"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Monday, March 01, 2010

How my birthday went . . . or Demon Squirrel . . .Show and Tail Tuesdays



Welcome to the Twenty Second Weekly Segment of Tuesdays' Show & Tail! I hope everyone will join Angela every Tuesday to post a picture of two of your pets, wildlife or visit to the zoo and tell a little about them!

Tuesdays' Show & Tail is about having fun, and giving us a chance to meet other pet owners in the blogging community. If you are visiting and would like to join in on the fun, please do so! Everyone is welcome. It is very easy to do.



I have been telling you my squirrel saga, but I did not tell you that is was a demon squirrel with a PHD in human psychology! Okay I had a sleep over the night before my birthday. My dear friend is not only a dear friend who has known my grandson for years she is also an advocate and if you don't know what a child advocate is used for - then it is a good thing.

So on the 26th we had a meeting at the school with the principal for my grandson. Of course my friend came to assist. And it went far better then expected. So she lives an hour away and asked if she could stay until traffic died down and I said sure, just spend the night. So I had a sleep over for my birthday - I don't think I've had one in 40 years!

We had fun and went out to dinner Friday night. Went to bed and everyone here got up around 9:30 or so - which is late for us. So that was great.

About right then we heard our demon squirrel. I might tell you he is right above my room and he has been here about 3 months. We are on the same schedule. We have done everything possible to catch him and he even got out of the glue taps (minus some hair). He had peanuts, peanut butter, seeds, roasted peanuts, and crackers - he would eat and never get trapped - he thought we were feeding him a feast. In fact until the 27th we really didn't know what we had for sure - could have been a roof rat.




We heard him and my husband started to go up to the attic (as unusual) with my grandson close behind. He has done it a million times. This time the squirrel was right there looking at him eating. He turned around and flew down the stairs and almost knocked the GS down to get down and let the door slam with a bang! Remember Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation? Well picture that look on my husband's face!



He looked at me and we were kind of laughing because he always talks so tough and tells my GS how 'women and men' are. He looked at us and said, I'm going to be blogged aren't I? Dah...

So my girlfriend is one tough gal - doesn't look tough - looks gentle - inside she is tough. She goes to get a shovel to kill it and my GS son (innocently says he'll do it - he thought she was going to scoop him up - teehee). So at this point what to do.



She goes in the attic - not hubby - he was going to leave her and she says ah, will you stay down there in case I need something? She goes up and the squirrel must have eaten some decon (sorry squirrel - if you just weren't in my attic I'd leave you alone) and was rocking back and forth and dying. They decided to wait until he died and just take him out then.

Okay he dies and she bags him up and we put him in a box. Oh I forgot to tell you my grandson had woken up sick again - his 3rd bout of being sick in 3 weeks. Then he got sad because the squirrel had died. He was quite upset at this point - dying was not what he had expected.

We have a short prayer by my friend - asking God to take him to Heaven and have the rest of the squirrels stay where they belonged - I wanted to laugh so hard - you had to hear it - but it was just what he needed - he felt better and we all said our good-byes to the dear (?) squirrel.

We went up to get ready - as it was my birthday and we wanted to go out and have a girl's lunch. Hubby to watch GS. It was around 12.

As soon as we got upstairs - what do you think happened - we heard yet ANOTHER squirrel - so we are not done yet!



At 1 we go to lunch at Carraba's Italian Grill - best place to eat. The waiter was unsure of us at first when we asked for a glass of Beringer's and 2 cups! -to share - what can I say - we are high on life.

This is olive oil and spices for the bread.




We had mozzarella sticks to begin with. (My new camera).



Here is my daughter, friend, and Chatty - I look kind of squirrel stressed don't you think, but what the heck . . .



And we finished with desert for 3 with a knife candle stick and a splenda packet on top for a candle.



We get back home around 3 and grandson has an extremely high fever. We decide to take him to the Little Clinic in Publix. My daughter got to the garage first and started screaming - I run out and I hear a squirrel and I said oh my gosh - there's a squirrel up in your room (she is above the garage) and she screamed no mom it's the dead squirrel in the box. Apparently it didn't die and it was crying and clawing to get out. (Remember this is my birthday today.) So we head to the clinic and call hubby who was out doing something and told him the squirrel was still alive and to please take it somewhere. He said he would.



