Monday, December 28, 2009

AHHHH NUTZ!


Our house isn't big. It's a 1950-something brick ranch--three bedrooms--small by today's standards--and a bath and a half. It's fine for two semi-retired people. Thing is, we're two semi-retired people, a very nice cat some chickens and a squirrel.

The cat owns the place and is a fine landlord. The chickens have their own condominium out back and even if there ARE some dicey relationships between the roosters, the neighbors and each other, they're solved by keeping the roosters inside at night so there's no crowing issues in the morning and a strictly monitored schedule of who's turn it is to walk about with the girls. Loser stays in the crate until his turn the next day.

Then there's Kibbles--who is no longer a micro squirrel, sleeping most of the time and waking to snuggle and break hearts. She's a squirrel--a full figured specimen of female squirreldom--inquisitive, funny, achingly cute, opinionated, fast, playful, messy and destructive as they come. She has left her mark on windowsills, furniture and my hands. She has also left nuts all over the house--under newspapers, inside bags, tucked away in fabric and blankets, pillows and drawers, buried in every pot of dirt that once held a healthy house plant and in the corners of most windows. There's not a shelf in the tiny room that WAS my sewing room, until Kibbles took it over, that doesn't have nuts behind the books. There's nuts under the Murphy bed, on top of computer equipment, tucked into the shelves of the closet or even a small pink mitten belonging to one of the children at nursery school.

I guess if you gotta be nuts about something, it may as well be a little critter who gives you plenty of nuts in return. Thanks Kibbs!

Kibbles is on You Tube now!



Thursday, December 24, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS KIBBLES


It's Christmas Eve and when the yard squirrels wake up in the morning there will be a basket of goodies beneath their tree. For my Kibbles there will be green pepper slices and sliced mushrooms--grapes and snap peas--and of course nuts--shelled for instant gratification and whole for hiding in the million and one places she keeps her stash. I know that this coming year I'm gonna get conked in the head by a constant supply of squirreled away nuts.

For my girl, every day is Christmas. She's snug in her saucer now--her little fleece hidey-hole--warm and safe from predators. She's on her back--head peeking out--sleepy eyes drooping. She is heart meltingly cute. Her little hands are folded like a child's and when she tucks in to sleep her tail will fan over her like a blanket.

I've had children--watched them grow up and move away. Sometimes I hear their young voices in dreams and when I wake up there's an ache for those childhoods past. If Kibbles decides she isn't cut out for the life of an inside squirrel I love her enough to set her free, but oh it's gonna hurt.

For now, it's Christmas Eve and I'm blessed with Kibbles--burning into my heart with her trust, her absolute joy for life and the vision of her sleepy face looking right at me. I don't know if animals like Kibbles love but I'm betting they do in their own perfect way. All is calm. All is bright. Sleep in heavenly peace little girl.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

BORED

She wrestles with her blanket and scabbles after her toys. She's gnawing her tree into toothpicks and breaking off her twigs. She is BORED!

RUN! CLIMB! JUMP! Mom--let me OUT!!!!!!! My baby is out of reach till I get healed up from some surgery and she is NOT happy about it.