MY NEW
Hobby IN A Nutshell by Jean Eisenmann | photo courtesy of Jean Eisenmann
I
have a new hobby. Ever since Covid-19 forced us to become semi-homebound, I’ve had more time to be, well, bored. Yes, I’ve worked remotely, experimented with new recipes, and increased my housecleaning regimen (is my nose growing?). But I’ve lacked having a passion — such intense interest in something that I want to learn everything about it to escape the stresses of pandemic life. Quite by accident, I found it — squirrel watching.
Building, gently picking gnats, ticks, or some such whatnots from their coats. Adorable.
One squirrel, in particular, was my favorite and could be identified by a dark brown ring around his nose and mouth, much
It began innocently enough, with me
believe this critter was a male, and if you
like a COVID-19 face mask. I named
the window at the many varieties of birds
please consult the internet. Anyway, I
surrounded our birdbath and would lie
didn’t disturb the birds as they picked the
like an hour. Then, Corona would bury
idling on the couch one day, staring out
that our feeder and birdbath attract. Over the next several days, I set aside time to observe how
interesting birds are, and how they all
have personalities
akin to their species. Of course, I made sure the intense
daily housecleaning
was completed first.
wonder how I came to that conclusion,
him Corona. He dug up the flowers that
became captivated by his manners, for he
prostrate on the cool soil for what seemed
THE ENSUING WEEKS FOUND MY PASSION FOR THE SQUIRREL WORLD INTENSIFIED. I WORE A LOT OF BROWN.
Then, at 2 p.m. on
ground for dropped seed
some edible treasure reserved for a late-
He waited his turn, and
where his buttocks had been. Tears filled
from the feeder above.
night snack in the very same soil, right
with a nod to the flock as
my eyes.
they flew away, ate the
spoils. What a gentleman! I was hooked.
Bye-bye, birdies. I’ve met a few squirrelly
guys in my time, but this
a Friday, to be exact, it appeared. No, not
four-legged variety quickly became the
bounded into the yard. It was brownish
weeks found my passion for the squirrel
Sasquatch. And not a UFO. A squirrel
rust with big brown eyes and a fluffy tail,
which are very unusual characteristics for a squirrel. Of course, I had seen squirrels
in the yard before, but my focus had been on the feathered friends. All those five hours wasted that I’ll never get back. I www.LantanaLiving.com
new object of my affection. The ensuing world intensified. I wore a lot of brown. They had such endearing mannerisms:
holding food with their little hands and
I asked my husband, Van, if we could put together a play area for them with a tiny slide, sandbox, and trampoline. If not,
how about a teeny-tiny bounce house?
Van slept in the guest room that night and called me “Rodent Mom.”
Rodent? Then it dawned on me. My
thoughts traveled back to fifth grade,
where I learned that squirrels were part
of the – gulp – RODENT family. Corona’s cousin could be a field mouse!
menacing claws, hanging upside down as
Let the squirrels live their lives. I’m
feeder like Godzilla on the Empire State
housecleaning regimen before I go nuts.
they wrapped their feet around the bird
getting back to concentrating on my
OCTOBER 2020 | LANTANA LIVING | 31
