I’ve written on many occasions about the antics of squirrels and how entertaining they can be. I didn’t realize there was a whole month dedicated to them, however. October is noted for many changes that occur in the environment. Colors pop and leaves fall. This month has been named Anti-bullying month also. I wonder if squirrels have bullies in their tribe. I imagine so. They seem to exist everywhere. October is also known for October Fest celebrations which seems to edify beer and lots of it. However, October is also known as Sober month – so go figure.

We have become squirrel observers in our aging years. Maybe it’s because we admire their stamina, their where-with-all, their industrious nature and their comical antics. We have a window which directs our attention to the little critters, and we’ve had our share of enjoyment watching them. We’ve named some of them, but each year they change because there’s a whole new crop of them. Stubby was the squirrel who lost most of his tail during his lifetime. Jake, from State Farm, was the squirrel who looked like he was wearing khaki pants. Nutsy was one who seemingly had no fear and was quite the acrobat. He once picked up a branch with one walnut on each end. He stepped on an electrical wire and carried that branch like a barbell. It was quite a feat. “Stretch” was known for his ability to hang onto the tree trunk and stretch the front part of his body to the bird feeder. We tried greasing the pole that led to the feeder, but that didn’t deter him. It was fun watching him slide down though.

Squirrels are amazing little creatures. They are really nothing more than tree rats, but they have a lot of human attributes. When October comes, they are very industrious. Nuts from our black walnut tree are meticulously hidden by them. I often wonder how they know where to find them. When they are storing them, they dig a hole first, pop in the nut, and deliberately push the dirt over the top. Then they cover the spot with dried leaves. It’s an amazing process. I wonder if they put little markers on those spots or if they simply have built in radar.

In my opinion, there is nothing like learning from nature. The whole world is filled with amazing creatures which God designed for a specific purpose. I’m still trying to figure out why He created mosquitos, but that’s a whole other story.