He is a pet? I love him...
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- Thread starter buckytom
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He is a pet? I love him...
Sadly Freddie is no longer with us - here is the story if you are interested.
Circa 2009 I heard a scratching in the walls during the springtime. Hubby said I was crazy until he was woken up by it while napping. Enter the sawsaw to cut thru the drywall - oh look it's a baby squirrel. Too far down the wall to reach, hello Mr. Shop vac. Carefully sucked him up so he did not go up the tube and released on the patio. Momma came running and off they went.
Next morning - who is looking in our sliding glass door from ground level? You guessed it - baby squirrel soon to be know as Freddie.
And do it began. For three years Freddie was our "outside" pet who had house privileges. Hardly a day went by that he wasn't in the house with us literally sitting on the couch or our laps living the life of Riley watching TV and munching peanuts. We could open the door and call for him and he would come running.
By the second year we discovered Freddie was actually "Fredette"...LOL and she brought her young ones to visit. The young ones were more skiddish but Fredette/Freddie still hung with us.
The third year about Easter time Freddie was noticeably absent. After a few weeks of wondering, hubby let me know he as much figured that Freddie had gone to the great squirrel ranch in the sky as there had been one hit by a car right about the time Freddie stopped visiting. Hubby didn't have the heart to tell me at the time.
Yes, I know squirrels carry diseases, fleas, bugs, scratch and bite - we never experienced any issues or ill effects. I would do it again in a heartbeat for the joy Freddie provided to us.
Circa 2009 I heard a scratching in the walls during the springtime. Hubby said I was crazy until he was woken up by it while napping. Enter the sawsaw to cut thru the drywall - oh look it's a baby squirrel. Too far down the wall to reach, hello Mr. Shop vac. Carefully sucked him up so he did not go up the tube and released on the patio. Momma came running and off they went.
Next morning - who is looking in our sliding glass door from ground level? You guessed it - baby squirrel soon to be know as Freddie.
And do it began. For three years Freddie was our "outside" pet who had house privileges. Hardly a day went by that he wasn't in the house with us literally sitting on the couch or our laps living the life of Riley watching TV and munching peanuts. We could open the door and call for him and he would come running.
By the second year we discovered Freddie was actually "Fredette"...LOL and she brought her young ones to visit. The young ones were more skiddish but Fredette/Freddie still hung with us.
The third year about Easter time Freddie was noticeably absent. After a few weeks of wondering, hubby let me know he as much figured that Freddie had gone to the great squirrel ranch in the sky as there had been one hit by a car right about the time Freddie stopped visiting. Hubby didn't have the heart to tell me at the time.
Yes, I know squirrels carry diseases, fleas, bugs, scratch and bite - we never experienced any issues or ill effects. I would do it again in a heartbeat for the joy Freddie provided to us.
Thanks, Tasty! It was definitely a fun time - We still have plenty of squirrels around but, none seem to be interested in us... just our peanuts!
I bet your raccoons were a lot of fun to have around as a kid. Did you name them?
I bet your raccoons were a lot of fun to have around as a kid. Did you name them?
Yes, the baby was called Little Bit and the mom was Big Bit.
Sadly Freddie is no longer with us - here is the story if you are interested.
Circa 2009 I heard a scratching in the walls during the springtime. Hubby said I was crazy until he was woken up by it while napping. Enter the sawsaw to cut thru the drywall - oh look it's a baby squirrel. Too far down the wall to reach, hello Mr. Shop vac. Carefully sucked him up so he did not go up the tube and released on the patio. Momma came running and off they went.
Next morning - who is looking in our sliding glass door from ground level? You guessed it - baby squirrel soon to be know as Freddie.
And do it began. For three years Freddie was our "outside" pet who had house privileges. Hardly a day went by that he wasn't in the house with us literally sitting on the couch or our laps living the life of Riley watching TV and munching peanuts. We could open the door and call for him and he would come running.
By the second year we discovered Freddie was actually "Fredette"...LOL and she brought her young ones to visit. The young ones were more skiddish but Fredette/Freddie still hung with us.
The third year about Easter time Freddie was noticeably absent. After a few weeks of wondering, hubby let me know he as much figured that Freddie had gone to the great squirrel ranch in the sky as there had been one hit by a car right about the time Freddie stopped visiting. Hubby didn't have the heart to tell me at the time.
Yes, I know squirrels carry diseases, fleas, bugs, scratch and bite - we never experienced any issues or ill effects. I would do it again in a heartbeat for the joy Freddie provided to us.
