An Ornament for Paisley

My daughter and her husband have started a wonderful tradition for my grand-daughter (in fact, I wish I had thought of this for my kids!). Each year they attend an ornament exchange with Jeromy’s family, and this year they actually included Miss Popper in the exchange, so she went home with her very own ornament. Mandy is going to save them in a box for her and then add an ornament from Miss Popper’s mom and dad so that she will have a little box of ornaments of her very own to take with her when she leaves home. I thought this was so sweet that I wanted Miss Popper’s Grump-Pa and her Lolee (me) to get in on this deal, so I started with an ornament for Paisley on her very first Christmas.

At first I was tempted to get her an owl ornament. Her parents love all things “owl” and have even done Miss Popper’s nursery in an owl theme. In a cute twist of fate, one of Miss Popper’s first “tricks” has been to hoot like a little owlet; if you would like to watch a video of Paisley saying, “Whooo….”, then click here . But then I stumbled across an ornament that has a lot of meaning for me, and I decided to pass this along to my girl for her first Christmas.

Anyone who actually knows me knows that I had a pet squirrel who lived in my house with me for four years. Most people don’t understand just how much she meant to me. Even though she required a lot of care and drove me crazy at times, life with her was a very unique experience and the love that I gave to her and received from her was beyond description. She brought home the fact that there is nobility in even the smallest and simplest of God’s creatures. I had hoped that Miss Popper and Chewka Marie would have the chance to meet one day, but as fate would have it, Chewka Marie left this world just as Paisley Grace was about to enter it. Chewka died the afternoon before Paisley was born; in fact we had not yet buried her when we got the call that Mandy was being admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia. So I said a hurried good-bye to my dearest little friend before heading to the hospital to check on my daughter.

I have never been the type to believe that one being can take another being’s place; to me, to say this would be an insult to them both. Each loved one in my life holds a unique place in my heart, filed away in one of the little drawers that I keep there. But I am so grateful that Miss Popper arrived safely and soundly, and she has brought me more joy than I had ever dreamed. Her arrival helped me through a tough time and she is one of God’s tender mercies, not just for her parents, but for her Lolee as well. I had made a scrapbook of Chewka Marie a couple of years ago (in story book format), and when Paisley gets old enough I will read it to her. I will show her the squirrel ornament that her parents bought for me because they know that I love all things “squirrel”. I want to give her a little squirrel for her tree to help her remember that as a window shuts, a door is opened, and we can be comforted during our dark times, even if it is in ways which are unexpected.

My squirrel ornament:


Miss Popper’s squirrel ornament:

A Hole in My Heart

There’s a hole in my heart today…our darling Chewka Marie Woodbury has gone over the rainbow bridge. We found her when she was about four weeks old and she lived in our house with us for four years (which is quite a good run for a squirrel from what I understand). (You can read her full story in “A Squirrel’s Tail”). She had not been feeling well for about a week or so; during the time that she was out of her nest she didn’t run around. There was a lot of time with me just holding her and snuggling her. When we went outside, she didn’t run around the yard either; we just sat on the back porch, listening to the birds and watching the party that was going on at the squirrel feeding station. Mostly, she just wanted to sleep.

I can’t begin to tell you what she meant to me. I once read a saying, “Our friends see the best in us, and that very fact calls forth the best from us.” Chewka Marie had lived with us for quite some time when I was researching something squirrelly on the internet and I read something else: a squirrel rehabilitator warned that you should NEVER, EVER keep a squirrel as a pet. According to this person, squirrels were vicious little critters that could never be tamed. I’m so glad that I didn’t read that in the beginning. My ignorance allowed me to just go forward, building a relationship with my sweet Chewka Marie.

She really was something. She often rode on my shoulder as I walked around the house. She not only let me hold her and pet her, she actually let me kiss her neck and “gobble” on her belly. Even our veterinarian said that he had never seen such a tame squirrel. I loved our relationship, and I must admit that I loved the novelty of it, too. I have always had a soft spot for animals, and I often suspect that I don’t see them quite the same way that a lot of people do. Chewka Marie proved to me that my assumption that animals are more than we give them credit for is right. She was certainly more than just some rodent!

