn't see squirrels in the country--I wonder if they are more "suburban."

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    1. I think they will not travel distances where there is no cover. At our old house, we had plenty of trees in our yard, and there was forest in the back, but they would have had to travel over open fields to get to the yard. That is my guess, anyway.

      I would love to have seen your squirrel peeking in the kitchen window! :)

      I am amazed that you have so many deer in a neighborhood! We had them in woods at The Farmhouse, and they would come into the back fields, but they did not venture as far as the yard.

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  9. Fun! Love that poem. I don't think I'd ever read it before. We have them as regular visitors but always get a kick out of seeing them.

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    1. They are such fun to watch! They seem cheerful, don't they? :)

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  10. Your friendly squirrel is a cutie, Cheryl. Their antics are amazing. We have one that likes to crawl along the brick window sill and peek inside every morning. She's quite the nosy one. Happy October! Your pumpkin and mums look so nice and reminds me I need to dress up the front porch. ♥

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    1. Dotsie has a window sill visitor too! What fun!

      Happy October to you too, Martha Ellen! You must feel like you have a lot of catching up to do!

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  11. We have a resident squirrel that comes to our house to gather seeds. He sits in the feeder and munches away, and then scurries at the faintest hint of movement.

    Loved the poem... it's got such a sweet memory attached to it. Almost I can hear your daughter's voice as I read it.

    Wishing you a beautiful day...
    Brenda xox

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    1. I know that many folks see squirrels as pests (and I can understand that), but I think they're dear and don't begrudge them the seeds from the feeder. Maybe I am a "Beatrix" as Vee says. :)

      Glad you loved the poem too!

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  12. We have squirrels on our property but I rarely ever see them near the house! Cute photos!

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    1. This one is the closest I have seen. It was the day of the October birthday party. Some of us were eating lunch at the table in the living room when we spied him. Fortunately, my camera was nearby!

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  13. I've always enjoyed watching squirrels as well. Such cute energetic little creatures.

    I'm so glad you shared that poem. I had to memorize it in first grade, but had not thought about it in years. You awoke a happy memory for me.

    Blessings~

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    1. I'm happy to inspire a happy memory! Isn't it funny how those things stay with us?

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  14. We have black walnut trees all around us and there are more black walnuts than at any other time since we have lived here. Last year there were hardly any so I'm wondering if this is some sign of a hard winter? If so, the squirrels are going even more squirrely this year. We have them by the dozens and they often can be found on our deck trying to hide a black walnut pod in a flower pot.

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    1. Eek! A hard winter!

      Do you find black walnut tree saplings all over your yard (and flower pots)?

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  15. Cheryl, what beautiful photos, and I so envy you your little autumn visitor!

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    1. Thanks, Jean! No squirrels in your neck of the woods? Then, yes, you understand why I enjoy them so much.

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  16. we have a family of squirrels ..
    recently the youngsters were seen playing
    in the leaves under the redwood trees where
    they make their home. hopping, flipping,
    scampering. we've only named one :: we decided
    it's a 'he' and his name shall be Rocky.
    his wife is most likely named Madge but that
    fact hasn't yet been confirmed. she's a quiet
    sort so we're left to wonder.

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    1. The squirrels are shrouded in mystery. ;)

      Baby squirrels?! **squeal**

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  17. Cute photos! I love watching the squirrels, they are so cute...even if they are a bit pesky. :) They always try to get into some of my bird feeders. But that might not be a problem this year since we've acquired a few outside feral cats that hang around.

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    1. They really are fun to watch. I'll give up a little bird seed to them. (Or maybe a lot.) :)

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  18. Oh, this made me smile! Not only is your visitor awfully cute, this little poem brought back sweet memories. Our oldest children memorized, choreographed and performed this for their Daddy on Father's Day a very long time ago. Thank you for sharing this!

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    1. That's a sweet story! I'll bet it was darling performance!

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