"Chippers"

I saw the cutest thing today.  It was a chipper in a tree with its cheeks stuffed full of food.  The tree was right outside my kitchen window, up close & personal.  I tried to get a picture this morning, but I was just not fast enough.  I have never seen a chipper so still before, because they scurry every where they go.  They remind me of a humming bird in a little way, but in a rodent suit; by their speed & size.

Well, I might need to back up the train for some of you who don't know what is a chipper.  I am not really sure what most of the community call these critters, but my pet name for them are chippers & sometimes "chippas" when I am using my mature little baby voice.

I chipper is a chipmunk; a tiny little squirrel which is brown & has stripes down its back.  I see why Disney used these animals for the animation of the characters Chip & Dale.  Chip & Dale have been the only chipmunks I have ever seen, up close & personal, until I moved to Highlands.  I loved these characters as a child.

On a side note, I have actually seen a white squirrel on White Squirrel Rd.  You never know what you might find around here.

A funny story happened to one of our friends a few years ago that involved one of these critters.  He brought his three very young boys to the family's home here in these mountains.  After about five days of being here, the boys were being to get bored with out TV & the comforts of home.  So to help entertain the boys, the father put a mouse trap with cheese under a lodged shoe box.  The boys watched for hours to see if they might capture something.  To the father's surprise the boys caught a chipper. Poor little chippa.  :(   The father had in mind that the might catch a mouse, not a chipper.

The father didn't want the boys to learn that you go around killing animals for no apparent  reason.  When it came to hunting, the Father's motto was eat what you kill. Anyway, due to the size of the animal, the father had to think quickly.  You couldn't even make an appetizer out of this one.  So the father got the idea to mount it.

When we went over to visit the family, we saw this tiny creature in the stages of being mounted.  These boys were so proud. You thought they were mounting a deer head or a 10 lb bass.  It stills gives me a tickle; not for the chipper, mind you.  I still can imagine these three little boys hiding behind a chair with their head bobbing out waiting all day for something to happen.  It is kind of like telling a child to be quiet & listen to the grass grow for a little while.  :)

I hope this story isn't morbid to you as a reader.  Please let me know if it is.  I wonder if they still have that "big" mount today.

I love the hymn, "All Creatures of Our God & King".  The verse goes something like this:
          All creatures of our God & King
          Lift up your voice & let us sing
          Hallelujah, Hallelujah...
                                      ann :)
PS- If I can capture a PICTURE of the chipper outside my window, then I will post an update on this blog.

11:15 am Tues 9/20/11  My own personal chipper.  He's sleeping through the rain.

5:00 pm Tues 9/20/11  Chipper is doing his thing.  Eating & scurrying around in my driveway.

           

12:30 pm Wed9/21/11 Truffle standing her post-hunting for a Chipper.

        8:15 am Fri 9/23/11 Truffle is still at her post protecting our home.