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Going squirrelly following nutty prognosticators
(by Nancy Rubenstein - November 12, 2008)
In our yard, squirrels are scurrying around, gathering nuts and seeds, hiding some in a variety of locations while chomping down enough of this favorite food to build up some extra body fat. Some forecasters suggest that fattened squirrels are an omen of a harsh season winter ahead.
Noting this, I decided to stock up with necessities so I won’t be caught in those dreadful, long supermarket lines behind shoppers who believe they absolutely need extra bags of chips, popcorn, soda and other apparently vital groceries when a storm is on its way.
While not confessing to the hoard of goodies in my pantry, I will admit that I now have 36 rolls of toilet tissue, 18 rolls of paper towels and enough Kleenex to last until late spring.
My added supplies are not restricted to foodstuffs or staples. Actually Staples is another provider that has benefited from my bunker mentality ... so much so that I may not outlive the number of extra ink cartridges I bought for my computer printer. In that case, I had a triple reason for overstocking. First, I had a discount coupon that was about to expire. Second, my favorite credit card company was offering double bonus points - also time-limited. Third, of course, is not wanting to be caught house-bound in fierce weather unable to print copies from my computer.
I’ve also bought two more flashlights and backup batteries, just in case we have a power failure. You can’t be caught unprepared - ask any squirrel.
Power failures don’t just darken our homes and render them suddenly cold, they also prevent us from moving a car out of an electrically controlled automatic garage door opener. Advised about that little rope one should pull to disengage the electric mechanism to allow the door to be manually lifted, I realized that I’m way too short to reach the rope. I asked my son to add a length to it and he asked where I might choose to go in a power failure when all the street lights are out and the traffic signals don’t work. I had no answer. I just returned to my checklist of items stored in my freezer for winter.
Squirrels are supposed to be smart. If they are, why do they dart halfway up a tree, pivot and race back down? Why do they rush across a wire, stop and scamper back? Is Alzheimer's afflicting squirrels? Do they forget where they're going? Why do they dig frantically as if looking for a hidden morsel, then stop and go two feet away and repeat the digging process?
Here's a final question: If I don’t believe squirrels know what’s ahead weather-wise this winter, why am I following their example, storing supplies and chomping down too much food?
Maybe I'm getting too squirrely about this subject.
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