Gray Squirrels...Fiends or Friends?

  Every squirrel I know has a bad reputation.  Perhaps it is just those that live around the Bayou but here, they are thieving, destructive little critters.  They swipe the fruit from the trees, steal my tomatoes before they are ripe and can gnaw their way through just about any surface.  More than once has Son had to repair the roof, siding and doors just because a squirrel has decided our house is its house.  And don't think they are not sneaky enough to try entry in the middle of the night!  Son and I were out on the rooftop at 2am because one persistent rascal was ripping the siding off the upstairs walls!  Bird feeders, gardens, kitchens...none of these are safe.  We have had our battles in each case.  Squirrels...the evil ones of the rodent family.  Well, rats are not nice either...nor are shrews!  Shrews are downright wicked!  They are quite feisty!

  Now that it is settled that squirrels can do a lot of damage, I want to repair the damage done to their reputation by the previous statements.  Squirrels are not complete fiends bent on driving humans mad with their antics.  In fact, some squirrels are helpful!  Yes, you read that right and, yes, that did come from me.  Squirrels can be helpful!  Just today, an example of their good deeds came to light. I was overjoyed to be the recipient of their kindness!  Oh, lucky me!

  While I was out doing a bit of yard work, it occurred to me that I should gather a few "fire sticks" (as my sweet granddaughter calls them) or twigs.  We are to have a bit of cold weather here for the next few days and the old woodstoves will need stoking.  Twigs are a great fire starter and in the enclosed iron stoves, they last a good while.  It is my custom to gather a handful or two on each outing so it is not a big chore to get them when needed.  I found just what I needed in the lane.  There are several large squirrels' nests in the hickory trees that line the lane and beneath those, there were dozens of fire sticks.  It seems that the ideal size to gnaw a twig for use in nest-building is also the perfect size for my woodstoves.   It took only a few moments to gather a nice bundle of the 14 to 15 inch sticks.  Squirrels are great at measuring and gnawing the limbs but, apparently, not so great at holding on to each one they cut.  The lane was filled with lovely fire sticks...or nesting supplies...whichever.  So, a big shout out to the gray squirrels that live down the lane!  Your help is greatly appreciated and your status has gone up a few points in my book.  (At least, until you steal my plums come this spring.)

Leave Me Alone! I Am Hiding!

  Late this afternoon, my hike found me gathering twigs to light a fire when I headed back to the Little Bayou House.  Even though the weather is still more springlike than winter, a small, crackling fire in the old woodburning stove sure feels good.  Picking up the small branches would occasionally uncover a critter that had taken refuge beneath the bark.  One particularly rotten branch exposed a rather lengthy centipede. The critter must have been basking in the warm sunshine because it was able to scoot rather speedily around in the soft sand.  Once the critter realized that it was fully in the open, it panicked.  "I need to hide!"  So, instead of searching for a leaf or cluster of dead grass, the centipede stuck its head and about half its body down into the soft sand.  "You can't see me! Now, go away!", I imagined the bug saying.

  The antics of the centipede reminded me of the old cliche "An ostrich with its head stuck in the sand" in referring to someone that denies the existence of a problem in hopes that it will just go away.  By the way, just for clarification, OSTRICHES DO NOT BURY THEIR HEADS IN SAND! Ostriches are much smarter than that as they realize that sticking their heads under sand may (and most likely would) lead to asphyxiation.  Birds are not that dumb!  However, it is obvious that either the centipede had a tunnel already dug so its breathing was not a problem or that critter is THAT stupid.  I am leaning toward the thought that a tunnel was the answer.

  Out of curiosity, I reached down at touched the little critter.  Immediately, the centipede wigggled its way completely under the sand.  Good move, little critter!  I eased the piece of bark back into place over the bug.  There was no need to disturb its cozy nest any longer.  It was a case of "live and let live".  I did not need that piece of wood badly enough that a critter could not have warmth as well.  There were plenty of other sticks in the area.  

Good things come in small packages!

With the onset of this wintry-like weather, my son, Michael, and I are busy every day stocking up the wood bins.  Not only do the bins inside the house need refilling several times a day but the wood rack outside becomes depleted rather quickly.  Regardless of the chill, rain or wind in the air, this is a must-do chore.  Probably if we were not so picky about how we get the firewood, this would not be a daily task.  He and I refuse to cut just "any" tree.  If the thing is not dead or diseased, we refuse to cut it.  We found a fallen hickory tree last month that needed to be used so while Mark was home, the chainsaw was brought into action.  He cut the thing into lengths to fit the stoves so now we just have to split it when we need hard wood.  Still, I need smaller limbs to stoke the fire.  Without kindling from fat knots or twigs found in the yard, those hickory chunks do not want to burn.  The two of us set out today to do a bit of trimming on the trees in the yard.  During summer, we found numerous trees that had limbs draping down low to the ground.  These made it difficult to use the lawnmowers without getting smacked in the head!  Those had to be trimmed along with saplings that came up at the base of some of the larger trees.  The only tools needed were a hatchet, snips and pruning saw.  This was my kind of cutting!  I enjoy trimming up things in the yard.  It makes that spring cleanup a lot easier!

After about two hours of cutting, we loaded our "wood" into the wheelbarrow and headed back up the hillside.  Two barrows full of tiny wood was added to the wood rack and a third was parked by the front door.  Here it would be easy to retrieve during the evening hours.

I like the tiny twigs.  Contrary to most folk's idea, these things can really put out the heat!  Since I do not have a regular fireplace in use, the twigs are perfect.  The woodstoves both can be chocked full of the twigs to produce a hot fire.  Once these burn down and become coals, the stoves each maintain the heat for some time.  A well-timed chunk of hickory can burn for hours!  I love to see the stove get full of those red-hot embers!  Yep, bring on the cold!  We are ready with our twiggy firewood!