This is just a reminder to check out my novels and other works on Amazon.com. To see them all, go to my name, George E. Shuman. (Don't forget the E. as there is another George Shuman on Amazon).
Happy New Year to All!
A Corner Cafe
Cemetery Bridge
The Smoke and Mirrors Effect
George's World
By G. E. Shuman
Usually, at
least a few times a week, my wife will come to me and say: “Here’s something
for your squirrely friends.” Then she’ll hand me a bag of stale bread, old corn
chips, or something else she thinks my ‘squirrely’ friends might like. In most
cases I agree and happily present these gifts to them.
You see, my
wife is not calling my friends squirrely, exactly. This is because they are,
exactly that… squirrels. For many years I have been feeding the squirrels that
live in the trees around our house. I’ve tried to be fairly consistent in at least
doing this during the fall and winter months. They seem to appreciate it. I’ll
tell you something strange about that in a minute.
It is funny,
the reactions I sometimes get when I mention to someone that I feed the
squirrels. You see, most people, (not all but most) are polite and try to say
something positive about this little thing that I do. Still, I can usually see
it in their faces if they are just being kind and actually think there is
something wrong with me. I do not tell them that there IS something wrong with
me; I just let them squirm a little while they’re trying to be polite.
I get it. I
understand that for many folks’ squirrels are just pests that invade their bird
feeders and try to gnaw their way into other things, like basements and attics.
In those little gray guys’ defense, it gets cold outside this time of year, and
there isn’t much food. If I was in their shoes, (Yes, I know they don’t
actually wear shoes.) I might try to get inside too. Also, admit it. Your kids
get into your house and eat all your food all the time, and you don’t think of
them as pests. Well, maybe you do, but that’s a different issue. Anyway, how much gratitude have you sensed
from all those birds that you feed, (or all those kids?) Truthfully, my
squirrels do seem to show some. Like I said, I’ll tell you something strange
about that in a minute.
Yes, I have
heard my little squirrely friends referred to as tree rats, vermin, nasty
rodents, and even future roadkill. (That last one, even when joking, seems
cruel.) I also ‘get it’ that some people
hunt squirrels for food. To me, hunting for food is no worse than buying meat
at a store. So there is that. Plus, isn’t food hunting what those squirrels are
doing too?
I believe
that everyone has a right to their own opinion about squirrels, and most other
things. (Notice, I used a plural pronoun there, against my better judgement.) I
guess it’s all in ‘their’ point of view. Just to confuse the issue a bit more, let
me relate that I have purchased mouse traps many times in an effort to get mice
out of our house. I have also helped my wife attempt to nurse a baby mouse that
she found in a parking lot, back to health, and have seen children oohing and
aahing over gerbils, hamsters, mice, and other things behind glass at the local
pet store. So, are they cute little furry things or vermin?
I used to
buy big bags of peanuts in the shell to feed the squirrels. I liked watching
them turn the things over in their little hands, (Yes, they are hands.)
deciding if they will eat the nut there or take it home for dinner. That is
actually what they’re doing if you see them rolling a peanut over and over. I
read that someplace. (How anyone knows what a squirrel is thinking is way
beyond me.)
It’s fun to
watch ‘my’ squirrels (getting possessive here,) stuff a peanut shell into one
side of their mouth, and another in the other side to make easy traveling up
the tree to home. It’s also funny to hear my little friends scold each other
and chatter with their mouths full like that. Everyone knows at least a few
people who do that too… I know one who sounds like she’s storing up nuts every
time you talk to her on the phone. When she does it, it’s not so funny.
Feeding the
squirrels is actually a lot of fun, if you’d like to try it. It is easy to be
creative in how you feed them, too. I once did a column about how I made a
squirrel feeder out of the dish antenna I had ripped from the roof of my house.
For once I got something worthwhile out of that thing. Also, one time my sister
Jan sent me a tiny ceramic coffee mug for the squirrels to use. She knew how
much squirrels appreciate being fed. I don’t know if they like coffee or not. Yes,
I’ll tell you something strange about that in a minute.
Okay, so the
minute’s up. The strange thing is that my squirrely friends, at least some of
them, seem to want to thank me for the food. Now you REALLY think something’s
wrong with me, and you’re right, but that’s another different issue. For years
now, believe it or not, after feeding the squirrels, I have often found a nut,
cracker, or piece of bread on the top step at our back door. Several times it
will have been placed on the railing near the doorknob. The very last time was
only last Sunday after a snowstorm. The only footprints on the steps were those
of my friends, and a cracker was right there with them. No, I’m not kidding,
and I would never lie to you.
Whether the
squirrel involved was thanking me, asking for more, or left the bit of food
there for some other reason I can never know. I do feel that we humans tend to
underestimate the level of consciousness, and even of caring that animals may
possess. Look your dog in the eyes and tell me I’m wrong.
So, try
feeding the squirrels this winter. Doing it is rewarding. You may even get a
‘thank you.’
By G. E.
Shuman
There’s something magical about a cold
December night in the North, especially after the evening meal and conversation
have come and gone. The hours to follow, to me, are special times to share, or even
to be alone in.
A winter evening here is an exceedingly quiet time, often filled with the wonder of being drawn to a window during a gently falling snow. Outside that window the earth has often changed from the gray naked trees and bright white fluff of day to the inky blackness, crystalline stars, and ghostly drifts of shimmering nighttime snow.
Standing still outside on such a
night, away from the warmth and sounds of the home, you can see and hear only
what the snow wishes you to, and that is not a lot. This winter blanket covers
the land, demanding the world’s attention as it hides every earthly detail and
muffles every sound.
I once observed that a windless rain
landing on the fragile leaves of fall sounds exactly as does bacon frying; interestingly,
a windless snow drifting straight down to deepen a pristine blanket formed
earlier in the day sounds like nothing at all.
It is a picture of perfect silence,
especially at this time of night, and somehow even more so at the edge of a
forest or in the bright light of a full and frozen moon.
A solitary walk on such a night
reveals much more about this Vermont December evening. Tiny lights twinkle from
decorated neighborhood homes. Cars pad down newly softened streets, the red and
green traffic lights themselves taking on fresh meaning in this magical month.
And, passing homes that stand along the walk, the scents of evergreen branches,
evening coffee brewing, and wood fire chimney smoke are simply wonderful.
If you don’t happen to live in our
fine state, or if it’s been a while since you’ve visited in winter, I invite
you to treat yourself to a truly heartwarming experience that we Vermonters
experience every year, and often take for granted. Dress warmly and drive
safely when you come up here. Watch out for deer on the road and moose at the
tree line. They will not watch out for you.
I wish everyone the peace of this
holiday season, the joy of knowing God’s Son, and the experience of at least
one Vermont December evening.
______________________________________________________________
(Hello Family and Friends,)
Wanted to let you all know that my newest novel, 'Cemetery Bridge' is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback versions. Check it out?
George
Hello Family
and Friends,
This is just
an announcement that my newest novel, “Cemetery Bridge” has been
published. It is available in both Kindle and paperback versions on Amazon.
If you’re
interested in seeing my books, the best way is to go to Amazon and input my
name: George E. Shuman
(Believe it
or not, there is another George Shuman with books on Amazon, so using my full name
will get you to just my ‘stuff’.)
Thanks,
George, Dad,
Unc.
