Wednesday, December 30, 2020

SQUIRRELS AND CORN

Back on line and thank you Sandra at Madsnapper who told me about the blogging app for my iPhone.   It came in useful for letting you know that I was having trouble, but I am very happy with my laptop back in action again.  It is an old one but keeps on ticking, touch wood!  I also have my old Paint Shop Pro on there and haven’t found anything I like better.  It is probably because I am used to it and fits me like a comfortable old shoe.  I don’t take to change very well and that’s a secret I probably should keep to myself but what the hey!  Is blogger taking notes?  I am still getting used to that change!

Anyhow I do hope your special time over the holiday season was a good one considering.   Ours was very quiet this year but we ended up enjoying ourselves and making the most of keeping in touch with everyone through this wonderful technology at our fingertips.  Demons it may have but I am not sure I want to do without it any more, and it keeps us all connected.  

I am starting off with an old post, as seems to be the way it is these days.  Quite a while ago we went shopping and came back with bird seed and dried corn cobs.  With neighborhood bear safely tucked up for the winter months, it was decided the birds and squirrels needed to be taken care of, as is our norm at this time of the year.  

Yes I love squirrels and have found them very entertaining all these years.  A man who saw me at a garden taking photos once, asked why was I taking photos of those nasty little tree rats!  I can’t actually remember what I replied, but I defended them vehemently.  How dare he insult my dear little tree rats...errrr, squirrels.   Yes they are a rodent but even so...

A few facts about them, did you know a squirrel's front teeth never stop growing?  This is a common characteristic of other rodents also.  The word 'rodent' actually derives from the Latin "rodere", which means to gnaw.
Squirrels can find food buried beneath a foot of snow.  Food is important during the cold winter months for squirrels.  It makes sense, therefore, that some species are able to smell food under a foot of snow.  The squirrel will then dig a tunnel under the snow, following the scent to their (or another squirrel's) food supply.
Squirrels may lose 25 percent of their buried food to thieves.  And that's just from members of their own species.  Scatter hoarders (squirrels with multiple caches of food) have a difficult time keeping an eye on all of their hidden food. Fellow squirrels or birds often take advantage of this for a free meal. 
Squirrels may pretend to bury a nut to throw off potential thieves.  They have been observed engaging in 'deceptive caching’.  This is where a squirrel digs a hole and vigorously covers it up again, but without depositing the nut.  It seems this is done to throw off potential food thieves.
Squirrels don't dig up all of their buried nuts, which results in more trees!  They have accidentally contributed countless trees to our nation's forests.  That alone should make us appreciate squirrels a little more tree rat man!  
A newborn squirrel is about an inch long.  
When squirrels feel threatened, they run away in a zigzag pattern.  This is an incredibly useful strategy to escape hawks and other predators.  
They get bulky to stay warm during the winter, and putting on some extra weight is one strategy they use to stay warm during the cold winter months.
In Greek the word 'squirrel' means 'shadow tail'.
Squirrels can jump a distance of up to 20 feet.  They have long, muscular hind legs and short front legs that work together to aid in leaping.
The hind legs of squirrels are double-jointed, which gives them the ability to run up and down trees very quickly.  
Squirrels have 4 toes on their front feet, which are extremely sharp and used for gripping tree bark whilst climbing.  They also have 5 toes on their back feet.
Now that we are back on line it will be good catching up with you all over the next few days.  As I mentioned previously, it was due to a faulty modem.  Our cable company sent us a brand new one and it arrived in the mail yesterday.  Fast service, very helpful and patient help desk and much appreciated.  

A continued shout-out and a big thank you to all of you out there who are front line and essential workers.  I will never take any of you for granted.  We owe you a debt we will never be able to repay.  

Things are so dire for so many people here and around the world.  I am hoping 2021 will be the light at the end of your tunnel. 

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of your week.  




39 comments:

  1. I am glad that you are back on line - and loved this post.

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    1. Thank you EC, it's good to be back up and running again :)

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  2. You got great pictures, and you are the squirrels guardian angel. We have a lot, and most people around here would sooner kill them then look at them. I like them thogh, they are clever and determined and smart. But that zigzag running does not work with cars, and gets them run over.

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    1. Thank you Ginny! I know, there is a love-hate relationship with squirrels. They are clever little things and no zigzagging doesn't work with cars :(

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  3. Interesting facts and fabulous photos.

