Feeling Squirrely?

I am! I really need to get busy wrapping Christmas presents today. I swear, I've put it off longer than I ever have. I remember my mom waiting until Christmas Eve to wrap gifts. She would be up forever it seemed, going into the wee morning hours. I never wanted to end up like that, so ... today is the day for me to get busy wrapping! In the meantime, I thought I'd post a few of my favorite squirrel pictures for you.

All of these were taken in Montana, with the exception of the one with his tongue out. That's a California squirrel. I saw him at Lake Casitas near my hometown of Ojai. The last picture is the most unique because it shows two squirrels together. Of all my squirrel observing, I've come to the conclusion that it's downright RARE for squirrels to share in a feeder like that. These particular two were siblings and for just that one day, I caught them sharing the seeds. In the 6 years I've lived here, that was the only time I saw them sharing.

I love this last picture because it almost looks like one squirrel sitting by a mirror. Some people despise squirrels because they view them as pests or because they cause damage. I love them because they're so much fun to watch and photograph. Click on the pictures if you want to see them bigger.

How about you -- love them or hate them?