Squirrel Encounters

A squirrel leaping from bough to bough, and making the wood but one wide tree for his pleasure, fills the eye not less than a lion,—is beautiful, self-sufficing, and stands then and there for nature. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

I love squirrels, despite the fact that they throw plant matter and small pinecones at me and Sedona when we walk near their tree. They have grand personalities for so small a creature. Their chatter can be friendly and even sing-song at times, and other times they sound downright angry.

This particular squirrel was much more aggressive than some of the others I've encountered in the pine trees behind my house. He not only screeched at me, but came down from the top of his tree to a lower branch. There he perched, as he continued his barrage of squirrel profanity. This went on for quite a long time, before he realized that I wasn't going anywhere. The last thing I saw was a swish of his tail as he scampered back to the treetops.