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  4. I'm glad you are back on line. You did good at finding a way to communicate with a phone app, but writing a blog post is easier on the laptop I think. I like to see the squirrels when walking in the park. You got some good pictures of their behaviour at feeding time by your home.

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    1. Thank you Linda, and I agree, I found it challenging to work on a phone, even with my glasses on. My fingers however do not work as well as they used to :) Glad you enjoyed them.

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  5. Hello,
    I ma glad you received your new modem. Cute photos of the squirrels. They are very determined and seem hungry all the time. Take care, enjoy your day! I wish you all the best in 2021, a very healthy and happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks Eileen and happy you enjoyed the squirrels. They never stop eating do they? :) All the best to you in 2021 :)

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  6. The photos of the squirrels are cute. I enjoyed reading facts about squirrels too.

    I will be happy once COVID is behind us. We live in a PA county of about 39,000 people. Our little newspaper had 3 pages of obituaries the other day.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed my post Linda :) As far as COVID, I'll be happy too like all of us. How very sad about your newspaper obits.

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  7. Glad you are back up and running. I love the little squirrels and you gave me info I didn't know about them. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thanks Martha, they are very entertaining and you are very welcome :)

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  8. An amazing capture of that squirrel, he was hungry!
    Happy New Year!
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Thank you Amalia. They do make me smile and they are always hungry :) Happy New Year to you also xo

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  9. You either love squirrels or hate them. Squirrels do fall from time to time and have been found with broken bones. I once saw one fall while trying a 10 foot leap. He fell in snow bank so I suspect little harm done.

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    1. That's the truth Red, so very true :) Oh dear, not so fleet of foot then.

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  10. I love squirrels also, we talk to ours, but don't feed them, in Florida they always have a food supply... your photos are wonderful. i did not know they like corn. where do you get dry corn on the cob. i wonder if they would eat the kind we eat. Bob is always threatening our squirrels for eating avocado and says he wants to shoot them, but he never has, he likes them to... i told him if we were hungry and needed the fruit to survive he could shoot them. he then told me when he was growing up they used to hunt squirrel, rabbits and pheasnts and deer to feed the family. I said if we ever get to starving then you can do it, but i will not be eating any

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    1. Hi Sandra, if I remember correctly we got the dried corn cobs from Walmart. I think those squirrels would eat anything! Your conversations with Bob always make me smile :)

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  11. I'm glad you enjoy them....

    I don't. -grin-

    ✨😌✨💛🔥💛✨😴✨

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    1. Then you are one of the many BB, grinning right back :)

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  12. Yippee for the new modem and that it works! Such fascinating critters. Enjoyed reading the facts. Happy New Year to you and yours!

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    1. Yippee indeed, it felt strange for those days I was not on line. Glad you enjoyed the post. Happy New Year to you and yours also :)

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  13. I appreciate them too, and your great shots today, D

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  14. I'm sure the squirrels are thankful that you and Gregg bought them those treats, Denise, as shown in these photos. Glad you have a new modem and can return to laptop blogging. I have never been able to do any blogging on my phone because it's so hard to read. Best wishes to you both for a Happier New Year from Pat and myself.

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    1. Thanks Dorothy, and I agree about the phone. I wish you and Pat the same :)

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  15. Hi Denise! Hope you are doing great! Next to my love for dogs I love squirrels! Love this post and miss your blog. Time flies! Happy holidays to you and yours!
    I may start blogging again. I've been busy caring for family, and rescuing dogs and we bought a home that's a fixxer upper...never again. lol
    Hugs,
    Marie

    Marie

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    1. So good to hear from you Marie, what a nice surprise. I hope you start blogging again, I have missed your delightful posts. Sounds like you have been very, very busy. Take good care of yourself and Happy New Year with hugs :)

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  16. Replies
    1. Thanks Linda :) I have always loved the little things.

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  17. My long absence from visiting and week off from blogging was due only to end of the year ennui (no excuse, in other words). I’ve had a lovely catch up time here ... and I’m sorry you had modem problems and delighted you got them all fixed. .... I love squirrels, watched one just this morning come onto our patio, he was carrying a whole acorn in his mouth! (Not sure why he thought the concrete might make a good storage spot for his find)). I did not know the teeth thing, which I find lovely to know about squirrels and scary to know about their rat cousins.

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    1. Always great to hear from you Sallie, and absolutely no excuses necessary. Happy to see you when you catch up and you are always so very welcome when you do. Fun to read about your squirrel. Happy New Year my friend :)

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