This is a great story. I'd never have thought a wild animal could bond that quickly - especially as s/he was sucked up by a hoover!
Here's a domesticated critter tale.
Raccoons are famous for adapting to living around humans, and like their little eye masks hint to, they're master thieves.
Several years ago, my brothers all gathered at a campground near me for a few days of fishing, so I routinely went over in the evenings to visit with them (fishing isn't my bag).
Early one night, we were sitting around the campfire, drinking beer, roasting hot dogs, and off to one side, but still reachable, one of my brothers had a zippered soft-sided insulated cooler, with some beer, pop, and chocolate bars inside.
We're, sitting and drinking and BS'ing, and what happens? A big, fat raccoon comes scooting up from the edge of the woods, nonchalantly walks right through the middle of us, goes over to the cooler, calmly unzips it, reaches inside, pulls out a Snickers, then casually plops down on his fat backside, leans up against the cooler like it's a pillow, tears open the candy bar, and starts snacking.
Had anyone been walking by, it would have appeared like he was just another fellow, hanging out at the fire, talking crap with his family.
Raccoons are famous for adapting to living around humans, and like their little eye masks hint to, they're master thieves.
Several years ago, my brothers all gathered at a campground near me for a few days of fishing, so I routinely went over in the evenings to visit with them (fishing isn't my bag).
Early one night, we were sitting around the campfire, drinking beer, roasting hot dogs, and off to one side, but still reachable, one of my brothers had a zippered soft-sided insulated cooler, with some beer, pop, and chocolate bars inside.
We're, sitting and drinking and BS'ing, and what happens? A big, fat raccoon comes scooting up from the edge of the woods, nonchalantly walks right through the middle of us, goes over to the cooler, calmly unzips it, reaches inside, pulls out a Snickers, then casually plops down on his fat backside, leans up against the cooler like it's a pillow, tears open the candy bar, and starts snacking.
Had anyone been walking by, it would have appeared like he was just another fellow, hanging out at the fire, talking crap with his family.
Yup, that how they are camping here. When I went teardrop camping, ever morning there was cursing from neighbors who left their coolers out.
I keep my food locked in my car, but I have little doubt that the raccoons will figure out how to get into a locked car, someday.
CD
I keep my food locked in my car, but I have little doubt that the raccoons will figure out how to get into a locked car, someday.
CD
Most of my professional photography is automotive related. I thought it might be fun to show my new-found British friends a photo of the car that I drive daily around "Big D," Dallas, Texas, land of the three-ton Super-Duty "commuter" truck...
CD
CD
...and hotwire it, no doubt.
Here's my daily driver, and I also live where trucks are the vehicle of choice:
Yorky
RIP 21/01/2024
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Regarding road behemoths - I'd posted in another conversation about what I felt was some "Americanization" of the UK between when we first lived there (starting in 1992) to when we visit now.
By and far the biggest change I've seen that way is with vehicles. When I lived there, I brought along my 1988 Jeep Pioneer pickup truck, which was a mid-sized truck, not even full-sized, and a lot of the locals were astonished I'd be driving something "so big" and foretold issues with single-track roads and car parks and driving in towns with medieval street plans. It was definitely unusual.
The last time we visited, Spring of this year, we picked up our little Hyundai rental at the airport and headed out whatever A road/dual carriageway it is that goes to Colchester...and there were so many big trucks, a lot of them with lift kits on them, it felt like I was back home again. To be clear, I'm not talking about delivery trucks, but privately owned tricked out things, with brush bars and light bars and big exhausts and all that.
Used to be, the biggest personal vehicle we'd see would be a Range Rover or a Land Rover, but now those are dwarfed by these pickup trucks.
By and far the biggest change I've seen that way is with vehicles. When I lived there, I brought along my 1988 Jeep Pioneer pickup truck, which was a mid-sized truck, not even full-sized, and a lot of the locals were astonished I'd be driving something "so big" and foretold issues with single-track roads and car parks and driving in towns with medieval street plans. It was definitely unusual.
The last time we visited, Spring of this year, we picked up our little Hyundai rental at the airport and headed out whatever A road/dual carriageway it is that goes to Colchester...and there were so many big trucks, a lot of them with lift kits on them, it felt like I was back home again. To be clear, I'm not talking about delivery trucks, but privately owned tricked out things, with brush bars and light bars and big exhausts and all that.
Used to be, the biggest personal vehicle we'd see would be a Range Rover or a Land Rover, but now those are dwarfed by these pickup trucks.
Maybe we need a car thread...
Wave goodbye to the sun!