"Dennis & Goliath"" or something similar...

Here's one of our little buddies who hangs around the place.......Goliath......our squirrel. Yes..I know.....but what a great name for a precocious critter such as she is. She is quite small, energetic, and sassy. The last word supports the tendency of most humans to anthropomorphize all aspects of life. She built a nest and had a litter in it this summer......inside an unused chimney at the back of my shop. I found where she'd gnawed out a way to get in through the eave. I don't mind this as long as they don't try to establish in my attic. When they do.......buy two large bags of mothballs and throw them all over the attic. They don't care for the intense smell and will quickly scram. One afternoon, while she was raiding the bird-feeder which hangs above the woodshed section of our shop, I walked out the door and she was so busy she didn't notice me till I spoke to her. Egaadds !!! I scared her half to death and she set up such a scolding that I burst out laughing as she scampered into a 5" conduit stored in the woodshed rafters. at this point I decided to try and coax her into a hand-feed of peanuts.....hey ! hey ! hey ! look at me Mama ! I got the squirrel eating outta hand !! Boy..did I think that was cool......mind you for a guy who has held baby black bears in his hands and even tiny deer.....it isn't that big of a deal....except for the fact that each time something like this happens.......its as exciting as it is for little kids at a petting zoo for the first time. Back in 1980 I had an almost full grown eagle in my hands on the highway in Northern Washington State. I've had raccoons on my shoulders and all sorts of contact with critters at one point or t'other down thru the years, once even a rare spreading adder I caught near Corpus Christi Texas. That was an eye-opener for certain because if you've never seen one.....they act similar to cobras and are very poisonous.

Then Suz comes along and sez, "oh I see you've met our little friend." Whaaaat ?! Now I find out it isn't me who conquered Goliath atall..........nope.....I'm nuttin' but a Johnny-come-lately for she'd been feedin' the little rascal for weeks. Great White Bushman my arse....