Catching up: Our new tenants

Guess I shouldn't have been so quick to chuckle over the visitor Sharon recently had in her attic. We have visitors of our own.

A family of squirrels has taken up residence in the roof of our back porch.

This is where they are living. It's hard to see, but little bits of the nest are peeking out. It's mostly leaves and newspaper and plastic bags that the mama squirrel has shredded into a nice comfy bed.

There are four babies. This one is the runt. There is something wrong with one of his front paws. He seems to be missing a finger. Can you see the little light coloured patch between his eyes? He has no fur there and there seems to be a scrape in the skin. I have a friend who takes care of wild animals that have been abandoned by their mothers - she said that probably this damage was done to him by his stronger siblings. But you could feel that his tummy was full, so his mama must be making sure he is eating.

The babies have been playing all over our porch for about a week now, but I haven't seen or heard them for a couple of days. It's hard to see in this picture, but there's a squirrel at the back of the porch on the window sill.

I think the familiy may have moved on now. Once we're sure they've moved out, we'll have to board up the entrance to their home to prevent a new family from moving in. As cute as they were to have around, I will be glad to have them gone because I am itching to use the porch. I have been nervous to go out there while the mama was hanging around. Hey, those things have big teeth you know!