Squirrelly Spring Season by Barbara Edwards

I love camping and have since the first time I went as a Girl Scout. There’s a freedom to being in in the outdoors that can’t be matched. I’ve camped in a hurricane while hiking the Appalachian Trail, been snowed in by a blizzard in Connecticut and dry camped in National Parks. Every experience was special and lead to more stories than I have time to tell.

I have a routine. We set-up the camper, then make the campsite comfortable. A screened room sometimes is necessary to escape the bugs. Definitely need folding chairs and fire wood to enjoy the evenings under the stars.

So we come to this story. Next it’s time to arrange the picnic table so it’s easy to use. I have a plastic tablecloth that covers the entire surface. It’s easy to keep clean and I clip the corners down to beat the wind. This time I noticed the clips must have slipped because the corner had been torn ragged. I adjusted them and told my husband we’d need to buy a replacement.

The next morning the other corners were shredded. We exchanged puzzled glances. Maybe the raccoons? The dog would have barked, wouldn’t she?

We watched for a week as pieces of the tablecloth disappeared. It looked really the worst for wear, but I wasn’t ready to get another until I knew what was happening.

I noticed a squirrel sitting on a nearby pole late this afternoon. He eyed my table with longing, looked around then hopped over.

Within seconds he’d flipped the cloth up and was removing the soft flannel lining with his teeth. I’m using the universal ‘he’ since I don’t know if this was the mommy squirrel or the daddy. My husband grabbed the camera and took pictures through the screen door.

Looks like I’m not getting another tablecloth until the squirrel nesting season ends.

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