capn madd matt
morning sun (a.k.a. long-handled loofa)
I had an abrubt wake-up call this early AM...I heard a noise in what I thought was the guest bathroom and didn't think much about it since the kids had friends over last night. Then there was another odd noise and a CRASH...I then realized it was coming from the master bath. I leapt from the bed to see what the hell was going on! It was still dark, so I flipped on the light and flung the door open Kramer-style to see a flying-squirrel leaping around the parameter of my wife's sunken tub...knocking off candles and seashells and shampoo bottles in a frenzy. The light stunned him and he calmed down and sat on the window ledge above the tub.
My mind is now racing..."how did this thing get in my house?"..."how can I get it out?"..."what if it's like the Killer Rabbit from Monty Python's Holy Grail?"..."should I take time to grab the camera and snap a few shots?"
The sun is now starting to rise...the little fella's clearly more spooked than me at this point...so I grab a towel and move in. With my advance, he decides to throw himself at the closed window and make a few dashes about the parameter of the tub again. The towel isn't going to work. I then find an empty shoe box with a hinged lid...place it strategically in the empty tub and grab a long-handle luffa (the first time I've touched a long-handled luffa by the way).
Sparky has now found his way to the top of a trio of fat candles (pirates can be romantic too you know) and I again moved in...the Flying-squirrel gods must have been with both of us today...a quick nudge with the loofa, he opened his wings to fly...with a miraculous flying leap, I gave a gentle swoosh of the long-handled loofa as if I were guiding the symphony with a conductor's baton and i'll be damned if that little critter didn't land softly in the Nike shoe-box. It was like making a three-pointer at the buzzer. I flipped the lid...darted him off to the back deck's hand rail near the bird feeders where he could have a little snack before returning home to tell the others of his adventure.
As I watched him emerge from the box...chest panting a bit from the excitement (both his and mine)...he gave me a knowing look that said. "Boy, you look foolish standing out here on a frozen deck in your underwear with a long-handled loofa at 6:30AM."
I then watched him dash his way back to his wilderness home and lamented that I was unable to get to the camera quick enough (Flickr has me addicted). I felt the sun creeping in our front entry, casting a nice shadow that I went ahead and snapped...it was then that I recalled seeing this little nocturnal fella before...about a year ago, stealing sunflower seeds from the bird's feeder. Here's a snapshot of the brave little fella
morning sun (a.k.a. long-handled loofa)
I had an abrubt wake-up call this early AM...I heard a noise in what I thought was the guest bathroom and didn't think much about it since the kids had friends over last night. Then there was another odd noise and a CRASH...I then realized it was coming from the master bath. I leapt from the bed to see what the hell was going on! It was still dark, so I flipped on the light and flung the door open Kramer-style to see a flying-squirrel leaping around the parameter of my wife's sunken tub...knocking off candles and seashells and shampoo bottles in a frenzy. The light stunned him and he calmed down and sat on the window ledge above the tub.
My mind is now racing..."how did this thing get in my house?"..."how can I get it out?"..."what if it's like the Killer Rabbit from Monty Python's Holy Grail?"..."should I take time to grab the camera and snap a few shots?"
The sun is now starting to rise...the little fella's clearly more spooked than me at this point...so I grab a towel and move in. With my advance, he decides to throw himself at the closed window and make a few dashes about the parameter of the tub again. The towel isn't going to work. I then find an empty shoe box with a hinged lid...place it strategically in the empty tub and grab a long-handle luffa (the first time I've touched a long-handled luffa by the way).
Sparky has now found his way to the top of a trio of fat candles (pirates can be romantic too you know) and I again moved in...the Flying-squirrel gods must have been with both of us today...a quick nudge with the loofa, he opened his wings to fly...with a miraculous flying leap, I gave a gentle swoosh of the long-handled loofa as if I were guiding the symphony with a conductor's baton and i'll be damned if that little critter didn't land softly in the Nike shoe-box. It was like making a three-pointer at the buzzer. I flipped the lid...darted him off to the back deck's hand rail near the bird feeders where he could have a little snack before returning home to tell the others of his adventure.
As I watched him emerge from the box...chest panting a bit from the excitement (both his and mine)...he gave me a knowing look that said. "Boy, you look foolish standing out here on a frozen deck in your underwear with a long-handled loofa at 6:30AM."
I then watched him dash his way back to his wilderness home and lamented that I was unable to get to the camera quick enough (Flickr has me addicted). I felt the sun creeping in our front entry, casting a nice shadow that I went ahead and snapped...it was then that I recalled seeing this little nocturnal fella before...about a year ago, stealing sunflower seeds from the bird's feeder. Here's a snapshot of the brave little fella