A Chipmunk's Spring

A woodpile on our front porch hosts a variety of small creatures, and one upright log has become a favorite perch for the first chipmunk of the season. We've named him Primo. On a recent morning, he scrambled to the top of the log and groomed himself as if he had an appointment with Donald Trump that day.

It seems chipmunks might anticipate spring even more than we do. After all, they spend most of the winter in the dark. There is some speculation in the scientific community about what makes chipmunks emerge from their dens. But I like to imagine that a day comes in their underground home when, sundial-like, light makes its way down the shaft of their front hallway and shines on the kitchen table, and they know it's time to come out. Or, possibly they've been hearing the Spring Peepers, as we have, or the Carolina Wrens breaking their winter silence. It must have been rewarding when Primo poked his head above ground to see daffodils and crocus blooming. 

They say if you don't like the weather in the Ozarks, wait a day. The chipmunks must know that one, too. Now the weatherman is predicting snow, so they'll probably be tucked back into their dens tomorrow, hopefully for the last time this season.

Ten Seconds

There will be plenty of people counting down the seconds to the new year tonight. 

Since I hope to be sound asleep by then, here's my own countdown a little early--

10 of my favorite animal sightings of 2016:

10. Fox Kit

Little Foxes

9. Wood Duck

Woody in the Tree

8. Eastern Chipmunk

Generation Z

7. White-tailed Fawn

Once in a Lifetime

6. Eastern Wild Turkey

Trapped

5. Raccoon

Co-inhabitants

4. Monarch Chrysalis

Morning Metamorphosis 

3.White-tailed Buck

Morning Fog

2. Male Cardinal

Mountain Lion Hollow

1. Golden Retriever, Barley

Co-inhabitants

Happy New Year!

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Generation Z

This week, the newest generation of Eastern chipmunks have emerged from their dens, 

and they are discovering a bright and beautiful world.

From the time they are very small, they seem ready to work, eagerly digging on the patch of ground they call home...

...until they have replaced the green decor (so '80's) with some good Ozark dirt.

After all that redecorating, a pause by the air conditioner is in order.

 They are curious about everything; a blade of grass warrants investigation.

Their mother sent them to her favorite haunt from last summer, the raised garden, to make sure the grape tomato had been planted. (It had.) 

This year's plants are still small, and the young chipmunks thought it was a great place to play soccer, racing around the field like Mia Hamm.

Their cousins have a place on the other side of the house. 

After a stormy night, a timid peek out of one entrance to their fortress reveals downed sticks and oak tassels.

"Better grab my hard hat!"



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Superheros

Don's sort of a sucker for superhero shows. In 1990, there was a pretty silly one he watched called The Flash. (OK, I watched it, too.) The hero would put on a red suit, and then they'd show him in fast forward mode, doing heroic things. (Actually, the best thing for me was watching him clean house.)

About the time we watched that show, we started seeing a chipmunk near the house, and he was so fast that we dubbed him Flash in honor of our superhero. The next chipmunks to appear were indistinguishable from the first, so they became Flash, too. Since then, several subsequent generations of chipmunks here have all had the same name.

For several days now, a young Flash has been helping himself to snacks on our deck. Most winters, chipmunks stay snugly tucked into their dens in the ground, and we don't see a sign of them for months.

Flash has been here on frigid mornings, his hair standing on end, and when long blue shadows cross the deck, he stuffs his cheeks 'til they can't hold another sunflower seed. Then he's off to hide them away, only to return and repeat the process. It makes us wonder if someone raided his family's cache, and true to his superhero nature, he's out gathering provisions for the larder.

In the basement this morning, a small mouse was caught in a trap. My first instinct was to holler for Don to help. Of course. He loves dealing with wildlife. The frightened mouse was scarcely damaged, so my own personal superhero took the poor thing outside and set it free. Who needs a red suit? (Uh, don't let this get around. My man and protector has his reputation to think about.)

At last report, the little mouse has been eating sunflower seeds, drinking from the birdbath, and hanging out in the woodpile, so we think he's ok. And The Flash is still hard at work, saving the world from hunger.

Well, at least his family.

First published on January 1, 2014

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First Frost

The thermometer took a nose dive last night.   

