I have mentioned that I have a squirrel in my fir trees this year. First was the mother, and then she brought her babies around, and now one of the young ones has taken over the territory as its own. I have been watching the little critter most of the summer and being amused by its antics as it got used to me being in the yard. I could tell when it was in one of the trees, and where it was sitting, by the bits of cone that would drop to the ground as it picked the best parts of the cone to eat and tossed down the left overs.

My usual routine is to pick the cones off the grass as they fall, and toss them all over on a part of the garden where I have been using them for mulch. Every now and then lately I would toss some new ones and think 'i am sure I already covered that spot!'  And I wondered why I kept finding little piles of cones at the base of the tree. Finally, as I spent a day working out on the patio, I clued in. I've stopped moving them. The squirrel obviously has a plan of its own, and I am not involved!

So these last few days I have made a point of watching what it is doing. Early morning it is the busiest and just flies along the top fence railing, jumping from post to rail to tree to ground like it was the last day of life! Then it usually stops - or maybe goes to another tree in the neighbourhood, I'm not sure. But it gets quiet for a while. Then it is back again going full speed ahead.

My little squirrel is busy 'squirreling away' his stock for winter.

First thing to do is knock the cones down from the tree - some days it's not safe to walk under the trees! He just chucks them down one after the other.

Some of them get piled up at the base of the trees. He makes a little hollow and fills it up with cones.

Some of them get hidden in the hole in the middle of the cement blocks.

Caught in the act!

It is also burying the cones under the lilac bushes..... AND..... in the rafters of the shed next door! It goes skittering along my fence railing and then jumps onto the wooden wall of the neighbour's shed and pops up under the eaves with the cone.... then comes out without it. Not sure where they are being stashed in there, but there's a very large pile hiding somewhere!

it's fun to watch him bouncing around, but it is also a reminder that the squirrel is well aware that after all this beautiful summer weather comes the cold again - and we'd best be prepared. How he knows, I don't know. It's not the temperature, because it is still over 30 C most days. Perhaps the length of the day - shorter hours may be a signal. Perhaps even the state of the cones. Like fruit to humans, maybe they just look ripe for the picking! It does know that it is time for stocking up though, without anyone to tell him - no weather forecaster, no calendar to judge by. Squirrel just knows. It is time. And he acts accordingly.

I think I should awaken my internal clock - life would be less stressful if I just "knew" when things should be done, and acted on that knowing.