The Critter Days of Summer ~ by Jennifer Daniels

Well another summer is in the books and it was a beautiful one here
in Upstate, NY. I spent a good chunk of it on the lake at my parents' house. It was an interesting summer here as I am sure it was for many. We had many visitors of the critter kind. My son went crazy this year with feeding the chipmunks, to the point they were eating out of our hands. If we did not get out soon enough for meal times they would squeak until we fed them.

Our little friends all were named. First came Jimmy, he was always the first one to arrive. He bounced higher than the others. Then there was Pip, that was my son's favorite one. She had a shorter tail than the rest of them. Shortly after she came Tiny showed up. She was the littlest of the bunch, hence the name. You could tell the females from the males because they typically walked more and the males hop. Last but not least is Nux. He was named after a character in Mad Max. He had what we thought was a tumor under the skin, but I think a fly laid an egg in him and he came back one day and it was gone. He also was the darkest of the four.

We all were able to have them eat out of our hands. They would hop right up and sit there while they feasted. My husband got such a kick out of the little guys that he made them their own perch to sit on so they were closer to the porch window. We could reach out and pet them. They are cute little critters to watch.

Then came Bonnie and Clyde, the racoons. They became our nightly pastime, watching them climb up the bird feeder pole then slide down it like they were off to a fire. It was hysterical. They, too, liked the perch that was originally made for the chippies.

They are little bandits! No wonder they wear masks. They stole one of my bird feeders. I have no idea where it is. We have looked everywhere, and to boot, they stole my favorite feeder. They look so funny and cute, but make no mistake about it, they are nasty little buggers.

I hope you all had a wonderful summer, continue to stay safe and protected.