Re: Who invited you in?

After three weeks in Europe, and then a few days dealing with thanksgiving, we finally got around to heading back up to our cabin this week. It might have been feeling a bit neglected, and we were certainly missing it.

But we were rather surprised by what met us when we opened the door. The runner on the table behind the sofa was on the floor, along with the notebook and thermometer we always keep there. A quick glance into the kitchen showed us that all the dish towesl were on the floor--as were the towels in the bathroom. As we looked around the place, we noticed a few things knocked over (a lamp, a basket, a nice Indian bowl) and a blanket on the sofa had been shredded.

Hmm.
We quickly checked the mousetraps, which were sprung, but empty.
We were on high alert. Whatever had done this was probably still in the cabin. We slowly poked into the stack of firewood, checked the corner behind the computer (where it would have been warmer.)
Nothing.
Then our daughter gave a groan. She was looking under a bench in the living room, and there it was--a little grey squirrel, complete with XXs in his eyes, was curled up on the floor, dead as dead could be.

We don't know if it somehow crept in just as we were leaving. But that would have been a month ago---and even though it's been cold, I think we would have scented a certain smell of decay by this point. The only other option is that the curious little fellow somehow climbed down the chimney, and couldn't figure out how to get back out again. Since there was no available food or water, it wouldn't have taken long for him to give up the ghost,.

I took him outside and left him out behind the shed. The next morning, he had been recycled by a raccoon, a fox, or some other creature of nature.

But he left us with another story to tell, the next time we're gathered around a campfire.

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2022 08:39PM by balzaccom.

My freshman year of college, if I left the screen-less windows to my dorm room open, squirrels would help themselves to whatever food we'd left out. When our children were young, they found this story hilarious, but it made for a good way to explain to them the need to keep food in the metal lockers at Yosemite - we explained that we want to keep the food away from both the bears and the minibears.

Wow, that’s a real surprise! We once had a similar experience when we found a squirrel in our cabin, too. It must’ve snuck in through the chimney because it’s a great way to get in if they’re curious. We ended up finding it curled up in a corner, not too different from your story. It’s always a bit of a shock to come back and find unexpected visitors like that. At least you gave it a decent send-off, even if it did end up as a snack for something else.