Woods Wanderer

For five years Judy and I fed a chipmunk that we casually called Chippy. He kept showing up on our patio, so we put out a few nuts for him. Over time, as we kept feeding him, he became comfortable around us. Eventually, he let us pet him. He became so comfortable that he’d jump up on my lap, demanding attention whenever I was sitting on the patio reading or writing. We grew to love the little guy.

Last year Chippy’s health began to fail. As he grew weaker, another chipmunk tried to gain access to the nuts. They didn’t share. Chippy got the better of the intruder at first, but he weakened. Then the intruder kept Chippy from getting to the nuts. At that point, I intervened, using a squirt gun to discourage the intruder whenever he popped his head over the patio footwall. I called the intruder Rogue Chippy and kept him away from Chippy’s food supply whenever I could.

During the winter, I saw Chippy one last time. I put seeds on the snow near his burrow and he collected them. A week or so later, I put out seeds again, but they just rotted there. Chippy didn’t show up last spring. We knew what that meant. Rest in peace, Chippy.

Early this summer, Rogue Chippy showed up. I knew it was him by the way he popped his head over the patio footwall in the exact same manner, in the exact same place where I’d put out food for Chippy the previous year. When I told Judy, she said: “We aren’t going to feed any more chipmunks.” I agreed, mostly because I didn’t like the way Rogue Chippy had treated Chippy the following year. Yes, I held a grudge against a chipmunk.

Rogue Chippy kept coming around. A couple weeks ago, I asked Judy: “Why aren’t we feeding chipmunks anymore?” We both pondered that for a while, then started putting out seeds for him. Judy thought he needed a better name, so she asked folks on Facebook to suggest one. We settled on Walnut.

So now we’re putting seeds out for Walnut. He stuffs his cheeks full of them whenever he can. That said, he’s still very skittish around us. No petting Walnut the way we used to pet Chippy. He’s a wild animal, after all.

Tags: backyard nature, chipmunks, feeding wild animals, wildness

With temps in the 50s and the sky full of clouds, I bundle up to sit on the patio and write some letters. I’ve been in something of a funk lately and want to share my dark thoughts about life, literature and what it all means with a few friends who can relate. But Chippy has his own agenda.

Chippy, the chipmunk that Judy and I have befriended during the past few years, wants more nuts. Winter is coming and he wants all the nuts he can get. Usually, I just ignore him after several handouts, then he goes foraging elsewhere. But recently Judy and I have brought home some acorns from a different location. Oh my… He can’t get enough of those.

Chippy is crazy about acorns. More acorns, Walt, more! He hops on my lap and gets into my face, giving me the stare that has so often led to one more handout, maybe two. I ignore him, or at least try to. I’m busy brooding. Can’t he see I’m how serious I am right now? But no, Chippy doesn’t care about my mood or my scribblings. Where are those acorns? He wants more acorns. He knows I have more. He knows I’m holding out.

I’m not quite sure how I got into this weird relationship with a little striped rodent. I keep telling myself that he’s still a wild creature. He’s not my pet, nor are we friends. But he has become quite comfortable with me over time and, I must admit, I like having him around. He reminds me that there’s more to life than deep philosophical speculation and the ol’ scribble, scribble. Like acorns, for instance. Acorns are very important.

So I stop what I’m doing and hand over the goods. He stuffs his cheeks with as many acorns as he can put in there, then heads for his burrow. But a few minutes later he’s back, wanting more. Can’t get enough of those acorns. Gotta have more acorns, he tells me in his own chipmunk way. Winter is coming. I don’t know what’s so special about acorns, but according to Chippy, they’re much better than peanuts. And Chippy knows a lot more about such things than I do.

Tags: autumn, befriending wild animals, chipmunks, feeding wild animals, foraging