Sophie's World

A big M-E-O-W to you! Nice to see you again!

Poor Sophie. She’s worn out. There’s been so much activity these last few days. Lots of chickadees are flying close to the open window from which Sophie does her patrol. They zip in and out of the branches. She’s getting so worked up at times that she’s shaking.

Then there are the geese. This time of year, they bunch up in family groups. A couple groups were resting in the backyard. Pretty soon, as what usually happens, a fight broke out. The geese really get at it sometimes. The two in battle were locked, bill in bill. The fight intensified, with them rolling on the ground, neither one really to abandon the fight. Just like kids in the school yard, the other geese in the yard had to see what the fuss was all about. The bystanders squawked and honked, fueling the fury of the fight. All this time, Sophie is chattering away.

As if that weren’t enough, then the squirrels started at it. A few were digging around near the goose fight, but ran to the porch when feathers started flying. Sophie went back and forth between the squirrels scampering across the porch to the geese in mortal combat. She watched and stalked as long as she could. Exhausted, she gave into sleep. So much for a kitty to do.

Photo by hickoryhollow113

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It’s that time of year again when the yard is filled with squirrels in territorial wars.  Our yard happens to be a prime battleground too. Photo by mandj98

A neighbor a couple of doors down feeds the ducks and squirrels.  Many a day, Chris will find a chewed up corn cob on the deck.  So, there’s a sure food source, plenty of water with the lake, and the creme’ de la creme’—a black walnut tree.

I’m amazed at how these squirrels will bite into one of these huge nuts and run off with it.  Currently, a nasty and feisty red squirrels holds the reins at this fort.  Day after day, he scrambles up the black walnut tree, pulls down a walnut, runs to the side of the house where he sometimes cracks it open and eats it, and then runs across the deck through the garden to some secret hiding place.  He does this so often that he has actually worn a path from the tree to the deck.

And nasty?  Did I say nasty?  Just let one of those gray squirrels try and get in on his action.  He’ll chase them well out of the yard, practically jumping on the interloper’s back.

Needless to say, it’s keeping me occupied.  Drives me nuts when they get so close to the window and I can’t get him.  Ah, but with that one, I kind of wonder who’d be chasing whom.

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