The Hit List - Squirrel Trouble

Last Sunday, I had a bucketful of good intentions. I would have a stress-free day and write my face off. After getting coffee, of course. But when I arrived back at the crib, a baby squirrel changed up the whole order of my day.

As I got out of the car, I noticed something lying on the sidewalk under the tree. I crouched down and saw a baby squirrel, mostly hairless and eyes closed, with his heart beating wildly. I looked up and saw the nest high above. This poor little guy fell a long way but he was still alive.

A woman pushing a stroller walked past and looked curiously. We told her it was a baby squirrel and her little boy craned his neck to look. It was obvious we couldn’t let this tiny guy lie here. It wasn’t going to be safe on such a busy street. My husband got a towel, picked him up, and put him in a little nest of leaves that we quickly put together.

According to Google, the mama squirrel would come for him if we left him at the bottom of the tree in a little box. Well, that wasn’t gonna happen. Like I said, this is a BUSY street and that particular tree was a favorite amongst the local dogs. Oh, and most of the dogs in my hood are pit bulls. So yeah…not gonna work.

We decided to leave him in our little homemade nest, which was close to the tree but just across the sidewalk.

An hour later, I checked on him. Still there. Another hour goes by. He’s in the nest, squirming around. Well, he’s certainly alive. Then another hour…and now I’m starting to panic. Because when you’re a mom, the idea of a baby being out there like that, even a squirrel baby, is terrifying.

I bugged my husband to do something. “We need to get him up in that tree so she can get to him. It’s too hard to cross that busy sidewalk.”

We headed out with a ladder and a basket, determined to get him home. My husband put the baby squirrel, now named Rocky, into the basket along with the nest of leaves. He was tucked in securely and now it was time to get him up in those branches. So up he went with the basket in one hand on that rickety ladder while I tried my best to steady it. This particular tree wasn’t thick so this whole thing felt precarious as hell but somehow my husband managed to get to Rocky nestled into a nice crook that the mama would have to come by if she scampered down the tree. In other words, we put him in the one place she’s going to cross.

For good measure, I dropped some squirrel food at the base of the tree as bait. Then we waited it out. As I looked out the window an hour later, I noticed some squirrels at the foot of the tree chowing down. This was a good sign. But still, I was anxious.

In fact, I was so bent out of shape over this situation that I could barely concentrate. All I could think about was what we would need to do if Rocky was abandoned. We couldn’t take him in because our cats are assholes. We’d need to find a wild animal rescue or some such thing. The rescue place was closed so we’d have to take him in for the night and figure out how to feed him. Blech. I’m not good at this sorta thing! I looked out the window again and again and again. UGH.

As it got closer to nightfall, I was a mess. I told my husband we needed to check in on him. So we got out the rickety ladder and my hubby once again climbed up it while I held on to the bottom. He took along a hammer and nail to secure the basket just in case Rocky was still there. I watched him take the basket out of the tree branches and begin coming down. Frantic, I asked, “is he still there?” No answer. Now I’m freaking out, imagining all sorts of squirrel care ahead.

He came down to the bottom of ladder and showed me the basket. Empty! No baby squirrel! Mama squirrel came and got him! YAY!

To be sure, we looked around the base of the tree and there was no evidence of squirrel parts. Just a few remains of corn and peanuts. Mission squirrel trouble: accomplished.

As we put the ladder away, I was so grateful that we came home when we did – and that my husband went above and beyond the call of duty to reunite this little guy with his mama. My Sunday didn’t go the way I planned but it seemed the Universe worked things out perfectly.

We get lots of cool bugs and critters in our yard.

Other stuff:

How to rescue a baby squirrel.

Here’s a video on squirrel nests and babies.

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Here are my upcoming live classes:

*NEW* Astrology for Total Beginners: learn the basics of natal chart interpretation. This two-hour workshop will get you up to speed on what all that astrology stuff is about! Join me at Boston Tea Room. Date: Wednesday, October 10th. Location: Ferndale, Michigan.

Pens and Cards: a day full of tarot exploration and writing with author Sarah Selecky and moi. Date: October 13th. Location: Skybarn, Prince Edward County, Ontario. Only TWO seats left!

Intuitive Tarot Reading at Boston Tea Room. Date: Sunday, October 14th. Location: Ferndale, Michigan.