Earlier in the summer, I noticed Tilly caught in a stare at something outside of the porch window. I didn't pay much attention to it, but after a few minutes, baby Effy had joined her, and they were both just staring... and staring... Turns out they were quite enchanted with Fritz, the ground squirrel that hides in our downspout.
Hello, Fritz! My, my, my, how thin you are! I'm sorry I didn't plant any pumpkins for you to engorge yourself on this year, you varminty gourd-glutton. Oh how sad that day was... late September, and my pumpkins were growing up to be bountiful tablescape decorations... One morning, I made my walkabout to admire them in the early dew, and there they were, in all their drawn-and-quartered doom:
Death by Fritzing.
I was very tempted just then to let the girls out to play.
But of course, I didn't.
Goodbye, little Fritz. We'll see you again in the spring, I'm sure, nibbling on all of my new green shoots, you ingluvious flower-fiend.
(Despite his destructive tendencies, he is an awfully cute little thing, and I do smile every time I hear him scurrying up the downspout to hide when I walk by.)
ETA: I've gotten quite a few emails and comments about this little guy! He is technically a Thirteen Stripe Ground Squirrel, and is also called a Striped Gopher. :)
I have never seen a squirrel with that type of coloration. We have gray squirrels here in VA and we had black squirrels when we lived in Ohio. He is a cute little guy.
Posted by: Lisa | January 14, 2014 at 10:26 PM
Aaahhh, so cute! Great pictures!
Posted by: Phyllis | January 15, 2014 at 12:32 AM
Adorable ! I never one like this in France but its absolutly so cute Thanks for sharing and about the cats ;-)
Posted by: marielle | January 15, 2014 at 02:31 AM
Ohh, how beautiful squirrel I hope they don't want to eat him!!! :/
Posted by: Elisabetta | January 15, 2014 at 06:32 AM
I've never seen a squirrel like that before! Here in England we have gray and red squirrels, with big bushy tails!
Posted by: Emma | January 15, 2014 at 06:35 AM
Cute cute cute!! Inside and out.
Posted by: Margaret | January 15, 2014 at 07:20 AM
We have ground squirrels at work, they are just adorable to watch them run around and play. As others has said, ours look different too.
Posted by: Christina | January 15, 2014 at 07:49 AM
Skinny, little guy! I do believe they are a lot like chipmunks, right?
Posted by: Vickie | January 15, 2014 at 08:24 AM
I had a family this past summer in my yard living under my stoop. I wasn't sure what they were. At first I thought it was a chipmunk. No wonder I was having problems trying to figure out what they were. I had never seen them before.
Posted by: Sue Makinen | January 15, 2014 at 08:42 AM
He looks like the chipmunks we have in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Feed them and they will come!!
Posted by: Judy | January 15, 2014 at 08:58 AM
Oh my stars - too cute!!!!!!
And love how the kitty ears were perked up - oh I'm sure they wanted to 'play' with it indeed. lol
Posted by: tanya | January 15, 2014 at 09:08 AM
Bless his sweet skinny heart! Put out some pecans for the poor baby. I think he is the product of a chipmunk and a squirrel having a secret love affair :) I know they are destructive, but they are so cute!
Posted by: Robin Hager | January 15, 2014 at 09:16 AM
is there a new kitten Effy? Or is it Fez? as someone else said, love how their ears are perked up!
Posted by: Tracy | February 07, 2014 at 02:30 PM