squirrel!

 There was a squirrel on my bird feeder this morning

    That is kind of a surprise, because we don't have any big trees near our house.

    Not in our yard.  Not in any of our neighbors' yards.  Nowhere.

    So the squirrel had to travel over from the park.

    Imagine that.

    You are a squirrel.  (No, I am not calling you a squirrel.  Just pretend you are a squirrel.)

    You can't find the nuts you buried last fall.  Or maybe you already ate your nuts.  But you have no nuts.

    So you look for food.

    Your extremely keen sense of smell detects sunflower seeds along with a mixture of peanuts and whatever.  But where is the enticing  aroma  coming from?

    You scurry down your tree.  Even though it is bitter cold, you leave the warm shelter of your nest in search of food.

    Crossing the road, you pay attention to  cars.  

    Look!  Here comes one! 

    Quick!  Dart in front of it!  Now go back!  Now go in front!  Run like hell across the road!

    You breathe deeply.  But a sudden realization that you are out in the middle of a barren field, your smokey gray body a target for hawks, the occasional eagle, or an owl with insomnia.

    You dart across one yard.  Then another yard.  

    You spy the pole and can sense the food at the top.

    You wrap your frozen little claws around the icy cold pole and slowly inch your way up, thankful that the human  providing the seed did not put Vaseline on the pole.

    You. reach the apex!  You have hit the motor lode!  There are peanuts, corn kernels, sunflower seeds!  Heaven for you!

    Once your tummy is full, you stuff as much food in your cheeks as you can and begin the perilous journey back home.

    Crossing the field, one eye to the sky the other eye on the look out for fox.  Or coyote.  Or the neighborhood feral cats.  Or a loose dog.

    You reach the road.  Seeing no cars, you have no choice  but to wait.

    A car comes slowly down the road and so you dart out.  Stop. Run back.  Dart out again.  Listen for the screaming breaks.  And then you run safely back to your tree, where you tuck your nuts away and rest.

    Tomorrow you plan another foray across the frozen tundra, unaware that the human putting seed out for the birds is looking for the Vaseline.

    All good things come to an end.  Eventually.

Peace and Love