wordsfromanneli

Thoughts, ideas, photos, and stories.

Out Behind the Woodshed

52 Comments

Jasper and Crispin are in love. They’ve been chasing each other up and down the fir trees, and through stacks of firewood in the woodshed.

It looks like Jasper has finally caught up to Crispin.

Crispin might be having second thoughts. She’s sneaking away – a bit late – as Jasper’s declarations of love came as a bit of a surprise today. Something tells me that, after all her flirting, she wasn’t expecting quite so much attention. She’s going to find a quiet place to contemplate WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

“Crispin, come back! I love you!” Jasper calls. But she’s gone.

“That was sure fun! But will she come back? Maybe I shouldn’t have been so aggressive, but I thought she was just playing hard to get. And she didn’t say no. Heck! I thought she liked it. I know I did.”

“But what if she gets pregnant? Oh dear! I’m not sure I’m ready to be a father. Oh deardeardear! She’s probably mad at me. I may never see her again.”

“But no! Here she comes with a peace offering. Isn’t she just so sweet?”

“Does this mean you’re my girl? Will you marry me, Crispin?”

Author: wordsfromanneli

Writing, travel, photography, nature, more writing....

52 thoughts on “Out Behind the Woodshed

  1. Sooooooooo niedlich ๐Ÿฅฐ

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  2. This is sooo cute, Anneli! They are adorable lovers. Are the black squirrels? Michigan has black squirrels along the border with Sarnia, Ontario, so cute!

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    • No, these are the red squirrels, smaller than the gray (and black) squirrels and not nearly as hard on the birds and other small creatures. The gray squirrels kill red squirrels and have taken over in many areas. Much as I like squirrels, I’m not a fan of the gray and black ones for the damage they do. The red squirrel population is quite down because of the grays.

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  3. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

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  4. So adorable, Anneli. How great that the reds are finding a relatively safe, comfortable home with you. Iโ€™ve only seen red squirrels here in NWT, no blacks or greys.

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    • That’s good. The grays really take over and kill the little reds. We don’t have grays right here, but I know that in other places on the island they have them.

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      • Yes, the greys are very aggressive. They were imported into the UK and have almost caused the extinction of the reds. I believe thereโ€™s now a major trapping program for greys in UK.

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        • That’s right and they seem to be moving like a big wave, destroying all the little Lincolns in their path.

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        • Yes, sadly they were introduced here and it’s a now a major headache. However, our red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a very different species to the North American red (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) – not related at all, just a case of someone giving the same name to two completely separate species! So it’s really just a coincidence that the eastern grey squirrel doesn’t get along with either ‘red’ squirrel.

          Our red squirrel is much larger than its North American namesake so outright aggression from the greys isn’t generally an issue; in the UK actually generally ignore each other. It’s all a lot more subtle. There a virus that greys appear to transmit to Eurasian reds which probably explains a lot, and it’s also believed that they out-compete them in getting to food supplies. But there are additional reasons for the Eurasian red squirrel’s decline, e.g. habitat loss and historical persecution by forestry interests. Plus deaths on roads and predation by domestic cats. Tough one to untangle.

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  5. That’s so sweet. Your squirrels are much cuter than the ones we have here.

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  6. Lovely story Anneli๐Ÿ™‚

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  7. Thank you for this love story, the photos are great.

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  8. Very cute. I canยดt wait to see the babies! The pictures are great too.

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  9. Spring Fever struck early ๐Ÿ˜Š

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  10. Hahaha, he’s trying to catch her early, before the other boys come around! Great shots, Anneli.

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  11. I love a good love story! โค

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  12. They are great little posers and look happy together.

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  13. You should not take photos of them at THAT! ๐Ÿ˜‰

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  14. Ah, nature isn’t quite into the social niceties of courting and consensual sex, is it? Well, I hope their little ones thrive and the new couple has many years ahead of scampering around the woodpile!

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  15. Wonderful to see the antics and beauty of your red squirrel, Anneli. Beautiful photos of this very handsome species.

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    • It’s an odd situation, Jet. They are so tame and yet still quite wild. I feed them, but they mostly feed themselves. I think it’s a perfect situation for us both. I don’t want them to trust me too much, as it would endanger them to lose their cautiousness towards people.

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  16. Haha! That’s so sweet.

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  17. What a lovely photo essay!

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