Christopher and I walk together on most Wednesdays. This past Wednesday, we had walked a quarter of a mile or so, when we saw a little figure charging us from someone’s lawn. Suddenly, we realized a small “teenager-sized†squirrel was bearing down to intercept us. Never having had this happen before we quickened our pace to “out run†the little guy who was moving surprisingly fast.
What would possess a little fellow like this to try and catch two grown men? What would posses two grown men to make them feel they needed to “out run†a small harmless squirrel? Surely something so cute and sweet looking couldn’t have rabies. Could it? Why would it chase us? Not wanting to find out we quickened our pace.
Here we were walking as fast as I could up the sidewalk and this adorable little guy was now on the sidewalk running as fast as he could after us and gaining on us. It was a most amusing sight, and Christopher and I had the appropriate response. We both were laughing as we were striding along. Christopher was casting backwards glances and giving me reports every 5 seconds or so. “He’s gaining on us.†“He’s getting closer.†“He’s just behind your feet.†“Careful don’t step on him.â€
Finally we had to stop so we wouldn’t step on him, and he promptly ran up Christopher’s leg and perched on his shoulder. Then like a cat seeking attention, he scrambled back and forth from one side to the other. Christopher felt at any minute one of his ears was going to be breakfast for this cute little guy who by now had worked up a pretty big appetite.
Being a little frustrated because our walk was now in question, we tried to figure out what to do with him. The squirrel let me grab him and set him over in the grass, and we made a break for it. Not to be out run and frankly not wanting to resort to running, we set out at a fast pace again. We were aware of the cars passing by on their way to work and could imagine those people telling their coworkers: “You should have seen what I saw on the way to work. There was this cute little squirrel chasing these two guys who were almost running down the street.†So there we went again, laughing as we tried to put some distance between us.
Our plan didn’t work. This time when he caught us, he climbed up me. With a fresh idea, I took him and put him in a nearby tree. Again we hurried off. Yes, he soon caught us once more and we had to stop so as not to step on him. We tried this several more times unsuccessfully until we were at the place where we normally crossed the street. Compassion ruled because we were concerned he would be hit by a car if he followed us across the street.
So we decided we would try taking him back to where we found him. Putting him on my shoulder, off we went. Would you think he would stay there? No of course not, as squirrels are not known for their intelligence. To try and bring to a close what has now become a long story, we phoned Joseph and Jesse who came and retrieved the squirrel so we could continue on our walk.
Now we have her home and in a cage. Obviously someone had found this squirrel as a baby and raised her with a great deal of human socialization. Perhaps they had put her out to become wild again, but she was still wanting people companionship and feeding. We will begin attempting to re-acclimate her to living in a tree this week after fattening her up a bit. The last squirrel we had raised and were able to successfully re-introduce to “tree-life.†I had thought one squirrel was enough, but it looks like we have one more for a short time. Having this squirrel “charge†her way into our life is especially funny considering Jesse and Joseph said earlier in the week how they missed the first squirrel and would love to have another one.
Steve
Just wondering if it could be the same squirrel you raised?
emily
The first squirrel was a male grey squirel and comes back to his tree occassionally looking to see if the children have put anything in is old food bowl. This one is a red female, a very different personality and half the size of the previous one.
 We are trying to figure out how to protect her from cats and what tree to build her house in.
Steve
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Thank you for the wonderful smile about that sweet determined charging squirrel! What a day brightner. I can’t wait to share this with my family when they all get up and going for the day! 🙂
What a precious story! Now we simply must know what you are to name this newest little Maxwell….and of course we will look forward to regular updates! Never a dull moment, eh?
The first squirrel was Chipper and this one is Chester. Chester received her name prior to my informing them she was a female. They still like the name Chester and the squirrel doesn’t seem to mind. 🙂
Steve
That picture is great. What a fun story to share! :0)
WOW! Now that was a funny visual- -2 grown men running for their lives from a tiny squirrel chasing them down. LOL! That’s actually pretty amazing and cool, too. Happy squirrel keeping!
~C
We thought it was cool when our dd, 10, found a western painted turtle this weekend. My children would think finding a squirrel would be like finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Can’t wait to show them this in the morning.
Darling story! 🙂 Could this be an instance of “Be careful what you wish for..?” for Jesse and Joseph? 🙂 Chester is simply charming! 😀
One of my fondest memories is watching squirrels come up to my grandmother on her porch and eat nuts right out of her hand. She lived in KC, MO and grey squirrels populated that area.
Another memory is the red variety, like in your picture, at K-State. Daily, I would walk to Danforth Chapel for devotions and would be greatly entertained at their antics as I walked through the wooded area.
Could this be material for another series of books for Sarah?
Thanks for sharing and stirring fond memories.
That picture was just great! Our children (and us too 🙂 ) got the biggest smiles from it. Our Rebekah found a little baby bird in our church building this Sunday. It couldn’t fly, so she is caring for it here at home. Now that she’s seen your post here, she keeps asking me to take a picture of her with her bird on her shoulder to post on our blog. In our family Bible time, we had just read about God’s eye being on the sparrow…They feel so happy that God is taking care of this little birdy through them. Our Lord is so good!
What a fun story! I, too, think this would be a great story-starter for another Sarah Maxwell book (hint, hint! :-)). We also have a dog named Chester, although he’s a boy! LOL Although, I must admit this is making me nervous — we just found out dh is being transferred to the KC area — does that mean we have to be worried about being chased down by squirrels?????????? Maybe we should re-think this moving decision! LOL
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
What a great story! We serve an amazing God who loves us enough to chase us with squirrels. 🙂 Thank you for the laugh. Have a blessed day!
That is so funny. As I was reading, I thought I remembered that you guys had a squirrel before that you were nursing back to health. The whole story, I thought you were going to say at the end that it was “your” squirrel. That is a really great story.
Thanks for the story- it cracked me up- I can picture you two running for your dear life. HILARIOUS!
My husband would disagree that squirrels are just small and harmless- since we have lived here on Fort Leavenworth we have had one squirrel chew through the engine wiring in our car not once but three times- causing several thousand dollars worth of damage- thank the good Lord the insurance has an Act of God clause. 🙂
Thanks again for the story- wish I had it on camera!!!!
What a funny story! I sense that you were selected for this task. Not many people would respond with the care that you have for this precious creature. After all, you have credentials with your previous sucess with “squirrel raising.” God bless you for taking time out of your busy lives to assist this youngster in assuming its proper place in the world.