At first light, zinnias, deluding themselves that everything was the same as always, stood bright and tall in the flowerbed.  

It didn't take long for the sun's warmth to reveal that their glory was gone.

Underground, chipmunks were hunkered snug in their dens.  

The adults have been busy lately preparing for winter, gathering acorns, and stuffing their elastic cheeks with sunflower seeds.

The little ones have been active, too.  

It took them a while to figure out that acorns were more than toys; there was something yummy inside. 

 Now they can't leave them alone.

Considering that they live in underground, chipmunks are remarkably clean, 

most likely due to all the time they spend washing up.

Or is he just talking into his watch phone?

A crack in the rock walk provides temporary shelter.

Driven by a wind gust, leaves swirl down, and the chipmunks dive for cover.

"Is it safe?"

They look quite sweet, but the mother can deal some swift and harsh discipline when she is displeased.

Of course, it's always best to ask, "Mother, may I?"

"I'm outta here!"

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False Alarm

The sound of coyotes woke me in the middle of the night, their voices overlapping into an eerie chorus.  

When they quieted, I could hear insect music streaming through the window on the cool night air.  

This is not an ordinary summer.

Usually, by this time of year, the only sound we hear at night is the air conditioner, 

and chipmunks, who all quake in their dens at sound of the coyotes, rarely venture out in the heat.

This week has been deliciously cool, and chipmunks spend the mornings outside, 

the little ones staging mock battles and looking for food.

I watched one on the deck, going about his business until suddenly he put on the brakes,

 startled by what was before him.

It was a carpendar ant, made in Mexico of stones and metal.  

It set up shop on our deck several years ago and has been working away quite diligently ever since.

Apparently, his saw is rather dull, because he's still working on the same piece of wood he started on when he came.

Fortunately for the chipmunk, the ant is far too preoccupied to represent much of a threat.  

And we're going to leave him be, because we can't wait to see what he's making.



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On a Summer Morning

A wild rabbit appears in the soft light of dawn...

as a chipmunk's chant broadcasts his whereabouts.

While yesterday's rain still lingers, God streams light down from the sky

and my heart breathes the prayer that Moses sang centuries ago:

Oh satisfy us in the morning
with Your lovingkindness, 

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Psalm 90:14

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Conflicts of Interest

Outside my studio window, hanging from a tall pole, is a bird feeder, 

with baffles above it to repel squirrels, and a lid that twists to close. 

When the red squirrels found a way to get by the baffles and twist the lid open, 

we added bungee cords to thwart them, and it worked. 

For a while.

What we didn't anticipate was the new crop of acrobatic gray squirrels 

who are still small enough to squeeze their way through the bars and get at the bird's sunflower seeds.

 One of these days, just like Winnie the Pooh, they're going to eat too much to get out. 

They haven't damaged anything yet, and they are so cute 

that I haven't mentioned it to the hunter in the house. 

Mum's the word.

I suppose there will always be small conflicts of interest when sharing space with another species.

  Frogs make use of the flower pots...

..and deer make themselves comfortable nearby, eating the day lilies and roses. 

Though we like to think of them all as our animals near our house, 

they may well think of us as their humans living in their woods.  

After all, their ancestors were on this hilltop long before the house was built.

The creatures are usually content to stay outside, 

but we've had snakes, a hummingbird, lizards, and frogs in the house, and even a chipmunk.

I awoke one morning to see a chipmunk within arm's reach at the side of the bed. I inhaled sharply and for a split second, we froze, starring at each other. When I bravely held my ground, he catapulted across the room and tucked into a the underside of a cabinet. It was impossible to tell how he squeezed in there, let alone get him out. So we waited.

By bedtime, concerned about the chipmunk's welfare, I put a little water in the bottom of the Jucuzzi along with a few sunflower seed sprouts.  The next morning, most of the sprouts were gone, and what remained was a big mess. I should have set out napkins.

It was dinner time the next day before we saw little creature again, dashing across the kitchen floor. We opened all the doors and backed out of sight.  We're pretty sure he made it out, because that was years ago, and he hasn't been seen inside since.

Just to be on the safe side, we've changed all our locks.

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Morning

 

And God saw all that He had made,

and it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

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