Crazytail, the Bully Squirrel (Ruby)

You know how it makes me perk up when I catch myself observing nature, right? So yesterday morning I called Scot to the window to ask him what the HELL that animal was – the one right there, frantically swinging on the tire swing, then climbing up the ladder of our elaborate and gigantic Rainbow Play System thing that takes up the entire backyard.

I wasn’t convinced at first when he said “Squirrel”; this animal was oversized, with a super-long tail that was not puffed up like squirrel tails but thin with a single white stripe down its center. His style and his silhouette was different.

This morning, PATIENTLY waiting for my coffee and observing my little plot of nature again, I saw that same Crazytail, jumping all over the play equipment but this time he was doing Martial Arts with another squirrel, seriously. His timing was impeccable, knocking that other rodent off the ladder with panache, standing again and again in a face-off and winning every round. Then he played dead on his favorite bright yellow ladder rung when the puffy-tailed opponent squirrel scampered off into the bushes; he watched from his playground perch until, like a stealth stalker, he crept toward that bush for his next attack. I could see the 2 tails spinning and tossing up out of this bush as they fought/played… like cartoon fights when things fly out of the spinning blur of bundled characters.

Then my coffee was ready and I had to leave my kitchen window perch but I remain amazed by the style of confrontation these squirrels have, not unlike fencing partners with their tails gracefully poised like the free arm of a fencer. I have no idea if they’ve emerged from that bush; for all I know, Puffy-tail could be dead.

I will continue with my nature-observations-by-Ruby when I return form my camping trip this week…if I am not too busy with my mani-pedi routine inside the tent : )

Ruby