February 28, 2017 - Is winter over yet?

Chippy here. I thought I would venture out of my burrow and see if winter was over yet.

I heard about the hawk scare. You can never be too cautious.

Hmmm, so far so good. No hawks and no snow!

February 28 and no snow. I must be dreaming!

Time for a mid-winter snack. (The chipmunk version of a midnight snack.)

Mom insists I wash my hands before dinner.

My favorite snack, sunflower seeds.

After a good snack I like to take a siesta in the sun.

The sun does not last very long. It is getting cold. Time for another winter's nap.

Unwelcomed Guest

 Sound the alarm! Hawk, Hawk, Hawk!

This is Bushy reporting from a undisclosed secret hiding spot. This afternoon we had a bit of a scare at the woodpile. Mrs. Gray, the Titmouse, activated the Woodpile's emergency broadcast system. It wasn't a test. A Red Tail Hawk showed up and perched in the pine tree behind the woodpile. (Everyone dove for cover. Everyone except Chippy who was sleeping in his burrow.) We practice our emergency hawk drills often and everyone stays calm and evacuates in a orderly manner. So much for the practice drills. It was a blur of feathers and fur as everyone flew off for safety.

 Here is a photo of our unwelcomed guest from the Woodpile's surveillance camera.

He spent the entire late afternoon perched on the that branch just looking around and thinking about what a tasty meal we would make. He stayed there for the night and was gone by early morning. We thought we were in the clear. ... Then we spotted him the next day after he sneaked back in.

We weren't fooled. He finally realized he wasn't getting a meal at the woodpile and left.

Valentine’s Day at the Woodpile

I heard Mom left us a Valentine’s Day treat. I wonder what is inside the box? Let’s open the cover.

Chocolate candies, mmmm …. my favorite. Look at all the different types. Which one should I eat first?

I think I better check to see if anyone else from the woodpile is hanging around.

Time to dive in!

Guess how many chocolates I can stuff in my cheeks at one time?

[Bushy] "What is going on around here? I thought Mom left the chocolates for everyone to share at the woodpile." [Chippy] "Someone needed to check and made sure they are critter safe."

 

Happy Valentine's Day from the Woodpile

I thought everyone might like a video of the "kids" enjoying their candies - Mom

Chippy Sets New Downhill Sledding Record

Chippy was reading the “Chipmunk Book of World Records” and came across the current top speed for downhill sledding.  He decided he could break the record. A long steep hill was found near the woodpile. The sledding track was carefully prepared. The big day arrived and fearless Chippy hauled the sled to the top. Officials from the “Chipmunk Book of World Records” arrived with their radar to measure his speed. The local woodpile media was on hand to capture the moment.  With everything in place, off he went at breakneck speeds down the slope. He blew away the old speed record … then Chippy had a rather spectacular crash at the bottom of the slope. The news photographer captured this rather dramatic event. Suffice to say, it took a while to dig Chippy out of the snow bank. We are happy to report that with the exception of a few bent whiskers, Chippy was perfectly fine

Chippy discovers what happens when your sled hits the snow bank.

Head first you go in!

Can I get some help here, I'm stuck!

 

 Chippy poses for his new world record photo.

Chippy Goes Sledding

So, this is snow! Bushy said you need to snow to go sledding. I think I will try the sled again.

 They call these sleds the “flyer” for a good reason.

Vole Day

Chippy stuck his head out of his comfy den this morning, saw the snow and ran back in for a few more days of sleep. The job of reporting on the woodpile's "Vole Day" (February 2) falls to me your friendly neighborhood squirrel, Bushy. Most folks like to celebrate "Ground Hog Day". We have a bit of a dilemma at the woodpile. We had a teenage ground hog join us at the woodpile this past summer. We warned her to avoided the plants in the neighbor's garden. ... She gave into temptation and clear cut a wide path through the veggie patch. ... She was never seen again. Rumors have it, she was "relocated" by the Garden Mafia. So, we have had to improvise.

Welcome to our 1st inaugural "Vole Day." By far the cutest and most cuddly member of the woodpile family is Mrs. Vole. She gracious volunteered to take on this all important role. She came out to great fanfare. I had the honor are being the first critter to look for her shadow. To my embarrassment, I looked and looked and couldn't find it. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal tried next. They flew all around but they couldn't find it either.

We really want to find her shadow so we could get another six weeks of winter. Everyone wants more snow, so they can go sledding again!