Fortune Flavors the Bold!

yesterday, i woke up and went out to the living room, only to discover a squirrel on the balcony! this was the second time a squirrel has made it to my balcony, which is pretty impressive, considering the only way to climb up would be on brick, and the nearest tree branches are not that near.

i let him nibble away at the sunflower seed for a while longer, then went out to try and gently shoo him off the balcony. the problem is, i didn't know where to shoo him to -- any direction (with the exception of inside my condo) would mean squirrel jumping from a height that must be the equivalent of 80 stories up. i could be exaggerating but i just don't want to do the math.

so i slowly, quietly approached him, allowing him room to head in whatever direction he chose, hoping he would reveal his secret route onto my balcony. instead, he leaped from the balcony into the shrubs, little squirrelly legs splayed.

it was pretty impressive, if not as shocking as when the first squirrel i caught got away in that fashion.

so this morning, i woke up and went out to the living room -- and there was another (the same?) squirrel, god bless him. this time i took some tortilla chips to feed him, but he was too terrorized by my immense stature, i suppose -- i couldn't get on my knees cos i was already wearing my work pants and i didn't want to soil them -- he shunned my offering and jumped into the shrubs at the other end of the balcony.

the cat, by the way, is fascinated. the squirrel doesn't seem to notice her as she crouches by the window, and when i opened the door i was pretty sure she was going to make a try for him (perhaps not a serious try, but a try). i wanted to avoid any morning drama so i used my foot to deter her efforts before they started.

in other wildlife news, the titmice are back, and they've brought their young'uns. this pleases me.