May 21st - May 28th: The Week I Have A Tale Of Two Squirrels

And three horses...

Hello dear friends! This week has not been as monumental a week as last week, but fear not…there have been many little things that have made this week one to remember. From the return of the hummingbirds, to the first sightings of both a dragonfly and a lightning bug, and oh so many animal antics in between. I am always delighted to see the lightning bugs return as their presence takes me back to my childhood and the hours spent chasing those chaotic little twinkling insects hoping to capture one so that it might light up in my little loosely clasped hands and make them glow from within. My cousins and I would spend hours running around the yard at dusk, hoping against hope of being the one to catch the elusive little blinking bug. I’m sure our parents were also happy to see their return as it meant that at least for a little while our attention would be focused more on catching bugs than fighting with each other, thereby affording our parents at least a brief respite from the antics of our little gang. But as I’m sure you discerned from the title of this week’s post, this is not a tale of insects, but rather that of two somewhat annoying, yet endearingly amusing squirrels, and three beautiful and gentle horses, so let me get on with those tales.

To start, allow me to introduce you to the two furry little creatures who seemingly live to simultaneously empty my feeders and torment our poor pup Pogo with their daily presence in the window located next to his bed. These two little creatures could not be any more different in their manners, yet Pogo considers them both to be his nemesis. First, I shall introduce you to Ratchet Tail the Rude, and as his name indicates, his manners leave quite a bit to be desired! You may wonder how it is that I can be so certain it is indeed the same squirrel, and the answer is really quite simple…there is a little band of fur missing on his tail that makes him quite easy to identify (and also in part inspired his name). There have been many a day I have come into the living room and seen this little birdseed thief staring down anyone who dares to look upon him through the window as he brazenly scales the wall and jumps into the bird feeder I have purposely placed as far across the window as is humanly possible. Once he has safely landed on said bird feeder, he quickly makes himself at home and begins eagerly chowing down as many sunflower seeds as he possibly can. Shockingly, his thievery does not stop there; I have also seen him tilt the hummingbird feeder so that he can lick up the nectar that spills from it…who knew a squirrel could have a sweet tooth?! Next, I shall introduce you to Ms. Manners, who could not be more different from her counterpart in that she would never resort to stealing from the precariously placed bird feeder high upon the window and is instead more than happy to snack upon the offerings of the squirrel feeder I have purposely placed at the base of the window, mere inches above the patio surface. Not only is she simply content to dine from the assigned feeder, she is also gracious enough to stare up into the window while sitting up on her hind end with her tiny paws clasped together as if asking permission to begin snacking on the testy treats I have provided. Oh, her momma must be so proud of her! While they may each take a different approach towards partaking of the treats provided them, they both agree that as fun as it may be to torment Pogo when he is trapped on the other side of the window, it most definitely is not as fun once he has been released. They have both learned the sound of the lock on the patio door being turned and upon hearing the sound very quickly make their escape, much to Pogo’s chagrin. Try as he might, our poor pup is no match for the speed and agility of those two. Adding insult to injury is the fact that in his single-minded pursuit, he quite often forgets that we do indeed have a fence around the backyard and has on many occasions had to come to a rather graceless-looking slide in order to stop himself from running headfirst into said fence…a sight guaranteed to elicit laughter from anyone fortunate enough to witness it.

Finally, allow me to introduce you to three of the most gentle and beautiful horses I have ever had the privilege of meeting. I cannot tell you their names as sadly I was only with them for an hour or so, but even in that short time I learned quite a bit about them. I have not spent much time around horses, but in recent days I have had the fortune of meeting a gentleman who is a farrier by trade and he has been gracious enough not only to let me tag along on his jobs, but to also educate me about horses. The first lesson I learned upon meeting these three was that horses, like dogs, are highly food motivated. Just the gentlest of shakes of the grain scoop was enough to get their ears to perk up and encourage them to come running from the far end of the pasture to the gate, making it much easier for us to bring them to a much smaller paddock area in order to trim their hooves. While Mitch set about the work of trimming the hooves of the youngest of the herd, I occupied myself by providing scratches and neck rubs for the other two. This is when I learned my second lesson: horses are actually just giant puppies! If I spent too much time petting one horse I would find myself being gently nudged, or in one instance having my ear nuzzled, by the other as if to say “Hey! It’s my turn!”. Much like puppies, they do not like to share, but will do so if they really must…begrudgingly of course! My third and final lesson of the day was on how to properly halter a horse, which thanks to Mitch’s skillful instruction and the sweet disposition of the older of the painted mares, went remarkably well. I truly can’t describe just how amazing and soul soothing an experience it is to gaze into the eyes of a horse. It’s almost as if they can look into your heart and soul and sooth any pain or hurt you may feel…truly wondrous!

As I said before, this week may not have been as momentous a week as last week, but in its own amusing, amazing, and wonderful way, it was both healing and soul-soothing. From catching sight of someone dancing in their car while waiting in line at the drive-through, having no idea they’ve been spotted doing so, to watching a small girl no more than 5 years old confidently riding her own horse behind her father on his, and having to laugh at yourself after you’ve jumped out of your skin thinking you’ve just seen a snake in the parking spot next to you only to realize it’s actually someone’s dreadlock hair extension. Laughter, inspiration, and healing can come from many sources; we just need to be open to finding those little things that make the day better, and I hope you do so as well this week.

Blessings,

Candi 💕

Photo credit: Myself