But judging by this weekend's heat wave, we're already there.
Deep Green Summer
Summer Roses
Summer Berries
THE NEW YORK SQUIRREL: Tails Of The City
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Signs of Summer
We did have a beautiful Spring, but Summer arrived this weekend with a BANG. This of course is the Unofficial Start of Summer called Memorial Day. If you want the official start of summer you have to look further into the month of June, for the Summer Solstice, which occurs this year on June 20-21 in the northern hemisphere-- that time when the Sun is directly overhead and is, at its most northern point, at "high-noon".
But judging by this weekend's heat wave, we're already there.
Deep Green Summer
Summer Roses
Summer Berries
But judging by this weekend's heat wave, we're already there.
Deep Green Summer
Summer Roses
Summer Berries
Thursday, May 24, 2012
The green, green grass of May
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| Squatters on "our" lawn! |
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| Tbis is as close as I'm gonna get |
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| Ah, the glory of the green! |
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| Alphie in bliss |
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| Back to my Irish roots... did I just step on a four-leaf clover? |
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
I never promised you a rose garden
But, um... here it is anyway!
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| I'm cute and I know it. |
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| find the squirrel |
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| Lady Squirrel |
When
they shall close my careless eyes
And look their last upon my face,
I fear that some will say: "here lies
A man of deep disgrace;
His thoughts were bare, his words were brittle,
He dreamed so much, he did so little.
When they shall seal my coffin lid
And this worn mask I know as ME,
Shall from the sight of man be hid
To all eternity -
Some one may say: "His sins were many,
His virtues - really, had he any?"
When I shall lie beneath my tomb,
Oh do not grave it with my name
But let one rose-bush o'er me bloom,
And heedless of my shame,
With velvet shade and loving laugh,
In petals write my epitaph.
And look their last upon my face,
I fear that some will say: "here lies
A man of deep disgrace;
His thoughts were bare, his words were brittle,
He dreamed so much, he did so little.
When they shall seal my coffin lid
And this worn mask I know as ME,
Shall from the sight of man be hid
To all eternity -
Some one may say: "His sins were many,
His virtues - really, had he any?"
When I shall lie beneath my tomb,
Oh do not grave it with my name
But let one rose-bush o'er me bloom,
And heedless of my shame,
With velvet shade and loving laugh,
In petals write my epitaph.
Rose
Leaves by Robert William Service
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Ambush
I had been thinking about the little mother squirrel and that she didn't know it yet, but she had become my pet.
She knew. As soon as I got there she materialized like magic on the bench, before any of the other squirrels.
The sun is too hot on the bench, so I suggest going over to the flagpole, where I can sit in the shade and she in the shadows.
I hand-feed her all sorts of treats, including a little bit of chocolate. She knows she's special. I like to think she's looking better than when we first met a few weeks ago.
Not to be overlooked, my longtime pet Red comes by, acting shy. Red gets fed too. Red isn't so "red" any more. Her other name "Brownie" seems more suitable now. She's changing, but she is still a very beautiful squirrel. She's been well cared for by a girl named Mya who buys nuts with her allowance, and feeds her after school.
There's an open bag full of peanuts by my feet, which the other squirrels soon discover and are happy to raid while I pay attention to my pets.
All of a sudden I'm being attacked from behind! a squirrel has snuck up behind my back and bitten my finger! I'm in shock. I've never been bitten by a squirrel before, and this one bites down hard. And it doesn't feel haphazard, as if the squirrel had mistaken my finger for a peanut. It feels like a deliberate, straight-on surprise attack.
I kick menacingly at the squirrel and it slinks off into the shadows.
Meanwhile I'm dripping with blood!
My little pet looks disconcerted. And to her eternal credit, Lady Squirrel roars out from her seat beneath the cart and lunges at the offender, chasing him a good distance away! That surprises me, and almost makes up for the shock of the attack. They know!
Evil Squirrel removes himself from the area, but takes up a position not too far away. where he sits and stares at me in a way that gives me the willies. Is he contemplating a kamikaze attack? To placate him I decide to throw him a nut. Just to keep everybody happy.
Who is this squirrel? I've never seen him before. He is not too attractive. The fur on the tip of his tail is missing, and when he moves I think I see a flash of purple on his underside, which could mean he'd been fighting earlier. This squirrel had obviously tangled with others before me.
I end up feeling sorry for him and start throwing peanuts at him. I wonder why this happened, because I had not been feeding or provoking this animal. But I had made myself vulnerable by sitting on the cement base of the flagpole, which allowed access from behind at my level. Normally a squirrel has no way to sneak up on you from behind. I mean sure, a squirrel can always jump up on you from anywhere, but what are the chances of that happening? Not likely, unless you run into Squiggy (or rather, Squiggy runs into you!)
I'll think twice before sitting there again. However, most squirrels are polite and somewhat fearful, so it never occurred to me that I'd be attacked like that. I had seen some aggressive behavior among some of the big grays in this area before. There are "street squirrels" around here that grew up tough. So different from the sweet tricks of Alphie, or the shyness of Red, or the adorable antics of Squiggy.
I'm also wondering if jealousy could have been the motivation, spurred by the attention and treats I'd been showering on the other squirrel. I'm not ruling out a just plain ornery disposition either.
postscript: once the bleeding had stopped and I got home and washed my finger (and doused it with hydrogen peroxide) it didn't look so bad -- no swelling or redness that would indicate infection. So no harm done and maybe I even got lucky -- maybe the squirrel could have taken off my finger! We should also note that squirrels in New York City have been given a clean bill of health: they do not carry rabies or other diseases that could be transmitted to humans. There was no need to go to the ER
Anyway, I can no longer say that I've never been bitten by a squirrel!
