The Benefits of having a Squirrel in the Basement

The benefits of having a squirrel (the real kind, not just one of our cats) in our basement is that once the squirrel has been liberated, just being left with rats isn't so bad.

As I was washing dishes in the kitchen this afternoon, I heard a rustle at our back door. (It leads from our kitchen, down stairs into the basement.) I slowly cracked the door open to inspect what was making the noise. I scanned the floor, and to my relief saw nothing. Then my eye level raised to the back window, and I was startled to see fluffy squirrel tail and one very agitated squirrel gripped tightly on the window screen. That window doesn't have any glass on the top portion, so I give our little guest credit for finding the one spot of fresh air that wasn't actually an exit...

After quickly closing the door again, one coaching from my mother on the phone, and arming myself with a broom...I opened the door to find him nestled behind some of our cleaning supplies on the back step. I shooed him down the stairs, until arriving at the back door of the house. The back door of the house leads to the backyard, which is where Flynn (one of our landlady's dogs) lives. I knew that opening that door was useless to liberate the squirrel unless Flynn was distracted and secured elsewhere. I walked over to the picnic table, pet my pal Flynn, and watched the squirrel stand in the doorway with only a foot's distance from freedom. Just standing there, staring at me and Flynn. (Come On, already...leave!) Well, of course, Flynn locked gazes with the squirrel and I thought that little rodent was just going to turn tail and head back down into the basement. So, I walked further away, with Flynn, and decided the best space to give the squirrel was to stop watching it altogether. -Much more comforting for the squirrel, not so helpful for determining when the squirrel has left the building for me.

After a few minutes, and about 10 bug bites from being in the backyard with the dog, I decided that squirrel had made a run for it back to the great outdoors. In considering going back upstairs to my door, I wondered if that animal had just decided to walk back upstairs. Fortunately, Flynn went running up our stairs to inspect, and returned completely nonplussed by his journey....good sign for me. I said my farewell to Flynn, scratched 3 or 4 of my new bug bites, then carefully walked up the steps.

When Owen and I went for our walk to the park an hour later, we passed many squirrels scurrying around next to the house...and I kept looking at them to see if one seemed particularly familiar, or relieved to be back to his usual routine. But, they all had that nervous, paranoid look... that just seems to run in this neighborhood...