After I'd prepped yesterday's Misfits butternut squash, I tossed out the seeds and rinds because they're a great squirrel favorite and their food sources are scarce just now.
Today Butternut Boy, who will fight any squirrel for his seeds, showed up and plunged in. He ate till he could barely make it onto the fence taking his last chunk of rind with him.
He'll be back. We have a very cold forecast with winds this weekend, so he'll need to load up.
And though I didn't feel like walking today, so many things to do at home, the forecast probably means I won't get out for a day or two, so I dragged myself out. Not sunny, and that makes a difference. I needed to take out garbage and recycle, two armsful. And I added on a walk.
I had two nice experiences, one where the mailman just arriving near the boxes next to the dumpster, courteously waited down the block till I'd finished tossing bags and boxes and was on the way down the street, before he pulled in without rushing me.
The other was an encounter with a large, strong, playful yellow lab, dragging his owner about and looking as if he'd like to jump at me, as they do. The lab, not the owner.
I quickly got into the road -- they couldn't, hemmed in by cars-- and had an armslength chat with the owners, very nice people. I explained I couldn't manage if the dog pushed me. The dog was studying my face as if he understood it all, big fibber.
I handled a few yellow labs when I had the pet care service, and can assert from my experience that they're the tearaways of the lab world.
Black labs tend to be more docile and a bit needy, chocolate labs can be reasoned with but yellows, nah. They live to rampage and knock things down and jump shoulder high with such good nature. Not a mean bone.
Oddly, all three colors can be found in a single litter. So maybe it's chromosomes.
And I'm doing a bit of Freecycle since I acquired a little rack thing at the dumpster, which now houses my shoes. I reorganized various items and freed up this interesting diy vintage basket I've had for many years.
I think I have a taker. If I lived near Steve I'd leave it near his house and I bet he'd find a home for it.
Happy day everyone. Do redheaded humans really have a hot temper or is that a gross slander? Or is it chromosomes?
I very much agree with your lab analysis.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the voice of experience.
Deleteand chocolate labs have the worst Seefood diet...least likely to know when is enough!!
ReplyDeleteUp to and including rocks! Many a vet's retirement has been funded by emergency lab surgery.
DeleteLooks like lots of people took advantage of the calmer weather to get out and about.
ReplyDeleteAs I get older I too worry about being knocked over by big dogs.
Who knows how long it would take me to get back up. Not to mention I’d definitely have an accident and then would be mortified if anyone saw
Nowadays I'm more afraid of damaging my precious titanium hip!
DeleteI bet Butternut Boy is blessing your name right now for all the lovely grub!
ReplyDeleteYou'd never know it from the glares he kept giving me while I tried to get his picture.
DeleteThat little ingrate!
DeleteSo entitled!
DeleteWe watched our squirrel slowly fill up our birdhouse with his or her cache yesterday. I didn't realize that they moved their caches around but I guess it's a thing. The same squirrel (who knows) took a lot of pears this past fall.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got out for a walk. We've had mild weather here with record highs so I've been trying to get out more.
I believe squirrels move their haul around and often forget where they left it! Sounds familiar around here.
DeleteWe saw two gorgeous dogs today with one guy. One was giving low warning grunts, so we didn’t try to pet rather although we walk to them and the owner briefly.
ReplyDeleteAlways wise to proceed with caution when you don't know the dog or their history.
DeleteButternut Boy will make it through the winter, well fuelled by your pumpkin bits.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for a similar basket but in a tiny size as a bed for a 7inch baby doll.
This one seems to be made from chicken wire and twigs.
DeleteI don't know about labs and I don't know about redheaded humans (except that I paid to be one for years) BUT I do know that red heelers are far more vicious than blues, but neither are to be entirely trusted if you are between them and their pups or their food.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. All in the DNA I'm guessing.
DeleteGood to hear squash bits are feeding that cute little critter…who does look disdainful and ungrateful. Of course you didn’t offer to photograph the lab. I didn’t know they had color variations in the same litter. There goes the idea of breeding for the traits of each color.
ReplyDeleteNot knowing much about lab genetics, I guess you can selectively breed for temperament and color. I think a good breeder knows quite a bit about traits and how to estimate outcomes.
DeleteMy son, Hank, is as redheaded as they come and he's got a very even and mild personality. So...
ReplyDeleteNow- are orange cats insane? What is your experience there?
Don't know about Hank, but my experience of solid orange cats, mostly male, is that they're big, good natured guys. I knew one whose best friend was a tiny hamster, totally gentle with him. Orange and white cats are different, I think.
DeleteI guess my Maurice is simply brain damaged. She's all orange and, well, you know. She's crazy. A hamster wouldn't last five minutes with her.
DeleteShe's also unusual in being female with a coat color that's almost all male.
DeleteGood thing you dodged the possibility of the lab knocking you over. Hopefully the owner would have been aware and kept it under control, but too late after the damage is done. Interesting to note the varying personality traits of the different colours. I've never had much to do with labs...we had a collie, border collies, and a shih tzu cross. The latter was cute but not a brain in her head.
ReplyDeleteThe owner was struggling to keep it under control, but I didn't want to test his ability. Border collies are something else, so smart, so much perpetual motion!
DeleteHaving owned yellow labs I can confirm your analysis! Good to get out for a walk.
ReplyDeleteYes, iykyk!
DeleteMy family had a black lab named Guv'nor back in the day and he was calm and lazy. On sunny days he would move from room to room in the house to lay near a sunny window.
ReplyDeleteMy younger brother was a redhead but has always been the nicest, friendliest, most helpful person with no bad temper ever. We still call him Red even tho he is gray now! ;)
So the story about redheads is just fictional. But that sounds like a true black lab
DeleteI love that basket! I'd definitely find it a home -- in my home!
ReplyDeleteI guessed you might. I expect Dave is happy it's out of reach.
DeleteLucky squirrels in your neighbourhood. Can't put any food on the ground - the dogs will have it.
ReplyDeleteMost of it's gone this morning.
DeleteButternut Boy too cute.
ReplyDeleteFine when he's not trying to get into my roof. But I do feel for any animal out in this weather.
DeleteOne of my dogs is part black lab (he's an adopted mix, but he basically looks like a small black lab), and he is absolutely docile and needy! We used to dog-sit for a friend's black lab, and she was much the same. Interesting! In terms of your putting food out for the squirrel... We watched a coyote for 30 mins the other day -- right out our window! It was beautiful. Certainly the most well-fed coyote I've ever seen. It was on a frozen stream that runs between our yard and the neighbor's. The neighbor's bird feeder had been knocked down, and the coyote was eating all the seeds off the ground. The whole time, it kept looking up at the tall trees and sky to see whether a bird was coming, we think! Redheaded Harry is good natured, but he does become quite angry on behalf of his wife and kids. Certainly his fair-haired/no-haired brother has a worse temper though!
ReplyDeleteI think Harry has learned to rein in his hot headed side and only use it for good! Black labs are great family dogs, maybe because they never tire of the attention they get from kids.
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