PEANUT is back -- finally!! :D
I don't know if she read my journal or sensed my wistful vibes or got a message from Twinkie or what (heehee), but PEANUT showed up today! My sweet little squirrel girl! :) :D
I went outside about a half hour ago because I saw two squirrels playing and/or chasing each other around, and I thought I'd see if one was Twinkie, who's fast becoming my next friend. As I walked closer, I saw the one nearest me was petite but had a fluffy tail, and started to tentatively walk over when she saw me. So I knew it was Twinkie.
But then, I noticed that the other squirrel (the chaser) was larger thank Twinkie but had a less-fluffy tail. And the fur pattern (sparse fur in the middle) looked VERY much like my old friend Peanut. (I'm a tiny bit nearsighted, so I wasn't 100% sure). As I was walking back to my front door so Twinkie could follow and get some treats, the other squirrel came boundering over as well, so my hopes got higher and higher that it was indeed Peanut!
Then, the larger squirrel gave a big JUMP onto the landscaping rock that Peanut has that funny compulsion to always jump on before coming over, so I knew it HAD to be her! And, sure enough, as I sat down on my front step, she came scampering over and I saw the NOTCHED RIGHT EAR! ;D :) I was so relieved and happy that I sat there with tears in my eyes. I was almost literally crying!
I talked to Peanut the whole time I was tossing her peanuts, telling her how much I missed her and worried about her, and what a good girl she was. I think it's been TWO WEEKS since we last visited. She was very easygoing and friendly and came extremely close -- about a foot away! Do you think she actually missed me too? I like to think she felt some happy emotions due to us visiting again. I believe without a doubt that rodents have emotions, but sometimes I get laughed at by folks who doubt.
I had called into the house to tell my mom that Peanut was back, but the phone rang and she couldn't come out right away. By the time she did, I'd given Peanut enough nuts, but I hadn't yet given her apple. So my mom got the pleasure of giving her the squirrel-sized chunks of Pink Lady apple keep in the fridge in a zipper bag. *giggle* She talked to Peanut a lot also, and I think she (Pea) really enjoyed all the praise and attention -- not to mention the food! ;D Even though she prefers Braeburn apples (the first type i ever fed her), she ate several of the Pink Lady pieces before she decided that was enough. The sound of her crunching the apples is SO CUTE, especially since she eats them with her mouth open!
Anyhoo, Twinkie was dibbing around on the outskirts the whole time I and my mom were feeding Peanut, but she wouldn't come too close. This lends even more credance to my theory that Pea is the dominant female, since not only did I see her chasing Twinkie, but I've also seen her run off Velvet, the black squirrel (also a female). Because I didn't want Twinkie to be dissed, and because I wanted to encourage her to learn to trust me as a friend, I tossed her a few nuts, and I guess my aim is improving, because she got them right away and ate happily. Then, I tossed her an apple chunk. I've never given her apple before, so I suspected she'd sniff it, lick it, and then diss it, which is what both Peanut AND Goober did when first introduced to apples. WRONG! Twinkie gave it one quick sniff, grabbed it, and ate it with much relish! :)
Seeing Peanut totally made my day today, and it's not even over yet! ;D This afternoon/evening Tony and I are going to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for their free summer Friday concerts-on-the-beach series, and also to enjoy the old-fashioned fun of riding rides, eating junk food and playing games! (heehee) The concert tonight is THE FIXX, one of my fave 1980s bands! Oh, and then tomorrow I'm finally having lunch with my old friend Karole, whom I haven't seen in a looong time and am very glad to finally have lunch with. So, it's a great start to a great weekend! And now, the photos...
Here are some pix I took today of Peanut, and one with Twinkie.
Here Peanut munches on a nut that I left for Twinkie!
I cropped this image a lot, so you can see the little notch in Pea's right ear.
Another good view of her cute ear notch.
EATING! (Not sure if it was peanut or apple at this point! heehee)
Eating again!
Eeek! Help! She's coming after me! (*giggle*)
OUCH! Peanut -- that's my TOE! (Just kidding! It only LOOKS like she's attacking!)
Here is Twinkie in the background, while Peanut monopolizes the feeding time. :) But I was successful in flinging a few nuts and apple over to little Twinkums, who's getting more and more friendly EVERY day!
