Like an Animal in a Cage

On Christmas Eve, I was on my own in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  I enjoy those days alone when I don't have work, as it is very seldom that I have time to spend in whatever way I please.  I headed in to town, made a stop at Balzac's (which I wrote about here), did a little grocery and shoe shopping, and headed home on a different route than normal.  I intended to swing by one of the cemeteries in town (those photos are coming!), and having been out for a little while longer than I had planned, the batteries on my iPod ran out.  This turned out to be fortuitous for me, as walking down the street I heard the very angry chattering of a squirrel I would have totally missed otherwise.

This fat little fellow had obviously been living in the walls of this gorgeous old house. They had set up this little cage to trap him when he made his (final) exit, so he wouldn't do any more damage to the home and he could be dropped off a short ways away.  He was very displeased about his situation, and perhaps angrier still about me taking pictures of him while he was stuck in a cage... but he was so fluffy and angry and I just couldn't help myself.  

So thanks little squirrel for posing for me... not that you had much of a choice in the matter!  Squirrels can be a big nuisance and do a fair amount of damage on old homes, and as some of the homes in town are as much as 170 years old, these little critters do have a habit of getting in where they are not welcome! That being said, I see a lot of fat happy squirrels around, so they're getting by just fine, despite whatever temporary incarceration they may endure.  So there's a bit of fluffy goodness to start your day :).

--Erin (and Mr. Nutters the Squirrel)