Squirrel versus the Beast

[visual description: Photo via Ask Sister Mary Martha. It shows a squirrel baring its teeth. Small, but effective.]

Unlike my friend Elizabeth in her manual wheelchair who allows squirrels onto her lap, feeds them and seems to bring out the best in wildlife , my power chair aka the Beast and I seem to bring out the worst in wildlife. Mostly squirrels, although a few cats haven't been too happy either. Well, when are cats happy?

The other day I was, admittedly, speeding past a park when a black squirrel ran toward the Beast, stopped and bared its teeth at me. I was a bit aghast and thought immediately "What would Elizabeth do here?" realizing that perhaps she would feed it, ask it if it was hungry or tired or upset at the road construction down the street, but the longer I checked out its 'tude, the more convinced I was that the right course of action was to hit the joystick and continue on my way. No lap time for that rodent. I mean cute little thing.

I cannot work a camera so I stole a photo of an irate squirrel from Sister Mary Martha, who I think would agree with my course of action. (Mea culpa, Sister. )

That is not the only irate squirrel I've seen around here. There was one a few weeks ago when I crossed the Quad on campus (yeah I know, the quad crossing the Quad) who eyed me from atop a bench, then did a kamikaze run in front of the Beast and stopped, facing me. I had just watched Alvin and the Chipmunks and half expected the squirrel to start singing or dancing. Instead it put its little front leg up defiantly at the Beast (or me?) and then ran off. No baring of the teeth at least, just a warning. I think.

I did go back there. No little squirrel is going to keep me away.

The cats tend to be protective of their driveways. They wander up and down their territory as I approach, then go into that Halloween stance and meow or howl at me as I get on "their" sidewalk. It only lasts until I leave their yard, at which point most of them go back to napping unlike the squirrels who do I don't know what next.

Maybe they go off looking for Elizabeth. Who is racing today. Good luck to her :)