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.