It took forever at the clinic and his temp was 104.6. They tested him for strep and flu and he had neither. She suggested we take him to the real ER as she didn't really know why his fever was so high. We went home to pick up hubby to go with us and we all got in the car to go. He was going to make a birthday dinner and have cake but that had to be nixed - we'd do it on Sunday.

Hubby told us that he had thought we were kidding about the squirrel and thought for my grandson's sake we had made up that story. Imagine his surprise when the box was moving and screeching in his car all the way to the lake! He took the squirrel to Lake Allatoona and let him out about 30 minutes from here - across water. So he could not find his way back.

We're heading to the ER (when we called there was going to be a 3 hour wait) and we get an Epiphany - we're friends with his doctor and she said we could call her if we needed too and my son and DIL are pediatrician's in Ohio. And my friend, the one from the above, has a second masters in emergency training. We called all three of them and they all suggested the same thing - that we hit him hard with Motrin and if the temperature went down - just to keep a good watch on him and wait. So we turned around and came home. There are some really bad things going around right now and setting there three hours with sick people - he might have caught something else. Anyway this plan did work.

It was around 7, and we were all exhausted, but all together, squirrels and all.

My daughter said that was the worst sound she ever heard and my grandson said it was the best - because the squirrel lived. One is one mans junk is another mans treasure!



And this was just one day in my life - you see why I am so irregular and need to talk! Got to go, my other squirrel is calling!



Wonder if my pal will come back for a visit? Sure she will - I'm lucky and blessed.



Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Henrietta Seuss and Theodor Robert Geisel. His father, the son of German immigrants, managed the family brewery and after Theodor was married, supervised Springfield's public park system. Geisel was raised in the Lutheran faith and remained a member of the denomination his entire life. Geisel attended Springfield's Central High School and entered Dartmouth College in fall 1921 as a member of the Class of 1925 and joined Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. At Dartmouth, Geisel joined the humor magazine Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, eventually rising to the rank of editor-in-chief.

While at Dartmouth, Geisel was caught drinking gin with nine friends in his room, violating national Prohibition laws of the time. As a result, the school insisted that he resign from all extracurricular activities. In order to continue his work on the Jack-O-Lantern without the administration's knowledge, Geisel began signing his work with the pen name "Seuss"; his first work signed as "Dr. Seuss" appeared after he graduated, six months into his work for humor magazine The Judge where his weekly feature Birdsies and Beasties appeared. Geisel was encouraged in his writing by professor of Rhetoric W. Benfield Pressey, whom he described as his "big inspiration for writing" at Dartmouth.

23 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I am rolling on the floor laughing. So the squirrel is alive and well and you might have 'another one' up in the attic. At least your Grandson is better. OMG what a birthday!! Now the big surprise? You split a glass of wine? Love you girlfriend!

Susan said...

Sandie, that was hysterically funny. I cracked up reading it. I could just imagine your husband's face-to-face encounter with the bushy tail. Oh my goodness, that squirrel has more lives than a cat! And where oh WHERE did you ever find those pictures of squirrels? They were a perfect addition to the hilarious post. Thanks so much for helping me end my day with a good laugh. You are the best! Sincerely, Susan from writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com {p.s. You really should submit a version of this story for publication. It's a winner.)

Angela said...

Oh my gosh Sandie! I was in tears laughing so hard about your demon squirrel! Glad to hear that your friend is better at hunting than your husband! lol

I so love Christmas Vacation! I could picture your squirrel so vividly.

Sorry to hear about Andy being sick again! I'm glad to hear that his fever went down! Motrin and then alternate the Tylenol is what I always do.

Thanks for sharing such an exciting story with us this week!

Tuesdays' Show & Tail!
Angela

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Oh, Chatty... this sounds SO familiar! Glad you got the squirrel out of there and hope the others are out of there soon!

XO,

Sheila :-)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Seriously, Sandie, I hope you find their entrance point and can get it plugged up. I heard noises AGAIN after we spent a fortune to get them OUT!

Jojo said...

