Jane Winslow - Squirrels

We see them everywhere on campus, everywhere. I’m not so sure about anyone here, but I know my brother at Tech almost ran into one on his way to class last semester like an old person mistaking the gas for the break when trying not to hit a kid in the middle of the street. I’m sure it’s happened here more than just a handful of times. These little creatures getting in our way when we’re late for an exam or class. I swear, they multiply like mutants, more than rabbits. Speaking of rabbits, those squirrel buggerts used to always eat the rabbit food of my friend’s rabbits, I used to pet watch for them and whenever I got there I had to scare the evil squirrel demons away with a bb gun, good fun and a great way to relieve stress.
Point is, we always seem to see squirrels as a bothersome creature. But how often do we really take the chance to look at them to see what they’re doing? Being a mountain girl and growing up on a farm, without any neighbors, I would spend my childhood watching animals, and chasing them, and being chased by them, and using my vivid imagination to make up stories about what they do when we’re not looking. But today I noticed a squirrel digging outside of Potomac North. Seeing as I’d just gotten out of a test and didn’t have anything to be in a hurry for, I decided to slow down to see why Mr. Squirrel was digging. Knowing that its spring and squirrels hide their nuts for the winter season, I expected that the little guy was after his nuts. Sure enough, a few seconds later the squirrel was sitting there satisfied with his dirty little acorn.
It’s intriguing how the little things in life can satisfy living creatures. But somehow we skip over that. We go through such a complex ritual of having a good paying job to afford the food, that’s always there for us in the store. Aside from money, we have no real need to worry about where our next meal is coming from. But the animals surrounding us always need to be alert of food, it’s what they do all day.