She knew. As soon as I got there she materialized like magic on the bench, before any of the other squirrels.
The sun is too hot on the bench, so I suggest going over to the flagpole, where I can sit in the shade and she in the shadows.
I hand-feed her all sorts of treats, including a little bit of chocolate. She knows she's special. I like to think she's looking better than when we first met a few weeks ago.
Not to be overlooked, my longtime pet Red comes by, acting shy. Red gets fed too. Red isn't so "red" any more. Her other name "Brownie" seems more suitable now. She's changing, but she is still a very beautiful squirrel. She's been well cared for by a girl named Mya who buys nuts with her allowance, and feeds her after school.
There's an open bag full of peanuts by my feet, which the other squirrels soon discover and are happy to raid while I pay attention to my pets.
All of a sudden I'm being attacked from behind! a squirrel has snuck up behind my back and bitten my finger! I'm in shock. I've never been bitten by a squirrel before, and this one bites down hard. And it doesn't feel haphazard, as if the squirrel had mistaken my finger for a peanut. It feels like a deliberate, straight-on surprise attack.
I kick menacingly at the squirrel and it slinks off into the shadows.
 |
| the culprit |
Meanwhile I'm dripping with blood!
My little pet looks disconcerted. And to her eternal credit, Lady Squirrel roars out from her seat beneath the cart and lunges at the offender, chasing him a good distance away! That surprises me, and almost makes up for the shock of the attack. They know!
Evil Squirrel removes himself from the area, but takes up a position not too far away. where he sits and stares at me in a way that gives me the willies. Is he contemplating a kamikaze attack? To placate him I decide to throw him a nut. Just to keep everybody happy.
 |
| ready for action? |
 |
| broken tail |
I'll think twice before sitting there again. However, most squirrels are polite and somewhat fearful, so it never occurred to me that I'd be attacked like that. I had seen some aggressive behavior among some of the big grays in this area before. There are "street squirrels" around here that grew up tough. So different from the sweet tricks of Alphie, or the shyness of Red, or the adorable antics of Squiggy.
I'm also wondering if jealousy could have been the motivation, spurred by the attention and treats I'd been showering on the other squirrel. I'm not ruling out a just plain ornery disposition either.
postscript: once the bleeding had stopped and I got home and washed my finger (and doused it with hydrogen peroxide) it didn't look so bad -- no swelling or redness that would indicate infection. So no harm done and maybe I even got lucky -- maybe the squirrel could have taken off my finger! We should also note that squirrels in New York City have been given a clean bill of health: they do not carry rabies or other diseases that could be transmitted to humans. There was no need to go to the ER
Anyway, I can no longer say that I've never been bitten by a squirrel!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Voulez-Vous Mangez Avec Moi?
Today we'll be talking mostly about eating. and what could be more germaine really, when it comes to squirrels? In my observations of squirrels over the years, I've seen a small amount of sex, an even smaller amount of violence, but a whole lotta eatin' goin' on!
Picnic
It's a lovely day for a picnic. These picnickers choose a spot near the Orange Tree.
Spring Greens
Crazy Car
Over by Spunky's tree, the boys were having fun chasing the girls - and the squirrels - with one of those remote-controlled electric cars.
Spanky
Spunky
Rescue!
A man came by who lives in the building next to Spunky's tree, and he told us that he'd rescued a baby squirrel that had fallen from its tree and was being tossed up in the air by a dog! The man caught the squirrel and put it in a shoebox, and kept it at home for two days. Then he brought it back out and put the shoebox on the ground, and the mother squirrel came over and took the baby out of the shoebox and carried it back up the tree!
Of course he didn't know Spunky or Spanky, but he said that the mother was a black squirrel, so it could have been either one of them. I saw one of Spunky's babies peeking out of the hole in their tree the other day, obviously curious, but not quite ready to come down yet. Can hardly wait!
Pièce de résistance
By Spunky's tree we meet the nicest Frenchman, who speaks no English, but certainly speaks squirrel!
Picnic
It's a lovely day for a picnic. These picnickers choose a spot near the Orange Tree.
 |
| by the orange tree this little fella joins in from a discrete distance. |
Spring Greens
 |
| Spring greens are terribly tasty |
Over by Spunky's tree, the boys were having fun chasing the girls - and the squirrels - with one of those remote-controlled electric cars.
 |
| what's that strange whirring sound? it's always something! |
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| squealing girls |
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| and skittering squirrels |
Spanky
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| My ear is better! |
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| There's just a tiny white spot there now. Thank you for all your help. |
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| I mean it. |
Spunky
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| I'm Spunky and I'm doing fine too. |
Rescue!
A man came by who lives in the building next to Spunky's tree, and he told us that he'd rescued a baby squirrel that had fallen from its tree and was being tossed up in the air by a dog! The man caught the squirrel and put it in a shoebox, and kept it at home for two days. Then he brought it back out and put the shoebox on the ground, and the mother squirrel came over and took the baby out of the shoebox and carried it back up the tree!
Of course he didn't know Spunky or Spanky, but he said that the mother was a black squirrel, so it could have been either one of them. I saw one of Spunky's babies peeking out of the hole in their tree the other day, obviously curious, but not quite ready to come down yet. Can hardly wait!
Pièce de résistance
By Spunky's tree we meet the nicest Frenchman, who speaks no English, but certainly speaks squirrel!
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| Bonjour. Bon aprés midi. |
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| Mon Dieu! Que vous êtes très mignon. |
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| ici, ici mon ami |
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| Hé ! |
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| S'il vous plait assez? |
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| n'ayez pas peur, petit ami |
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| mais non, c'est bon! |
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| kuk, kuk, kuk |
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| J'aime beaucoup des écureuils noirs -- Je te promets! |
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