FALLING

Clang !I nearly jumped out of my skin ! The Squirels have been working all up in the giant Oak trees around the house and I should have been expecting it. Clang, Clang ! Still I jumped. By then I had figured it out. The Squirels were agitated by my being under their tree ! Sugar, our Rat Terrier and Squirrel Dog was with me as I went into the Oliver shed. It is a large carport type cover for our travel trailer. Origonaly made large enough to accomidate a 34' Motor Home, it now "swallows' up our much smaller Oliver Travel Trailer. The sound of the acorns hitting on the sheet steel roof just echoed on the inside where we were. Sugar had figured it out before I had, and was already outside peering intently up into the large white oak tree.
First one, then another of the red squirels began to chatter and fuss at Sugar. She challenged them with a few choice barks. Clearly her message was, "if I get a chance, I'll get you !"
An older, heavier, grayer, boar squirel took the challenge up. Coming part way down the tree, twitching his tail provacatively and scolding Sugar loudly, he responded. Sugar closed up to the trunk of the tree, stretching her front paws as high up on the bark as she could, snapping and barking her wrath at the cheeky interloper.
I slipped away long enough to get a lawn chair and a cup of coffee.
It was a grand old time that these two veteran's were having. They weren't going to get too close to each other. I had seen them at it before.
A younger red squirel began to cut loose acorns and twigs, dropping them near to Sugar, heaping more agitation into the furious contest over the dominion of the territory.
Sipping the coffee, I went over my "getting ready for winter" chore list, while enjoying the ancient test of wills between rivals.
Harm's Weigh had been Winterized, with the bilge checked and dry. Engine drained. Mooring cover in place, under the boat shed. Firewood put up. And on and on with the list. The next on the list was bagging the roof turbines on the attic of the house.
Suddenly the old red squirel had enough, he also had Winter chores to finish. Back up the tree he went.
Sugar followed me as I went to get the ladder to go up on the roof. It was time for us to get back on the job also.
The leaves are falling some, and the acorns are beginning to also. Winter will be here before we know it in the Ouachita Mountains.