BTW: That's Peanut in my icon today (tho I think everyone knows by now! *blush*)
I went outside about a half hour ago because I saw two squirrels playing and/or chasing each other around, and I thought I'd see if one was Twinkie, who's fast becoming my next friend. As I walked closer, I saw the one nearest me was petite but had a fluffy tail, and started to tentatively walk over when she saw me. So I knew it was Twinkie.
But then, I noticed that the other squirrel (the chaser) was larger thank Twinkie but had a less-fluffy tail. And the fur pattern (sparse fur in the middle) looked VERY much like my old friend Peanut. (I'm a tiny bit nearsighted, so I wasn't 100% sure). As I was walking back to my front door so Twinkie could follow and get some treats, the other squirrel came boundering over as well, so my hopes got higher and higher that it was indeed Peanut!
Then, the larger squirrel gave a big JUMP onto the landscaping rock that Peanut has that funny compulsion to always jump on before coming over, so I knew it HAD to be her! And, sure enough, as I sat down on my front step, she came scampering over and I saw the NOTCHED RIGHT EAR! ;D :) I was so relieved and happy that I sat there with tears in my eyes. I was almost literally crying!
I talked to Peanut the whole time I was tossing her peanuts, telling her how much I missed her and worried about her, and what a good girl she was. I think it's been TWO WEEKS since we last visited. She was very easygoing and friendly and came extremely close -- about a foot away! Do you think she actually missed me too? I like to think she felt some happy emotions due to us visiting again. I believe without a doubt that rodents have emotions, but sometimes I get laughed at by folks who doubt.
I had called into the house to tell my mom that Peanut was back, but the phone rang and she couldn't come out right away. By the time she did, I'd given Peanut enough nuts, but I hadn't yet given her apple. So my mom got the pleasure of giving her the squirrel-sized chunks of Pink Lady apple keep in the fridge in a zipper bag. *giggle* She talked to Peanut a lot also, and I think she (Pea) really enjoyed all the praise and attention -- not to mention the food! ;D Even though she prefers Braeburn apples (the first type i ever fed her), she ate several of the Pink Lady pieces before she decided that was enough. The sound of her crunching the apples is SO CUTE, especially since she eats them with her mouth open!
Anyhoo, Twinkie was dibbing around on the outskirts the whole time I and my mom were feeding Peanut, but she wouldn't come too close. This lends even more credance to my theory that Pea is the dominant female, since not only did I see her chasing Twinkie, but I've also seen her run off Velvet, the black squirrel (also a female). Because I didn't want Twinkie to be dissed, and because I wanted to encourage her to learn to trust me as a friend, I tossed her a few nuts, and I guess my aim is improving, because she got them right away and ate happily. Then, I tossed her an apple chunk. I've never given her apple before, so I suspected she'd sniff it, lick it, and then diss it, which is what both Peanut AND Goober did when first introduced to apples. WRONG! Twinkie gave it one quick sniff, grabbed it, and ate it with much relish! :)
Seeing Peanut totally made my day today, and it's not even over yet! ;D This afternoon/evening Tony and I are going to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for their free summer Friday concerts-on-the-beach series, and also to enjoy the old-fashioned fun of riding rides, eating junk food and playing games! (heehee) The concert tonight is THE FIXX, one of my fave 1980s bands! Oh, and then tomorrow I'm finally having lunch with my old friend Karole, whom I haven't seen in a looong time and am very glad to finally have lunch with. So, it's a great start to a great weekend! And now, the photos...
Here are some pix I took today of Peanut, and one with Twinkie.
Here Peanut munches on a nut that I left for Twinkie!
I cropped this image a lot, so you can see the little notch in Pea's right ear.
Another good view of her cute ear notch.
EATING! (Not sure if it was peanut or apple at this point! heehee)
Eating again!
Eeek! Help! She's coming after me! (*giggle*)
OUCH! Peanut -- that's my TOE! (Just kidding! It only LOOKS like she's attacking!)
Here is Twinkie in the background, while Peanut monopolizes the feeding time. :) But I was successful in flinging a few nuts and apple over to little Twinkums, who's getting more and more friendly EVERY day!
BTW: That's Peanut in my icon today (tho I think everyone knows by now! *blush*)