Squirrely

 Squirrely-Written April 2026

Squirrely: adjective. Definition: Tending to be unusually active, restless

*source: Merriam Webster dictionary

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squirrelly

They say that God laughs when we make plans. I should have known. I couldn’t have known. 

I recently had a week of vacation from work. I usually stay in town, get appointments done, and work on organizing and decluttering my house. 

That was the plan for this vacation. I was going to have some routine medical tests done. I was going to have an eye exam. I was even going to have my Spring inspection on my furnace and air conditioner. Everything was all set. I was going to get all of these appointments done, just in time to relax and enjoy my birthday. But then God laughed, because I made plans, and my plans changed.

The last day of work, before my vacation, went well. However, as the day went on, I thought I might be coming down with a cold. That night when I returned home I was certain. I began sneezing uncontrollably, diving for the tissue box every chance I got. 

The next day, I knew I was sick. I cancelled my medical tests and my eye exam. There was no way I could be around other people, especially in a medical setting. It was then that I noticed that I had a house guest outside my home.

A month ago, I noticed a squirrel going up onto the roof, and coming back down with leaves and sticks in her grasp. Oh how sweet, I thought. She’s going up to the roof, then back down to the ground, to build her nest. At one point I noticed the squirrel stretched out on my railing, taking a much needed break. I chuckled at the sight as the squirrel looked exhausted.

 "Exhausted Squirrel" by Hope

Fast forward a month, I was sick at home, and saw a squirrel outside on my balcony. As I watched, the squirrel ducked underneath the mesh netting covering my air conditioner unit. I thought, Oh no, you can’t hang out here, addressing the squirrel in my head.

I went outside and jostled the netting over my air conditioner unit, to encourage the squirrel to leave. I then realized the reality of the situation: it was a mother squirrel and two babies, who were trembling with fright. The squirrel from a month prior hadn’t gone to a tree to build her nest; she had built her nest on my deck, between the wall and the air conditioning unit. 

And there I was, on my deck, accidentally scaring the mama squirrel and the babies. I immediately put down the mesh netting and went back inside. I thought, I’m the worst human ever! I scared the babies!!

I then got on the phone and cancelled my appointment for a furnace and air conditioner inspection. I couldn’t have anyone in my house while I was sick. And I for sure couldn’t have an inspector out on the deck where the squirrel family was. 

Over the next week, my cat Blues and I watched the squirrel family come out to play, to feed, to hunt, and to wrestle. “Squirrel TV,” I called it. It kept Blues and I quite entertained. I took several hilarious photographs that week. Of course I was monitoring the babies to see when they might be moving out. I think Blues was wondering what those strange creatures were, and how she could get her paws on them.

"Mama and Baby Squirrel" by Hope

"Exhausted Mama" by Hope

"Squirrel Baby and Blues" by Hope

As luck would have it, we only saw the babies for a week; they moved on five or six days later. I kept a watchful eye to see if the squirrel family would ever return. But, it was shortly evident that the squirrel family had moved house. This made me quite happy.

I then waited a few days to make sure the squirrel family were truly gone. Three days later, the squirrels hadn’t come back. I then cleaned up the nest, and ordered a new mesh netting cover for my air conditioner unit. The little squirrel family had chewed through my old one, which left gaping holes everywhere.

As I cleaned up the remnants of the nest, I found something profoundly troubling: the squirrel babies had chewed on the electrical wires of air conditioning unit, leading into my house. 

I finished cleaning up the nest, and loaded it all into a trash bag. I then rang my furnace and air conditioning company to get someone out as soon as possible to inspect the damage to the wires.

Hilariously, the mother squirrel arrived on the scene a few hours after I’d removed her nest. She shot me a look as if to say, “Hey!! Where is my nest?!? I worked so hard on it!!” I told her, “I’m sorry love. Alice doesn’t leave here anymore.” The mother squirrel then left in a huff, with an extra flourish in her tail, telling me off for destroying her handiwork. She never came back.

"Blues Sans Squirrel" by Hope

The day finally came for the inspection of the wiring to the air conditioning unit. This is where God comes in. Thankfully, the damage was isolated to the protective insulation sleeve around the wires, not the wires themselves. The solution to the problem? Electrical tape. The workman covered the wires with electrical tape, covering where the wires had been exposed. The job was done in the blink of an eye, and didn’t cost me a penny.

Days have gone by since the inspection of the wires. I can’t tell you the relief I felt, the complete peace of mind, knowing that my worrying was all for naught. I literally slept better that night, knowing I was safe. While it didn't cost me a penny, the feeling of safety was absolutely priceless.

So, as with any challenge in my life, I’m left to ponder the lessons learned from this situation….

 -never move a mother animal and her babies. They’ll leave the nest of their own volition when the time is right. 

-when the mama and babies move on, give it a few days before you clean up and dispose of the nest. 

-it’s not at all helpful to catastrophize, to imagine the worst case scenario. It doesn’t keep you safe at all; instead it leaves you feeling worried. Overwhelmed. Squirrely.