The picture above is my favorite picture of Chewka Marie because it captures the essence of who she was. She was a girl who loved to eat, and this resulted in a soft, cuddly little body which was just perfect for nuzzling (I often called her “My Little Plumpling”). She was a girl who had made herself perfectly at home inside our house. She slept in our family room, and she could snooze right through the noisy washing machine or a raucous debate on “O’Reilly Factor” on television. She loved to hide pecans and milk bones in our sofa cushions, and she could hop and jump from one piece of furniture to another like the best of squirrels. While the squirrels outside have a hard, harsh expression, her face was soft and gentle. She often had a little gleam in her eye and a half-smile on her face, as though she was up to something --and she often was! I'll never forget the look of total shock the first time that Chewka Marie snatched one of Toffee's milk bones, waddling away as fast as she could with her treasure. Toffee was too stunned to even give chase!

I will miss my Chewka Marie. She was the one creature on earth who truly, truly needed me, and she was such a special little squirrel, with a special spirit about her. I will always love her.

The Story of Chewka Marie: A Squirrel's Tail

This is the story of a Special Little Squirrel, upon whom was bestowed an unusual destiny. Her life began simply enough: she was born in the top of a tall mulberry tree at The House Next Door in the land of Texas. She was just a baby, living in the nest with her brothers and sisters, when a life-changing event happened.

In one moment she was safe and sound in her tree, and then, in an instant she was falling! Down, down, down she went, until at last she landed with a thud. She wasn’t quite sure how it happened, for she never saw anything. At only four weeks of age, her eyes had not yet opened! All she knew was that her nose was bleeding and her head ached fiercely.

“Help! Help!” she squeaked. She felt a nudge. Had someone come to help? Another nudge. The nudge was slobbery and wet, and a foul, hot breath was blowing across her. Oh, no! She realized that it was not help at all, but instead, she had been found by The Slobbering Beast!

“Cookie! Stop that!” a loud, low voice said. The Man had heard her cries for help and had come to investigate. His hand was large, yet gentle, and he picked The Little Squirrel up and carried her into his house.

“What are you doing?” she heard a soft voice ask.

“A little squirrel fell out of a tree,” The Man told The Woman. “I’m trying to give it some water.”

“You’re going to drown it like that!” The Woman told The Man. “Let me call Russell Feed Store and find out what we should do.”

The Woman disappeared for awhile, and The Man continued to hold The Little Squirrel. It wasn’t long before The Little Squirrel could hear The Woman bustle in. “Let’s see if you like this,” The Woman said, and put something in The Little Squirrel’s mouth.

It didn’t taste like the milk that she was used to (did The Woman say that it was kitten formula?), but it was warm and good, and at least she wasn’t hungry anymore. She just wished that her head would quit pounding!


“She’s going to have quite a bump on that head,” she heard The Man say. “We’ll need to make her a bed.”

“I’ve got just the thing,” offered The Woman. “I’ll get a plastic cart drawer and some old T-shirts and towels.” And with that, The Little Squirrel was soon nestled in a nest that was even softer than the nest in the tree.

But The Little Squirrel was so cold! It took awhile for The Man and The Woman to discover that baby squirrels cannot regulate their body heat, but eventually they realized that she was cold and put a desk lamp over her nest. Soon, she was warm and cozy, and despite her headache, she soon fell asleep.


“Do you think she’ll be okay?” The Woman whispered.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” The Man cautioned. “She took quite a big fall.”

As destiny would have it, The Little Squirrel did make it through that first night. And the next. And the next! Her days were filled with snuggling in her nest and having The Woman pick her up and hold her a lot!
 
And, of course, there was meal time! It took a little getting used to, but before long The Little Squirrel was grabbing the syringe full of milk and drinking it all by herself. Most of the time it was The Woman who brought the milk, but sometimes it was The Boy and The Grandmother feeding her when The Woman went to work. She still could not see, but she knew each person by their voice, and she could even tell when The Slobbering Beast was near.


Then wonder of wonders! Just one week after falling from the tree, The Little Squirrel’s eyes opened. She could see! The Man was just as big as he sounded, almost as tall as her tree! The Woman was short and round, and she looked just as soft as her voice.

“We’ll have to build a cage now,” The Man suggested. There were the sounds of much hammering and banging coming from outside, and shortly thereafter The Man proudly carried in a large structure. It was wood and wire, with a large tree branch inside, and a platform which was just perfect for sleeping. The Little Squirrel liked her new nest.
 
