Feeling Squirrely? Read This One!

byFKelso

3.5K followers

5 years ago

This one's for you, Showolf.

I lived on Spruce Island near the village of Ouzinkie for about 10 years before I saw a single squirrel. Then, one day when walking home from the village with my dog, he suddenly started running. He stopped under a large tree and, looking up, began barking furiously.

I walked to the tree to see what had caused all the ruckus. Looking up, I saw and heard a squirrel -- he was cussing that dog out with well-placed epithets.

It was a black squirrel -- the kind with long tufts of fur in its ears. I hadn't seen a black squirrel since I'd left Colorado. I finally convinced the dog that the squirrel wasn't doing any harm, and we went home.

I have no idea where that squirrel came from. They stayed around, though, for a couple of years, and then were replaced by brown squirrels. What happened there? Did the brown squirrels arrive en masse, and in a giant skirmish, chase off all the black squirrels, who jumped in the sea? We will never know.

The brown squirrels multiplied rapidly, and became a force of destruction, where buildings were concerned. A squirrel found a small hole in the front wall of my house, climbed in, and built its nest in the insulation.

I knew I'd have to figure out a way to get it out of there. A friend visited, and we started an anti-squirrel campaign. We made a horrible racket. We stood on my balcony. I had a broom that would reach the hole. I planned to turn that critter into a flying squirrel.

She came out. I swung the broom, and of course missed. However, the squirrel got the message. Soon we saw her emerging from the hole, carrying a baby. Four more trips, and she disappeared. We stopped up the hole.

Squirrels are survivors. They can be industrious, focused, and goal-oriented when it comes to winter food storage. In fact, they are over-achievers. They become a great role model for WA members.

An example: A Native friend in the village had two sons, and the three of them liked to hunt. On the far side of Spruce Island, in a place called Big Lagoon, they had built a tiny hunting cabin. They were small people, so just needed a sheltered place to sleep when out for a night or two.

It was eight feet square -- the size of two sheets of plywood. It was a simple, sturdy structure.

We liked to go to Big Lagoon, because it was a beautiful, peaceful spot. You could only enter with a skiff at high tide, because large rocks at the channel entrance would stop you if there wasn't enough water to navigate.

One time we went to visit, and while hiking around the lagoon, came to the little cabin and took a look inside.

It was about 3/4 full of spruce cones!

The squirrels like the little seeds in the cones, so had industriously put in enough cones for a large family or two of squirrels. Those cones would probably last for a couple of years, anyway. With this evidence, I declared squirrels to be over-achievers.

If we could hold onto such focus, our businesses would benefit a great deal. So, remember, when you are feeling discouraged or unmotivated, think of the small squirrel, filling a building with cones. If a little critter like that can succeed, so can we!