Squirrels are cute little critters, with comical antics and amazing flexibility. They are fun to watch.
Two cute squirrels playing in our birch tree.
But they can also be destructive in gardens, and they can scare away the birds from the feeders. We have many squirrels in our yard, so we started trapping them a few years ago. We use a live-trap and once caught we deliver them to, what we’ve dubbed the “Squirrel Resort”, a land flowing with trees and water. We escorted many squirrels there. It has all the comforts of a happy place for the critters, out in the country.
Releasing a squirrel from the live-trap.
Our neighbors across the street however, feel differently. She feeds the squirrels. In fact, she has trained a young squirrel to jump up on her lap and eat from her hand! She demonstrated the act one morning. I was amused. She offered to send me a picture to use for my blog.
Is this for me?
He is cute.
A young squirrel eating from our neighbor’s knee.
I didn’t tell her we’ll be setting up a trap in our back yard…
Hopefully this young one will stay in my neighbor’s yard where the food is…
When I learned about the death of a former neighbor, I knew I would go to the funeral even though I didn’t know her well. Gary had a commitment, so I went by myself.
The funeral was out of town, so I was driving through country roads that morning. This lone tree was stunning.
That morning, as I drove to the funeral, I thought of all the things I had to do since we were having company for dinner, but whenever I vacillate, I remember I never regret if I “just show up.’” And again, that was the case. I was glad I went. Not only did her husband remember me and ask about our family, but I felt peaceful sitting in the beautiful church, filled with bountiful and amazing sprays and bouquets of flowers, waiting to honor Margaret’s life and learn more about who she was.
Margaret (84) and her husband (in his 90’s) moved into our neighborhood over twenty years ago, and then moved out several years later to other places. We would stop and chat whenever we would see them out and about after they moved away. Margaret would always remind us of the time when Gary and I and our two teenage boys brought homemade, chocolate chip cookies to welcome them to their new home in the neighborhood. She would repeat that story each time we met. She enjoyed it so.
At the funeral, I learned that she, too, would give her specialty cookies, snickerdoodles, to many different folks over the years. Although I brought chocolate cookies that day, the cookies I enjoy most is my mother’s ginger cookies.
I use my mother’s recipe for these ginger cookies, sometimes called ginger snaps.
I wonder if people bring home made goodies to welcome newcomers? I admit I haven’t for a while now. Here are couple of new ideas I’ve heard of…
A couple moved into a neighborhood and made cookies to bring to their neighbors and introduce themselves, instead of waiting for the neighbors to come to them.
When our son and daughter-in-love moved into their new house, they hosted an open house and invited the neighbors over so they could meet them. It was a hit.
Recently, I wrote about front porches that included a photo of my neighbor’s lovely front porch with surrounding flowerpots. Earlier this spring, she noticed a corn sprout peeking out of the soil in one of her flowerpots. She feeds the squirrels, and finds some kernels fall to the ground and sprout, so she pulls them out of the grass. But, when she noticed a sprout in her flowerpot she decided, just for fun, to let it grow to see if an ear would grow off the lone stalk. I told her I was curious too, and to let me know.
She called me over the other night to show me. Indeed, not only one, but two ears were growing on the lone stalk in her flowerpot. One ear was growing strong, but the other, not so much.
I know it would have been smart to get in my daily walk during the early morning hours on our recent trip to NC, where we went to visit our son and his family. At this time of year, in July, the temperatures climb high, as does the dew point, so getting things done in the early morning is a good idea.
The front porch.
But the allure of their front porch won out. Our son and his wife and two children moved into a lovely two-story house with a veranda in the back – off the kitchen, and a porch in the front. They are at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a wooded lot next door and a landscaped, water collection pond across the street with more trees in the background. New houses were being built the next block over.
There are two very tall trees, with skinny trunks, across the street from where we sat on the porch. I loved looking at them – sometimes they would sway with the wind and intertwine at the tip top, and sometimes they would stand tall and alone – but they were striking, and greeted me every morning.
Sister trees…
I quickly got in the routine of sitting on the front porch every morning. I would usually be the first one up, make myself a cup of coffee, and head outside to the front porch. There were two comfy chairs waiting for me. I would enjoy my quiet time there as eventually the others would wake up. The best part was when the grandkids woke up, came out, and sat on our laps while we welcomed the new day.
Good Morning Sunshine.
There are a lot of front porches in the “south” as tradition dictates. It was fun to look at them as we drove through the area. In this new neighborhood, when we saw folks on their porch, we always said hi, and in turn, when I was sitting out in the early morning and neighbors walked by, there was always a greeting. What a wonderful thing.
Peaceful morning.
The porch made me think of my neighbor across the street from us in Northfield. She’s has made her front porch into a sitting area, an extension of her house, and she’s out there as much as her time allows (which is a lot). People always stop to visit with her. I think of her as our neighborhood watchdog, and find comfort in her being out on her porch so much.
Across the street, my neighbor has flowers surrounding her front porch…complete with rocking chairs and an umbrella. The corn growing from her flower pot was planted by a squirrel. We’re watching the stalk grow!
Our front porch, at our own house in Northfield, has a swing which I also love, and use often. However, a swing is not conducive to drinking coffee. Our front porch is covered and faces north, therefore shaded all day. Yet, it’s set back so it’s not as open and visible to passerby’s. We do use our back deck a lot. There are many trees providing shade in the morning hours and late afternoon/evening times.
Our front porch swing.
I ask myself would I do this – drink my morning coffee on the front porch daily – if our front porch had chairs instead of a swing? Would I fit it into my daily routine? I’m not sure. It just seemed right in North Carolina. Maybe because we were on vacation…
All I know is a front porch is inviting, and a great place to spend time!
The French doors leading from the dining room table laden with food, were wide open to the outdoor patio where there were tubs of cold drinks. The weather was delightful… a perfectly wonderful autumn afternoon in Minnesota. The skies were blue with lots of sunshine, temperatures in the 70’s and no wind… spirits were high. A great day for an open house.
We were helping our son and daughter-in-love in the kitchen while they invited their neighbors and colleagues over to see their new home. I met a few of the neighbors myself and they were so happy to be invited to the party, to see this new home that replaced the old house they were familiar with, and to meet the young couple new to this old neighborhood. It was a festive atmosphere and, to me, a confirmation that getting together with neighbors and friends, and making opportunities to connect, is good.