The Little Squirrel slept in her new nest a lot of the time, but throughout the day The Woman would say, “It’s play time,” and The Little Squirrel would get to run around and explore the rest of the house. There were so many things to see, smell, and chew! Even though The Woman would squeal, “No!” whenever The Little Squirrel would take a bite out of a chair, The Little Squirrel couldn’t help herself.

The Woman had been calling The Little Squirrel by the name of “Nutsey”, but after she took a couple of bites out of some more furniture, The Woman decided to name her “Chewka” instead.

She was getting to chew real food, too. Chewka was getting too big to just drink milk, so The Woman brought her grapes to eat. This was even better than milk! It wasn’t long before Chewka was also eating lettuce, apples, raisins, carrots, "monkey biscuits", and of course, pecans (out of the shell to start with). The best part of living with The Man and The Woman was that Chewka never went hungry, and she grew bigger with each passing day.

Chewka grew and grew, and as she grew larger and wiser, she began to practice her squirrelly skills. One of her favorite activities was when The Woman gave her a whole pecan or an acorn. It might take 10 minutes or so before Chewka found just the right hiding spot, but she always did, and when she was sure of her hiding place, she would give the hidden treasure a little pat and hop away. Sometimes she hid pecans in the sofa cushions, and sometimes she hid a nut in The Woman’s shirt pocket (while The Woman was still wearing the shirt!). But her favorite place to hide a pecan was in The Man’s shoes; however, she was pretty sure it was not his favorite place, as she often heard him yelling.

Chewka also practiced making herself disappear, just in case there might be a hawk nearby. She would stretch herself out, long and low, sure that she blended in with the wicker chair or the arm of the couch. “You can try to hide,” The Woman would say, “But I think you are a little plump for it to do much good.” Chewka did not pay The Woman any mind, and sure enough, the hawks never found her.


Chewka also liked stretching out on top of her nest. It was fun to be so high and look down on everything!



Chewka was just a few months old when The Coyote came to live with them. The Coyote was the son of The Slobbering Beast, and although he had gone elsewhere to seek his fortune, this prodigal son had returned within a few short months. Chewka was terrified of The Coyote, for she knew that he stalked the squirrels who lived outside unmercifully, and made quite the game of chasing them. However, The Woman decreed that any beast caught messing with her beloved squirrel faced the penalty of the dungeon or banishment, so both The Coyote and The Slobbering Beast, although curious, did not bother Chewka.

Chewka loved it when The Daughter came to visit. The Daughter was pretty and full of life, and she always had interesting stories to tell. When Chewka was little, The Daughter would pet Chewka, and even let Chewka sit on her shoulder.

But, alas, as Chewka got older, The Daughter would squeal, “She’s going to jump on me!” and didn’t pet Chewka anymore. Chewka began to suspect that The Daughter was a wee bit jealous.

“You love that squirrel more than you love us,” The Daughter would say.

“I don’t love her more than you guys,” The Woman would answer. “But she is the one creature on Earth who truly needs me.”

“Hmmph!” The Daughter would sniff, not the least bit amused.

But Chewka was amused, and she would give her tail a couple of good shakes in The Daughter’s direction, just for good measure. It secretly pleased Chewka to know that she held such a special place in The Woman’s heart.

There were times, however, that Chewka could tell that The Woman was not happy. The Woman did not like the chunks and bite marks in her furniture, so The Man made a large tray to sit on top of the table, to protect it.


Sometimes The Woman was tired, or sick, and didn’t want to play, but The Woman knew that Chewka needed to come out of her nest and run around or eat. Most of all, there were times that Chewka really needed to potty on her special potty blanket that The Woman kept out for her instead of at the bottom of her nest.

“It sure would be nice to not have to take care of someone the second I get up,” Chewka sometimes heard The Woman say sadly. Thankfully, The Woman did not say this often, and Chewka always got to come out and play, even when The Woman said this.

The Woman seemed obsessed with kissing Chewka. Each morning, as The Woman lifted Chewka out of her nest, The Woman would kiss Chewka first on her head, then on her neck, and sometimes even on her soft, fuzzy belly. It tickled, but Chewka let The Woman kiss her, for The Woman was determined to do so, and sometimes Chewka even kissed her back. Chewka would grab The Woman’s finger and ever-so-gently nibble it with her teeth; sometimes she would gently nibble The Woman’s cheek. This seemed to bring The Woman great joy.






