Squirrels Squirrels Squirrels

(fat squirrel look, originally uploaded by scorcherjf.)

One of the things I miss most about the Northeast were the spring tulips. They make everyone happy.

(Indian Palm Squirrel, originally uploaded by kaushik_p28.)

Love these stripes! These little squirrels live in India and Sri Lanka.

According to Wikipedia, there is a Hindu legend associated with their stripes: After carrying sand to help build a bridge, a little squirrel was stroked by the deity Lord Rama, leaving behind these finger-strokes down his back.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, the U.K. is embroiled in a big squirrel controversy. The native red squirrels are being squeezed out by the grey squirrels, which were imported from the U.S.

There has been all sorts of suggested solutions to keep red squirrels from dying out, but this latest one is really taking it pretty far: A butcher is selling grey squirrel meat for about $6.82 a squirrel. Turns out people feel more ethical when eating grey squirrels, and it’s becoming quite popular.

“”I wasn’t sure at first and wondered how many people would really eat it. Now I take every squirrel I can get my hands on,” said David Ridley, who runs Ridley’s Fish and Game shop in Corbridge, Northumberland.  “I’ve had days when I’ve managed to get 60 of them and they sell straight away. Squirrel meat is moist and sweet because it’s diet has been berries and nuts.”

The meat, which is said to taste like a cross between lamb and duck, is also low in fat.

Read the full article, here: Big Demand for Squirrel Meat

Hey, move over!, originally uploaded by silent explorer 13.

God, I’m a sucker for baby squirrels in a treehole.

Some cute news from Toronto: A baby squirrel fell 25 feet from its nest near an apartment building. Some window washers witnessed the fall, rescued the baby squirrel, dubbed it Sammy, and now it sounds like everyone is pitching in to help raise Sammy:

Read More: A Tail of Sammy the Squirrel

A few years ago, the huzzband and I considered buying a condo in Jersey City, NJ. Not only is it close to Manhattan, there are lots of pretty row houses turned into affordable-but-spacious condos, often with outdoor space. Who knows, we may end up buying there one day.

Stories like Lauren Brown’s, a J.C. resident, certainly encourages me to move into the ‘hood. She has a large bunch of blooming wisteria covering her kitchen windows. Sounds lovely all on its own. But a pair of squirrels - who she has dubbed Bob and Phyllis - just moved in to a nest they painstakingly built in the wisteria, providing Lauren with lots of entertainment. She’s going to be in for a surprise when the baby squirrels, arrive, too!

More on Lauren’s squirrel adventures. (With some cute photos, too.)

Jesus. Just click to see what I mean. Momma kitty adopts squirrel baby. With photo. Nothing cuter. Ever.

Enough said.