Squirrel Babies

I should have written this blog a week ago right after the event happened because I was so freaked out. Now I've had time to simmer and so this blog will be much more mellow then it could have been. Last Wednesday Tyler the pest control guy came by. He knocked on the door and we talked about how much we were hoping he could take down a dead hanging squirrel. But there was no squirrel to "take down," only a new hole the squirrel had been chewing away on. He told me he had some poisoned seed he could put up there and that that might be the next best step. (Actually his most preferred next step would be to shoot the squirrel himself. . .but he was concerned that our neighbors might get suspicious of some guy sitting around waiting in a truck with a very real looking bb rifle complete with scope. I think he made a valid point.) He decided to pull out the ladder and see if he could fit a live trap in the rafters where the squirrel had been nesting. . .although he was skeptical that there would be enough room. Luckily for me, Emmeline was napping at this point and I was just outside holding Mabel. We were watching Tyler climb up the ladder. He pulled down some more of the siding and was able to reach farther into the space then Brett got to a couple days before. He found some more nest and started pulling it out and throwing it down on the grass. We were laughing and joking when all of the sudden I saw a little pink body squirming in the air and land on the grass with a thump. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH. I dont know if I was more freaked out because I saw the little baby squirrel, that it was born and living in my attic, or that I didnt have any shoes on at the moment. Tyler exclaimed, "I think we just found the problem" while I ran to the front door and told Tyler I was sorry but I'd just let him take care of the issue on his own. While Tyler was working I scarfed down a Reeses Chocolate Peanut Butter Egg to help me calm down. Those things are magical. . .but I regress. After he cleaned everything up he came inside and told me he found 2 little babies which he estimated were born sometime within the past week. Apparently squirrels usually only have 2-3 at a time and he was pretty certain that he got them all. That was much better then the litter of 8-12 I had been imagining. (Sometimes my imagination runs a little wild if you hadnt already noticed from previous posts). Finding those baby squirrels explained a lot. It explained why the squirrel had been so persistent in getting back into the attic and also why rather then running away from Brett and me the previous morning she just gave us this demon stare. She was trying to be protective. I suppose I would give anyone who might mess with my babies a heck of a lot more then just a demon stare (and we are back to the scratching out of eyes). Tyler told me that the momma squirrel would certainly come back again but after finding her babies gone she very possibly would not return. So far that has been the case. We did hear her rummaging around Thursday morning but it stopped quickly and did not resume. We havent heard it since. (Well we havent heard it for certain since. I keep thinking I hear it. . .but Brett insists I am only hearing the wind or the rain or the neighbors next door. I admit I am a little paranoid now.) I think our next plan of action will be to close up the holes and keep our bb gun at the ready. And if the squirrel is as smart as she has heretofore proven herself, she will learn to stay away pretty quick!!