Mittens 'n Muffs

November marks the transition from sweater weather to fur coat weather.

Brrr... it's cold

but I like my new fur coat





so I'm fat... so what?

still... one has to look decent for mating season



fluffy white ear muffs with matching mittens are all the rage



these chic tan ear muffs go well with my brown fur

what could be cuter than a baby squirrel?

So this is a newborn baby giraffe. pic.twitter.com/UUjpNC7qN9
— Fascinating Pictures (@Fascinatingpics) November 1, 2013

16 Rms Riv Vu

Renting now for the winter

If you're looking for a good place to have your babies this season, this could be it!


View of the river facing east

Yes, there is a nice view of the river from Gray Momma's tree. The tree itself is one of the better ones in the area, large and roomy, with plenty of small nooks and cubbyholes as well as some larger compartments available. And the lovely surrounding garden (which is perfect for nut-digging) is enclosed by a fence that keeps certain unwanted varmints out. And did we mention the rent's free?


Gray Momma in her garden
 

The introduction of fences has been a boon to the squirrels' peace of mind, which had been disturbed ever since they started permitting dogs at PCV. But oddly enough, a dog on a leash firmly attached to its owner's hand is not really such a big deal for most squirrels.

 

Forget Fido, show me the money!

What bothers squirrels more is a cat roaming free-- a cat that could possibly climb a tree! And of course, hawks. On the other hand, pigeons are mere annoyances that do not constitute a threat, or competition for peanuts in the shell.

Autumn Roses


SIGN ME UP!


 

what could be cuter than a baby squirrel?

So this is a newborn baby giraffe. pic.twitter.com/UUjpNC7qN9
— Fascinating Pictures (@Fascinatingpics) November 1, 2013

Trick? Or Treat?

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

Oh no!

"@Ratatosk4: That squirrel is thinking, “Oh no, I left my office building pass at home in my drey!” pic.twitter.com/AcgXq84bFv #MondaySquirrel"
— Beebz the Squirrel (@SquirrelBeebz) October 28, 2013

me and my fuzzy

You have seriously never seen anything cuter than this! #squirrels pic.twitter.com/qYdC49eHxX

— Beebz the Squirrel (@SquirrelBeebz) October 27, 2013

Ghosts of Halloween Past

#Ghosts of #Halloween Past - tricks and treats on Halloween 2012... http://t.co/CUc2Mf9rhM

— New York Squirrel (@TheNYSquirrel) October 28, 2013

Grand Bargain

Want me to guarantee your cable stays on through the game? Let me see some nuts in the backyard. #squirrels pic.twitter.com/qnxyKImU5W

— Beebz the Squirrel (@SquirrelBeebz) October 26, 2013

Come on in!

Come on in. There's plenty of room! #squirrels pic.twitter.com/iSIcT4Qdxu

— Beebz the Squirrel (@SquirrelBeebz) October 24, 2013

Red Momma Now and Then

Now

Red Momma (RM) is such a beautiful squirrel. 

September 2013

October 2013

 
Then

I found this picture of RM in an old camera that I was using last January.

February 2013

Interesting to see how she looked then compared to how she looks now. Some of you may recall that she went through some rough times last February when she was thrown out of her nest by the bully ET, on one of the coldest days of the year. She was expecting babies at the time. Unlike ET, RM is not the least bit confrontational, and will walk away in the face of a head-on with another squirrel. So ET took over the tree that had belonged to RM. We watched as she tried to get back up to her drey and was continually chased away by ET.

She finally gave up. and the next morning Bernie caught her and brought her home, where he took care of her and brought her back to health. She actually had her babies there, but refused to nurse them in captivity. So Bernie ended up being the nursemaid! He tried to get RM to take an interest in the babies but she would not, and they were scared too, and hid from her.

Here are some pics of the two surviving babies. Sadly, one eventually died, but the last one was released to PCV last summer. http://thenewyorksquirrel.blogspot.com/2013/04/pinkies-revisited.html


RM recovered during her "spa" stay -- she ate well, was brought  to the vet. When she was released back to PCV in late summer, she was a healthy, beautiful squirrel.

