Oak Trees and Squirrels

I live in a wonderful place. There are wonderful places all over the country and all over the world but when you're lucky enough to live in one, that becomes the best for you and I think I have it.

I sat on my deck the other day overlooking Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. I've written about Seneca before. It's long, slim, cold and deep - 600+ feet in some places. Its shores are a mix of cliffs and beaches. Above its shores are vineyards and orchards, small towns and villages with magnificent history and beauty.

My deck that looks over the lake sits among six massive old oak trees. I would guess their age at 100+ years and I may be underestimating. They are huge umbrellas that protect from too much sun or rain. I sit sometimes staring at these beauties wondering about what they've seen and heard in their lives. They are sturdy and strong but I worry when the west winds whip through in mid winter or during a summer storm. I watch as branches move with the wind, self pruning weaker bits and pieces. Down they come. They are home to birds, insects and squirrels. I have watched osprey, herons, crows and ducks fly in and land to perch in their branches. My wait and hope is for a Golden or Bald Eagle. The height of these trees is amazing. As branches sway you can sometimes see further up and it makes you dizzy.

It seems acorns on these huge oaks alternate every few years between so, so crops and bumper crops. This year is a bumper crop for my trees and the squirrels love it. I on the other hand like the alternate years. A bit less work and I'm less likely to fall on the marble like nuts all over the path down to the lake.

The squirrels themselves deserve some discussion here. I haven't done a lot of research on squirrels but I get the sense there is a pretty crazy social order. Of course if the squirrels are watching all of the activities on and around the lake, I'm sure they have their opinion about us.

My expierience watching the squirrels is that there are usually two or three, chasing each other all over the place from tree to tree. There seem to be a lot of territorial issues, neighborhoods that exist every few trees as it were. It can be fun to just watch the jumping and chasing. It can and will go on all day or until the aggressor tires. At times it looks like play but at other times it looks like all out war with screaming and spitting. Then there are the lazy days of summer when it gets hot and humid. The trees and the lake offer relief but every once in awhile the heat is unbearable for someone covered in fur. In those instances I've seen the squirrels spread out on a branch, sleeping or resting in the heat. I've actually seen one dose off and fall over 30 ft to the ground, scream, lay silent for a few moments, get up, shake it off and run back up the tree.

So here we are with multiple issues, beautiful trees, a bounty of acorns and a community of squirrels. I sit, listening to the quiet of the lake as an acorn falls to the deck 10 feet to my right. Then another falls, followed by a clump of leaves with two acorns still attached. Next, acorn pieces fall in a scattered fashion. I look above and through wiggling leaves see the culprit sitting on a branch gnawing on the next nut. When that one is finished, small claw feet reach out to grab another. One drops and then more pieces fall. Suddenly the squirrel jumps and moves on, running from branch to branch, bombarding me and the deck along the way. It's a cycle that will continue into early winter, squirrels filling their cheeks and shaking loose acorns while I dodge direct hits on the noggin as I sweep up or use a leaf blower to clear the deck.

I'm surrounded, hugged and protected by the sturdy oaks. We sit together in peace until the next round of acorn fire or a chase up, down and around a wide trunk with screams and taunts.