One day, Chewka noticed that the front door was open; only the glass door was shut. She waddled down the hall and looked out. The Coyote and The Slobbering Beast were in the front yard with The Man, and they seemed to be having the most tremendous time. Chewka wondered what it would be like to have such fun. “Oh, honey! Please don’t look so sad!” Chewka heard The Woman say.


"I’m going to take Chewka outside tomorrow,” The Woman told The Man that night.

“You’re crazy!” he replied. “She’ll run away.”

“I don’t think she will,” The Woman said. “I know her, and I trust her. And even if she did, it’s a sad thing to think that a little squirrel might never know what it’s like to feel the grass under her feet.”

The next day, The Woman came and gently lifted Chewka out of her nest. “It’s a special day!” The Woman told her.

They went out the back door of the house, and there it was: The Outside. It was bigger than Chewka had ever imagined. And so noisy! Chewka was used to the sound of the washing machine, the dishwasher, and even the sound of car chases on television; this was different! All those birds screeching and squawking! And that loud sound that they made with their wings when they all decided to fly off at the same time! This wasn’t fun at all! Chewka was terrified.

“It’s okay,” The Woman reassured her. “We’ll go in for now and try again tomorrow.”

And sure enough, the next day The Woman took Chewka back outside. They sat on the back porch together and The Woman fed Chewka sunflower seeds while they watched the birds and other squirrels eat. Each day they stayed outside a little longer each time until one day Chewka summoned enough courage to leave The Woman’s lap. At first she simply explored the back porch, but eventually she found herself nibbling on grass and exploring the yard. The Man’s tomatoes, although not much to look at by the end of the summer, were quite fascinating (and tasty, too!). Chewka came to love their time outside, and although there were rare occasions in which she didn’t want to go inside, for the most part, she learned to come back when The Woman called, thus assuring that The Woman would be willing to bring her back outside the next day.




And thus were the days of Chewka Marie, The Special Little Squirrel. Instead of facing death at four weeks of age, she came to live inside, as part of a human family. She never knew what it was to be hungry, or thirsty, or cold, or lonely. In return she brought laughter and fun into The House. And above all, she inspired wonder and awe in The Woman, whose heart was ever grateful that she was able to share her life with this small, yet noble, creature whom God had created.

And they lived happily ever after!

"All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all! "
--Cecil Frances Alexander--

Chewka's Day Out!

Chewka and I have enjoyed going outside for quite some time now; it's a break in the monotony for both of us. We haven't been able to go out on a regular basis lately because of a hawk that has been "haunting" our neighborhood. He discovered that our neighborhood is teeming with birds and squirrels and he has turned it into his personal hunting ground. I have seen him land in our yard several times, so I have been hesitant to chance taking Chewka Marie for her daily romp.

However, things have been rather quiet lately on the hunting front, so I decided that today was the day we were going to risk it. (Also, she has been driving me crazy because the more bored she becomes, the worse she chews!) So out we went. She had the greatest time!

First, she played around on the stash of firewood that we keep on the back porch. There was much crawling around, sniffing, and chewing:



After finishing with the wood pile, she ventured out into the yard, found an acorn, and in her usual squirrel's fashion, proceeded to bury it:



The only thing better than burying an acorn is finding an acorn that was hidden by someone else. Jackpot!



Not only did Chewka Marie's mother keep a sharp eye out for hawks, Toffee was out patrolling the yard, too. And of course, there was no way that a hawk could have gotten past Cookie:



We stayed outside for quite awhile, but the time came that the birds began congregating in the yard next door for their late afternoon feeding. Chewka decided that the great outdoors was getting a little too crowded, and she popped through the doggie door, leaving her guardians outside.

I truly enjoy spending time in the yard with Chewka, and she never ceases to amaze me. She has lived inside the house with us since before her eyes even opened and is more familiar with the sound of the television and the washing machine than she is the sound of birds or rain. Still, she instinctively makes nests in her little house, and once she gets a nut she is not satisfied until she has found just the right hiding spot. She is a champion jumper and climber, and have I ever mentioned that she is a great chewer? I didn't teach her any of these things -- she is brilliant all by herself!