Nice shrub

I had a nice visit with a friend of mine today! pic.twitter.com/XWZLoiqDNc

— Globular Shrub (@GlobularShrub) October 22, 2013

It's Squirrel Awareness Month!

Hello. I just wanted to remind you that October is #SquirrelAwarenessMonth. Have a great day! #Squirrels pic.twitter.com/iNozRcDmPn

— Beebz the Squirrel (@SquirrelBeebz) October 3, 2013

Sweater Days

Gorgeous weather - some like it hot some like it cold, some like it just the way it is on an October afternoon like this -- perfect (except for the foul stench of fertilizer that still wafts through PCV's air).


You in your autumn sweaters...

Playing with Red Momma

Red Momma and I have some fun by the fountain.



grabbing a drink at the fountain



yes, there's water in there.

playing a game of hide and seek

 

come out come out wherever you are!

 

posing for the camera

she's nicely relaxed now

give us a smile, please!

RM has moved out of her tree, which makes us think her babies may have died. But it sure looks like she's still nursing.

Presidents Cup Squirrel Steals Show

courtesy of espn
 

Sammy Squirrel gets more attention in this video than Tiger Woods, as he sets an historic Presidents Club record!

Watch the video:
http://espn.go.com/golf/prescup13/story/_/id/9766593/2013-presidents-cup-squirrel-steals-show-muirfield

Cute, huh? I've noticed that squirrels seem to enjoy watching sports. I've often observed that when people are playing ball on the green at PCV there is at least one squirrel in attendance, watching the game with curiosity. What squirrels do not like is loud noise. When workers are around making noise with their equipment it drives the squirrels up a tree.

The New Fall Looks Are In

We're getting a lot of bushy tails in right now.

One of the newer looks this season is the notched or pinched tail.

 

Classic tails with fancy striped borders are always in fashion. 

 

Dressed for Fall

The Brown Waste

Where is the grass? They keep taking the green away and leaving in its place...

The Brown Waste!

Endless dirt and a sack of fertilizer soon to be spread

It was a beautiful day for a walk, but it was ruined as soon as I entered PCV.  I couldn't wait to exit through the gate back into the street.  Imagine -- the heavy First Avenue traffic and concrete sidewalks actually providing welcome relief from a park!

There is nothing more delightful the fresh smell of grass, leaves, flowers and unadulterated soil, especially in autumn. Instead I was forced to breathe in the abominable smell of fertilizer, which totally overpowered the aforementioned smells one longed for on a clear autumn day.

 

There might have been some justification if it was to be short-lived and one could look forward to a reward -- but it isn't and one can't. It's a constant process that goes on from late spring until late fall or early winter -- the denuding of the land -- the tearing up of the grass, the resultant a brown dirt that is then filled in with the horrid-smelling fertilizer, and the strangely artificial-looking blue seed which we've spoken about before here.

 

 

 

In fact I was talking to one resident who said reassuringly: Oh but it's only for a short time, to make things grow! But that's not true, I told her, because it goes on constantly. As for make things grow, why are they trying to do this at the end of September when we are supposed to be moving into that wonderful season of watching things die? But this endless cycle of "renewal" goes on throughout the spring summer and fall, until winter finally closes the game down.

Watching and smelling the beautiful leaves and berries and acorns that fall from the trees this time of year has always been one of my favorite experiences. I remember choosing fall as my favorite season in grade school while most of my classmates chose spring or summer, just because I loved the sights and smells. But now, a prisoner of the City, my best opportunity for the fall experience was being sabotaged by the landscapers, who need to be doing something I guess.

 

Am I the only one that is bothered by this faux fall renewal?   Am I the only super smeller? I don't see others walking around looking upset or angry. Maybe PCV residents have been fitted with special noseplugs to mask the smell so it doesn't bother them. Instead of autumnal splendors we get to see a few straggly plants that are going to die soon anyway. Was it worth the sacrifice?

The squirrels don't seem to mind the smell, and in fact seem to enjoy digging away in the endless dirt. I guess that's one small consolation.

A resident pointed out that when she walked out of her building today the first thing she saw was the empty brown space where they had ripped out all the hedges. There used to be a beautiful stand of hedges there that took many years to grow. GONE!
 

Anyone else bothered by this blasted wasteland? Comments are welcome.