Oh quit squirreling around and go celebrate your birthday! Happy birthday to you! Hope your grandson has made a full recovery.

betty said...

oh my gosh, Sandie, you will remember this birthday for the longest of times! too funny with the squirrel(s); you will have to figure out how they care coming into the attic and plug that hole up somehow. Sorry Andy was under the weather (again); never fun when they don't feel good

betty

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

Girl I am still laughing, what an exciting Birthday you had. I love squirrels, they come and go in my attic.

ocmist said...

OH MY GOSH! This was HYSTERICAL! You, my dear, live a VERY interesting life! Reminded me of my little old aunt who had been a missionary in Nigeria for 37 years. She was in her 70's and came to visit and a mouse ran across the yard and under a piece of cardboard and she raced over there and went dancing around on top trying to smash the poor little sucker!

Well, at least you know the DeCon works... sort of, and you can try to get the other one, too.

So glad the fever came down on your grandson, and hope that he recovers fully very soon!

I guess it will be a birthday you definitely WILL remember! LOL Linda

ClassyChassy said...

If that don't beat ALL! I guess the prayers worked wonders as that squirrel resurrected, eh? Hope you can catch the other squirrel easier than the first! What a funny and amazing birthday! And now, you have it all recorded on your blog, to read again and again!!!

Teri said...

WoW! And I thought my days were tough! Good laugh tho.... Thanks I needed that one.

Unknown said...

sorry but i think those squirrels just wanted you to have a memorable birthday and you know what? mission accomplished! and i hope you had a wonderful one also. it sounds as if you aged a few years on this birthday!(st least i would have)

Knitty said...

I'm sorry I missed wishing you a Happy Birthday on your actual birthday. I can't say now that I hope it was a happy one because this post has me laughing, thinking it was happy, sad, worried and joyful all at once!

I have to share this with a few friends with squirrel issues. We have an abundance of them in my part of Michigan, but none have a story to match yours!

Unknown said...

This is just too funny! We have had our rounds with a squirrel also and it wasn't fun. You're a great writer! Happy Birthday!

Cheri said...

HAPPY BELATED B-DAY! Sorry I missed it. What is the exact date?
How is the GS doing? Hope better.

What is it with these squirrels or do they just like GA, we have had one (or maybe a family) for the 3 years we lived there. At one point youngest daughter and I thought someone was in the house and had a neighbor come over at 5:00 AM to check.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

OK my dear. I'm having mood swings all the while I'm reading this post. Was laughing out loud one moment and worrying the next. Good grief, what a birthday you had. At the end of it all, I am smiling because of the way you can laugh at the "little" inconveniences of life. That's what we all need to do --

We've had a few similar experiences with squirrels over the years and d&^n -- all I can say is it sure is a good thing they aren't any bigger -- I think they'd rule the world if they were!

Sherrie said...

Hi!
That was an awesome story. What a birthday to remember! Have a great day!

Sherrie
A View of My Life

The imPerfect Housewife said...

Glad you didn't eat squirrel for dinner - you know Cousin Eddie found out they're high in cholesterol. HA HA ♥

Judy said...

Hi Sandie, Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such nice comments! Hope you had a FABULOUS birthday!!! Love the squirrel saga!!!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Sandie! All in all, it looks like you had a great day.

Maybe your second squirrel will be lonely and find a rich squirrel that lives in a mansion.

Necie(next door to Sue)

Barbara Jean said...

That was the funniest story ever!
I'm sure not at the time, but looking back!
Thanks for sharing it, and a late happy birthday!

blessings

barbara jean
PS Thanks for coming by =)

Sue said...

Well a very Happy Birthday my friend....If we knew we could have celebrated last week with a huge piece of that cake at the MFM....I have put you down in my calendar for next year....Oh you did ask when my birthday was and i forgot all about that....it's oct. 8th....glad the grandson is better...that's an awfully high fever you were lucky that Motrin got it under control....and the squirrel that came back to life...they are evil....

Twinkie Mom said...

Happy Birthday my dear!

I am so glad you caught one, and that you were able to release into the wild!

I am praying for your cutie pie grandson, but at least he got some happiness, the image that the animal is having fun in the wild.

Love those pictures, it makes me hungry, we don't have one out here.

I really like the fact that your dear husband was making you birthday dinner, did he ever get a chance to make it? So sweet!

Hope you catch the remaining one FAST!