Nuts to you SquirrellyO

At our house we love squirrels.
I get a big kick every time out of my hubby, Obiwannabe, when  he calls us to the door or window to watch  our squirrel.......sitting.
We have made many offerings to Oh Wonderful and Most furry of  the Yard, may she always avoid the tires she taunts.
Having worked at a rehab place for wild critters before, I had a litany of  yummy and healthy people foods that she would like.  Eventually they all dehydrated nicely on the concrete of our back veranda.
Recently we were given three bags of pecans. Our squirrel, I'll call her Oh for short, found these acceptable. So acceptable were they that she allowed us the honor of her presence.

Whenever I see Oh I long for the smell of squirrels. Having cared for my share of  their orphaned babies I  can tell you that they have a lovely scent.  As far as I know there is nothing like it.

Go ahead. Sniff a squirrel. You know you want to.

We are not limited to squirrels though. And not everyone is as pleased about Oh being around as we are. There is a bird that I have not yet identified.

I don't know if this one is male or female but I do know that no stinkin' squirrel is going to mess with it's nest!
Just below the eave  it is standing on is a tall hedge. The other day when I came home Oh and the bird were having it out.  Squirrels have a hard time resisting bird eggs. It is probably like dessert to them. Evidently this kind of bird has a very strong craving for heart of squirrel.

  As I pulled into the driveway Oh was bounding across the yard with Pilot (yeah, the bird) doing some sort of  heat seeking kamikaze thing near the flying furry end of her tail.  After circling our big pine tree a few times but not able to get in under Pilot's radar Oh lept into the hedge.  I breathed a sigh of relief thinking that now they would both be happy and safe. But nooo. Kamikazi Mommy actually flew into the hedge!
 I had the sense that I was watching a live cartoon as the hedge shook and shivered accompanied by shrieks and chipperings. Oh flew out of the middle of the hedge and with Pilot guiding the way from behind, made a hasty retreat out of the front yard.

Not all of our wild life is as exciting as all that. So tell me, why does the green anole that basks on our porches bring out the paparazzi in us?  It's true that we never see him hunting or defending  anything. But when you look into his eyes you see the wisdom of the ages.

You see it. Don't you?

Sometimes we just sit out on the veranda, He in his chair, me in mine. We don't share words but we do have long talks.

I had better run now. Fraulein Maria can't entertain Scout all day.