Wishing for Winter...

Just the other day, I was reading where the Farmers' Almanac predicted a cold, wet winter ahead of us.  This, in itself, does not bother me as I like winter.  It is my favorite of all seasons even with the cold and all its trappings.  Of course, that said, I have to concede to my neighbors to the north that have truly cold winters..we do not.  I find myself longing for a good freeze with a hefty bit of sleet or snow!  The most we get here is a few cold days and at best snow flurries.  The humidity here does make our "cold" chill you to the bone but ours is not a true winter in comparison to most.  But..according to the Almanac..it is supposed to be quite frigid about the country.

All of this made me ponder today as I came across evidence that the squirrels have been rather busy. I knew they were making short work of the sunflower seeds and corn that I put out in the bird feeders but never realized the extent of their scavenging.  Every pine tree in the yard is now devoid of cones.  The squirrels have chewed their way to the small seeds inside.  Nary a pine nut has escaped their munching!  Since they have devoured all of the cones near the house, they have moved to the outer edges of the yard.  One pine tree actually sits out in the marsh and sometimes has its roots submerged in the brackish water.  This has not stopped the squirrels from raiding the tree during low tide.  The pier is littered with the petals of the cones.  I have noticed that the females are storing seeds and nuts but the males go right behind and raid their cache.  Those rascals are far too lazy to put away a few nuts for themselves!  Now I am a bit concerned that the critters won't have much to eat come this winter.

So, if the Almanac is correct..(and it usually is)..we are in for a cold winter. It will be time to don the jackets, chop firewood and drink cocoa!  Since those silly squirrels are eating everything in sight now,  I suppose it will also be time to put out more corn and seeds for the critters than I normally do.  Between the coons and squirrels, the birds will not stand a chance at the feeders!  Ms. Ezzy, the old Bayou Dog, had better perk up a bit and do her job! That cozy bed seems to demand a lot more of her attention nowadays and during a cold winter, she might just refuse to chase any pesky squirrels!  Ahh..a cold winter sounds pretty good right now with the temperatures still in the mid-nineties during the daytime hours!  Think cool..think cool!