They're everywhere.
They look so innocent, don't they? Just eating scraps of food and minding their own business.
But that's only an act. They're watching.
And plotting.
And so it was on Friday morning when I went for a run. I had just made it a mile on the paved path along the lake when a kamikaze squirrel spotted his target and made up his mind.
As you can see, I'm quite a bit bigger than a squirrel. But they are faster. And younger. Even if it was an elderly squirrel of, say, 10, that still makes me a good four decades older. When this particular squirrel darted straight under my feet as I ran, all I could do was jump to avoid crushing it. I barely brushed its tail but I landed hard on my left foot and felt that familiar twinge in my bad knee. Ever since I blew out my knee when I was skiing in high school, I've been prone to re-injuring it. My only consolation is getting to say that I hurt it skiing in the Alps.
The squirrel retreated, snickering a little, to watch me continue. Except now I was walking instead of running. Hobbling, actually. When I went back out to try again the next morning, there was a squirrel waiting in the same spot, just off the path. As I approached, I looked at the squirrel and said,
"Go tell your little friends to stay away from me!" He ran back to another squirrel at the tree, and they both turned to look at me, keeping their distance.
But I know it's a temporary truce. Don't let the big eyes and fluffiness fool you. They're just biding their time.
awww...poor squirrel...
ReplyDeletesmiles...hope your knee is not too hurt...i rather like squirrels, but...
It's much better today, thanks.
DeleteAnd I love squirrels in spite of everything.
Didn't Jimmy Carter get attacked by a rabbit down your way once? What next, the attack of the muskrats? I'll stick with our moose and bears, at least they're not sneaky about it.
ReplyDeleteYes he did. Rodents and Southerners have an uneasy relationship. I did have a groundhog prowling around once...
Deletesquirrels are the devil incarnate. even their ears have a sort of horned look to them, no?
ReplyDeletebut they are so cute....... and a danger to themselves and those humans and cars and bikes around them.
Sort of Disneyfied horns. But they are absurdly cute and I cannot really get mad at them.
DeleteOutside of hearing about your re-injury, this post was so cleverly and humorously written!
ReplyDeleteAnd OH MY GOD...that last photo you captured and your final words, were BRILLIANT!
In fact, ALL these photos are brilliant. Love the one of the squirrel sitting on the trash can!
" I looked at the squirrel and said, "Go tell your little friends to stay away from me!" He ran back to another squirrel at the tree, and they both turned to look at me, keeping their distance."
HA! Aren't they smart little devils?
But oh, soooooooooo CUTE!!!
X
Thank you! I admit, this one was just fun to write. And yes, they are fiendishly cute and clever for having such tiny brains. :-)
DeleteOh I hate when those nagging injuries resurface like that!
ReplyDeleteAt least I get a warning sign and know when to be careful to avoid a serious injury.
DeleteI like them too, despite the fact that one once ran off with a bagged lunch just as I was about to open it once...
ReplyDeleteSo glad your knee is better.
I hold no real anger - they actually make me laugh. And thanks.
Deletethat sounds dramatic!:)
ReplyDeleteAt least in the re-telling!
DeleteI love squirrels too, but they're cheeky little creatures for sure. They'd have the fingers off my hands if they were nutritious. Glad your knee seems better after that unexpected encounter. And doesn't he (she?) look so innocent and disarming and what-did-I-ever-do in that last pic?
ReplyDeleteThey are rather self-focused. And yes, that's why I put that photo at the end!
DeleteYour photos crack me up....they look so innocent, but oh so evil! We are more likely to have a chipmunk cross our path (literally) here than a squirrel. The squirrels tend to stay further away. Probably out of guilt for eating all the birdseed.
ReplyDeleteHope your knee feels better!
Mine seem to feel no guilt about eating my birdseed and just shale heir little fists at me when I yell at them.
DeleteI agree. Squirrels are plotters. They will take over the world someday and they know all our secrets and nasty little habits.
ReplyDeleteI can believe that!
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ReplyDeleteSorry the squirrel tripped you up. I hope your knee feels better soon.
PS: what happened to the ‘incognito’ bit? Not just one but two identifying photos . . . .
I also admire your staying power with the ‘o no’ guy. How on earth did you manage not to walk out on him? Is that not something a well-mannered lady does?
It's only incognito in terms of being unsearchable. I don't use my name, or my location, or anything like that. Anyone who happened to stumble here who knew me IRL would recognize me instantly, with or without photos.
DeleteAnd I don't know - I think it's a combination of being polite and also being professionally trained to listen to things I don't personally find agreeable without betraying much feeling about it.
That wasn't very nice of him! So sorry about you knee. Hope you heal quickly.
ReplyDeleteThanks - when I catch it early, it's just a matter of scaling back for a few days and then I'm fine.
DeleteRodents with cutesy tails, that's all. I am not a fan of squirrels.
ReplyDeleteHere we have moose and bears and caribou patrolling the roads.
Sorry to hear about that knee, it's a Murphy's law getting re-injured in the same spot over and over.
XO
WWW
I am a fan, to be honest. They provide me with hours of entertainment, even if they do hog the birdseed.
DeleteI don't know if it's so much a Murphy's Law thing as it is that once you have a big injury, you are vulnerable in that particular place. So I could have hurt my ankle or foot, but it's my knee that gives.
You and all of us are outnumbered by those demons. You must just outwit them. They do act like squirrels so they are not as focused as you can be.
ReplyDeleteI just need to keep a warier eye on them when I run!
DeleteAdorable evil tree rats!
ReplyDeleteThe squirrels do seem to be quite bold this year. I had one chewing my dogwood apart as I watched yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI messed up my knee one winter, too, but mine was when I backed into a frozen mound of snow and over-extended it in the wrong direction.
It was fun seeing a picture of you, too.
I wonder if it was gathering nesting material? They have two litters a year (or whatever batches of squirrel babies are called).
DeleteWhen bloggers who rarely post their own photos do, I always have this little thrill of "Oh, THAT'S who you are!" It's like having talked with someone on the phone only, and then meeting them in person.
It seems to me the obvious solution to this problem is to quit all this running around. Stay home, have a martini, and feed the squirrels. ;)
ReplyDeleteBut I like all that running around!
DeleteI am terribly clumsy. If that squirrel had run under my feet I have the horrible sensation we would have both been very sorry.
ReplyDeleteThere is something so cheerful about squirrels. Love all the photos of their bright little eyes and bushy little tails.
It's remarkable that I didn't either step on him or fall.
DeleteAnd yes, they are very cheery looking.
You are adorable in your cute running gear!
ReplyDelete