Whennnn…. Johnny comes marching home again, hurrah, hurray!
Hmmm. I guess the title might make y’all think I am posting about Veterans Day. I am not. But since I wrote that title without thinking, I want to stop a moment to honor all of those who have served and/or are serving our country. I may not agree with all of the wars and conflicts our country has managed to get into but I am not naive enough to think that we don’t need armed forces and I appreciate what those folks do. And yes, I have relatives who serve or have served, including my dad in WWII.
I wrote the title because I thought it was funny and then I remembered the date and I should know better than most because November 11th is a federal holiday and those slackers over at the EPA (i.e., the GG) have the day off. I was actually thinking about the B52 in Dr. Strangelove (and squirrels). But I’m not posting about soldiers or errant B52s or federal holidays. I’m posting about squirrels (and chipmunks) and their continual and relentless march home to whatever bird feeder the GG puts up and fills with bird feed. Witness what’s been going on at Houghton Lake in these pics:
I especially like the 3rd one where the squirrel (click to enlarge the pic) is giving the GG’s webcam the evil eye. This war between the GG and wild rodents has been going on all summer. Mouse could probably tell this story better than I can but, at one point, the GG said, “They’re comin’ from two blocks away.” He was referring to chipmunks. Mouse asked, “How do you know that?”. The GG replied, “I see ’em comin’ across the street.” Sigh. I don’t know. I just live here. I work and I come home and squirrels et al are swarming over the GG’s wonderful birdfeeder in the Landfill backyard and now they have followed him to Houghton Lake.
Good night. And we’ll see if I try to watch “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” again tonight. Yeeeeee.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
My grandfather served in WWI in France and my husband and dad were in the military. I like having a day off! 🙂
November 12th, 2009 at 10:49 am
a couple of notes. when you just look at the pictures for the first time (small version) it looks like a bear on it’s hind legs in the first two. wearing a little scarf. (Bers perhaps?)
chipmunks are much cuter than squirrels. and I remember one time when there was a chipmunk in the greenhouse. just sitting in a pot eating whatever. looking totally cute!
do you have to have fought in a war to be a veteran, or just been in the military? Harry was in the Army, but not during war-time. it was only a few years ago that I first heard him talk about actual ‘work’ performed in the Army. before that I only heard about playing poker and fishing. and learning how to drive. very different than war. lucky Harry!
November 12th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I may be wrong but I *think* that if you have served in the armed forces, you are a veteran. My dad did not actually see any war action. He was a flight instructor down in the southwest. They were about to send him to the South Pacific when the bombs were dropped on Japan.
Anyone with accurate information on this?
November 12th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
My husband didn’t actually go to Vietnam, but he was in the Air Force during the time of the war and is known as a “Vietnam era veteran.” (As opposed to a “Vietnam veteran,” I’m thinking).
So…regarding your squirrels/chipmunks, I could send Mojo over. They’d be GONE IN A FLASH. In MASSACRED PIECES. (Which would be really sad since I think squirrels and chipmunks are damned cute. Don’t they make birdfeeders that are specially intended to keep out the critters? Or…maybe put up an actual squirrel feeder with peanuts and sunflower seeds and they’d prefer it over the birdfeeders! We do that at Harstine and it works quite well).