Saturday, August 29, 2009

jerry. august 27, 2009.


its hard to believe how much he changes in just 1 week. at some point, because they are still wild animals, they get a little hard to handle but Yvonne says hes a real sweetie.

rub his chin and you get ....

... does it get any sweeter than this?!


beautiful tail. jerry is starting to sit up and nibble...looking like a typical squirrel, though he still falls over.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

jerry. august 19, 2009




look who is looking.


jerry's eyes opened the day after i was there last week.

he's a lot more active now and its getting harder to photograph him.

Yvonne is jerry's rehabilitator....the squirrel lady i call her. squirrels will go into a trance when they feed. jerry is definitely 'trancing out'. Yvonne has been so kind in letting me into her squirrel kingdom to witness the process of getting these little ones back into the trees.


full belly = sleepy squirrel.


i can't help but think about how lucky this little guy is. actually, all these little ones in Yvonne's care are lucky! This cool lady has spent 17 years caring for the lost, orphaned and injured. its quite a responsibility.

i found myself instantly responsible having found this little creature and i resented it in a way. as soon as a realize what was on the sidewalk at my feet i thought, shit, now what. really i resented the
sudden choice i had to make because i would have to live with it. if i let nature take its course, he would most likely die slowly, but probably be dead by morning. if not dead by morning than the rowdy neighborhood crows would pick him apart. maybe he would have made a small meal for a fox during the night. or he would become fodder for fly maggots. all these choices would have been good and right, as is the natural world. but still, to walk away from the helpless... i guess as a species we do it everyday, maybe thats why i didnt do it that night. he was helpless but i was not. he was cold and my hands were warm. how could i not give him that. sure there are people out there that find squirrels a pointless nuisance. its a matter of perspective. i find them joyful, friendly, symbolic of trust and analogous of my scattered life and jumpy brain.

the ones lucky enough to make into Yvonne's hands are carriers of a special kind of love. selfless, respectful and pure. and love is the best kind of energy we have to give. the rehabilitated take it back out into the wilderness with them. that too is good and right.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

jerry. august 12, 2009

the hair on his tail has been trimmed so that we could tell him apart from the others.






















one of the three orphans jerry roomed with last week had to be euthanized because of malocclusion. another had a growth spurt. he's now rooming with 2 girls. one has her eyes open. jerry's eyes are still closed and he's definitely the smallest in the group.























Tuesday, August 4, 2009

jerry.




i thought he was a leaf on the sidewalk. one o'clock in the morning a tiny ball, curled tight, sound asleep, freezing cold. got him warmed, hydrated and eventually fed. i could raise him, he's healthy and strong. but he's also lonely and needy. needy is ok, he should be. its the loneliness that broke my heart.





i have a strong desire to watch him grow. but there is a much better place for him than with me.



goodbye loneliness. a family of 3 other orphans. a rehabilitator in fairfax. thank goodness for the wildlife rescue league! stay tuned.