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Join me in my daily walk through the joys and struggles of parenthood. Share a word of encouragement or be encouraged. Cry a little, laugh a lot, but know it is all in divine order.

Monday, February 26, 2018

Muffins with Mom – The Squirrel Whisperer

Innocent squirrel

Reclined on the coach watching the evening news on T.V., my mother was settled in for the night…until. She heard a scratching sound somewhere in the room, but did not investigate. Moments later, she glanced away from the T.V. and looked over at her staircase. She saw something of a shadowy figure.

As mom’s eyes focused, she made contact with the black bushy tailed squirrel who was peering at her between the spindled rails of the staircase. Before she could [AV1] blink, it dashed back up the stairs and into one of the rooms. And that was just the beginning.

It took mom a little while to collect herself and trudge up the stairs to the bedrooms. She did not hear the pitter patter of little feet, nor did she search for them. Instead, the quickly closed the bathroom and bedroom doors. And retreated back to the living room couch, where she slept intermittently.

The scratching continued the next day and mom had enough. She called me and asked if we were still planning to have lunch together. I said, “Yes, as long as it’s not at your house.” During lunch we discussed a strategy for getting the squirrel out of the house. We decided to call my teenage son.

My son met us at mom’s house. He strolled through the door like a sheriff from an old western movie. He put his clenched fists on his waist like Superman and began giving orders, “Ma, you take broom and Granny can use the mop.” We opened the front door and propped the screen door open with a kitchen chair.

My son climbed the stairs carrying his broom, he didn’t hear a sound, but he saw evidence of the squirrel. Sawdust was sprinkled across the front of a closed bedroom door. He opened the door slowly, using the flashlight on his cell phone to search for the squirrel. The squirrel wasn’t moving. My son pushed the door open wider and stumped his foot on the floor to rouse the squirrel.

In a matter of seconds the squirrel shot from the room, began to descend the stairs in my direction. I screamed, the squirrel tried to run back upstairs, but my son, blocked him with his broom. The squirrel scrambled back down the stairs and headed in mom’s direction, she guarded a corner with her mop. The squirrel escaped outside. Whew.

I felt like we were playing floor hockey. My son, the squirrel whisper, wild animal tamer, had devised a plan that worked. Sometimes it’s okay to listen to your children, teach them to be resourceful and not fearful.

This is the squirrel I envisioned coming from the bedroom.

Have you had any encounters with wild animals?






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