This week we had a lot of entertainment watching critters. We watched a chipmunk that was dashing back and forth across the patio driving our cats crazy. It would fill its cheeks with seeds I had scattered, scurry back to its hole to deposit them, and then come back for more. It's amazing how much those pouches held.
Also, we tried again to thwart the squirrels at our bird feeder. We got a tip from a very entertaining and informative PBS video called Squirrel Wars. One of the ways Squirrel Wars suggested to keep the squirrels from climbing a pole was to put a Slinky around it. Well, we tried it and our squirrels are smarter than the one we saw in the video. Our squirrels are using the Slinky to sit on as they eat. It was amusing, though, to watch them the first few times they tried to climb with it in place.
Otherwise, most of the leaves are down and every frost kills more plants. However, there are a few still hanging on and a few that are defying the odds and blooming. I love finding these surprises.
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| When the squirrels aren't there, we are seeing a lot of birds at the feeder such as this woodpecker. |
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| Nandina berries |
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| The groundhog hole filled with leaves. This is the first time in years that it hasn't been active. |
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| A Geranium (Rozanne) that has escaped the frost and is blooming among the fallen oak leaves. |
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| Notice in each picture how the chipmunk's cheeks are getting fatter and fatter. |
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| The mums are still blooming. |
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| Our ineffective Slinky treatment. |
