B'rer Willow

My 87 year old neighbor Jim faithfully feeds the little critters every morning on his driveway. He spreads sunflower seed out and chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits slowly and cautiously come up and nibble at the food spread. He even has some of the critters that will eat out of his hand, He is proud of that.

I think he thinks of himself as a white Uncle Remus. He looks kind of like him too. I think he imagines walking around in his yard singing “Zippidi-do-dah” with Mr. bluebird sitting on his shoulders and little rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks happily smiling and jumping ahead of him in joyous mood.

There is a hawk in the neighborhood. One time he almost swooped down and got one of the chipmunks. Jim had a fit. He says he is going to shoot the hawk and mentions over and over how the hawk nearly ate one of his babies.

Yesterday I had some housework to do so I let Willow play by herself outside. A couple of times I stuck my head out on the deck and hollered her name. I heard her tags jingle underneath the deck. I thought she was lying in the shade under the deck enjoying life.

She was.

Finally, I went through the basement door to check on her and saw her lying on her stomach busily chewing on something, I thought probably a stick.. I walked closer to take it away. We are afraid a sharp edge stick in her stomach might do some damage. When I got above her looking down what I thought was a stick was the last gooey mess of the end of squirrel’s tail.

I don’t know if she caught and ate the whole squirrel or just ended up with the tail and its roots.

I am not sure reprimanding her would do any good. That is pure instinct. God gave her that quick hunter’s ability. Well, I guess the hawk could use that argument with Jim too, while dodging bullets.

Oh, me.