Life's Little Moments...

I was pottering around in the yard this afternoon, pondering what I could possibly blip today when I saw a squirrel dashing across an opening in the woods carrying something rather large and bulky.  I tried to get pics, but she was moving too fast, but as she carried her load up a tall tree and into a hole, I was pretty sure I knew what I was seeing.  Sure enough, she popped out of the hole a minute later and made her way via the tree tops to a location several hundred yards away.  After several minutes, she came out of that patch of woods carrying ... a baby squirrel!  

I was mesmerized and sat in the yard, quietly watching as she painstakingly moved at least 3 babies to a new location.  The babies all appear to be naked, so I am thinking they are quite young. (Have since learned that they are probably about a month old, eyes still closed but starting to get some fuzz).  I've no idea why she was moving them - or why she didn't just birth them in the hole up high in the tree where they are now residing.  A mystery I'll probably never learn the answer to.  But, I felt incredibly lucky today to be able to watch this take place.  In this shot, she was repositioning the little one in her mouth, using her little paws to hold it and move it around.  Something about this just grabbed hold of my heart - it seemed incredibly tender.  I've posted 3 other shots of mama and babies ...
HERE
HERE and...
HERE

In other news, my luck at the Bistro officially ran out today.  After a brief time inside looking after Hubs (more on that below) I went outside with my camera.  The first thing I noticed was a shepards crook laying on the ground... and no peanut feeder.  After beating a hasty retreat to the deck, I scanned the yard and woods.  Finally I spotted the culprit way up on the ridge in our woods, dining on a peanut log.  Yep, the first bear-hit of the season.  And, in a situation of good news/bad news... the bad news is that it was a pretty big bear - the good news was that it won't be hard to miss if it's in the yard.  Bears are, unfortunately, a part of life in this part of the northeast US, and I am "lucky" enough to live in the area with the highest black bear population in the US.  So, let the games begin...

Hubs had a restless night, after feeling rather rundown yesterday.  When he awoke this morning, he was feeling crummy - tired, achy and listless.  We suspect it is allergies as he doesn't have any other cold or flu symptoms.  But, if you've ever had severe allergies, you'll know that they are just as bad as a cold.  Hoping that he'll feel better tomorrow.  

Be well, people!