Scratchy, the squirrel

Such a pretty afternoon. The sun was shining, the temperature had reached an unseasonably 70 degrees for the end of February and it sure had a feeling that maybe spring really was on the way. It was too pretty of a day to stay at my school, in my windowless classroom and input grades into the electronic grade book and post the 3rd quarter interim grades. So I walked home, sat at my dining room table and worked. I love my dining room because the one long wall overlooks the backyard and is all windows. If I had to sit and do mindless data entry, at least I could do it is a comfortable space.

As I typed away on my MacBook Air, I heard it. “Scratch. Scratch.” I looked up and out and scanned the backyard. I heard it again and noticed something moving on the large oak tree out back. It was grey and had a bushy tail – a squirrel. What was he carrying? It looked like a large leaf in its mouth. The scratching sound was its feet as it climbed up and around the trunk. I kept my eyes on this squirrel and saw him pause as he reached the halfway point of the trunk. Then he disappeared into what looked more like a leathery, brown balloon stuck to the side of the tree trunk. The he reappeared, without the leaf in his mouth. Scratch, scratch. He scampered down the tree, onto the grass and hopped across my backyard and into my neighbors yard.

Five minutes later, he (or maybe a she) was back. Again with a leaf in his mouth. Again, climbing up the oak tree. Again making a scratching sound as he climbed to the to that leafy brown balloon-shaped spot. Again he disappeared and reappeared.

I guess this is how a squirrel makes a home, his drey. I think I’ll call my construction working squirrel, Scratchy.

What creatures have YOU enjoyed watching lately?

PS: I didn’t film my squirrel but this person did!