Living with squirrels

I didn't grow up around squirrels. In Panama we had monkeys, exotic birds, opossums, bats, neques, and iguanas. But I found squirrels to be fascinating when I came to the States for my first year of college (in Missouri). They scampered everywhere, chasing and playing with each other, and I was surprised to notice that they didn't disappear during the winter--I still saw them out playing when there was snow on the ground. My years in Utah and Arizona didn't allow much squirrel-watching because they just didn't live nearby (although my in-laws get robbed of their walnuts every year by the squirrels). When we moved to Michigan, we were in squirrel heaven again, with the plentiful tall trees and seeds available everywhere. The kids love looking for squirrels when we're out in the Baby Jogger. We love watching them play and chase each other and gather and stash their winter cache. One of my favorite things right now is hearing Chiquitita's little voice say, "Hola, ardilla!"

D and I discovered that we have some squirrels living inside our house. They scamper everywhere and are so adorable when they play. They also love to stash things in special places. I find laundry baskets full of random items like one shoe, a doll, a pan, a plate, important mail, a ball, a bag of Cheerios, and a napkin. I also find plastic bags, drawers, purses, cupboards, and cardboard boxes full of the same random assortment of items. Scamper, play, gather, and stash--that is what they do. I told the kids, "Guess what? We have squirrels living inside our house! Sometimes when we can't find things, it's because the squirrels took them and hid them in a secret place." They thought that was pretty fascinating. They say they've never seem them in action though. But I have, oh, yes, I get to watch them every day. They are such cute little things, but, man, these little squirrels are not helping me to be more organized!!