There's Plenty of Nuts Out There

Made friends with a squirrel today in Central Park. He told me rather than store his nuts for later this winter, he was going eat them all, today!

My parents left the city in 1977 for Massapequa Park and became homeowners for the first time. I come from a long line of renters. After Mom died, Dad typed out a story she had written and gave it to me. I also have the original Mom wrote in pen. I take it out now and then. It's a love story between a York Avenue girl and a suburban squirrel.

Shorty by Patricia Pryor ~ 1989 (no edits)

We have a fifty-foot Oak tree in our backyard. One of the branches has hollowed out. Shorty, Petie, Oscar, Boo and many other squirrels reside there. It is a wonder for me to see them every morning, frolicking and playing. Every year there are new babies, and they come out about 6AM and try to see how far they can wander from the big Oak tree.... They love it so.... Below this oak we have a woodshed and a fence. They sometimes go along this too, chasing each other. Falling off in their haste. It is like watching children at play. Whenever my Granddaughter is here, we feed them together. Nuts, apples, acorns and the rest of the goodies they so love. Sometimes they venture further and try to run up another tree which has a birdhouse, but the little birds protest very loudly and give them a merry chase. So back they go to their little home so high in the sky. On Thanksgiving, Alison put out some Crab apples and goodies. I see Shorty trying one, dropping it, picking it up, dropping it. Alison would so love to see what I see so early in the morning...Sorry Alison, but they did eat the crackers you left for them...Here’s Shorty again, so adorable. He must know I love him… Reminds me of Michael, so innocent and trusting. So eager to explore all independent, always on his own…Not afraid to come nearer to our window to find a nut or two. How he trusts what I put out for him...

One cold windy day he sat in the crook of the smaller tree and swayed in the wind, but still managed to hang on to finish his meal. I feel for him the way I felt for my children, when they were tots. Such innocence and purity.. Eager for every day’s adventures. I sometimes wonder what his little home looks like inside the big oak tree? How many other squirrels live in there too? They have to admire him. I do. Just think about how he wakes up in the morning,….. happy for another bright and sunny day. Planning the fun he will have exploring everywhere. Perhaps his friends Petie and Oscar would be more like him and trust a little more....The beautiful tree to live in , nice and warm. The food and water they find in the many yards like mine...Bad habits form so easy, but so can good ones. There is much to discover and enjoy. I especially like it when they chase each other up and down the tree and over the fences. Slipping and sliding, sometimes falling real hard on their little rumps, but up they go, to start all over again.

By the way did I forget to tell you what fun they have when they sometimes have to re-build their beds inside the tree? They gather leaves, paper and string, all really working hard together. Laughing and running all the way…Wow! Are they lucky to live so high up. Just think of all they can see from way up there. How great it would be to shrink and climb that tree and look inside. Wouldn’that be fun? To watch what goes on inside their home. Maybe I’ll just imagine it...They all have separate sleeping quarters, some neater than others. Shorty’s is the most interesting. He has lots of little goodies he plays with when it’s too cold to come out. A piece of shiny aluminum, he also uses for grooming purposes, empty shells for a little game he made up for all to play when they are totally homebound because of the cold...

Another nice sunny day.... Shorty has just come out to find some food. He is now in the middle tree eating his find. I have noticed that he doesn’t go in the crook of the branch unless it’s windy...Here he comes again, he just hid his nut by the little birdhouse. now he has taken a piece of cracker.I sometimes wonder does he know if it will rain later in the day?...he’s probably stocking up........

It snowed again last night, not more than 3 inches... I haven’t seen Shorty yet...he came out later in the day. He brought his buddies with him...The weather has changed again…45 degrees… I wonder if Shorty’s as puzzled by the way it changes so quickly...Today seems to be a beautiful day, I haven’t seen anyone yet, even though there’s plenty of crackers and nuts out there...