There is a huge old walnut tree in the yard of the neighbor behind us that drops walnuts all over our yard, which of course the squirrels love. We’re constantly tripping over walnut shells.
Over the years we haven’t been very vigilant about noticing the unplanned baby walnut trees all around the yard. So we now have 20 year old walnuts along both edges of the yard and saplings in any attempt at a garden. The saplings we cut down when we find them but the roots go deep.
we used to have a black walnut tree in back, overhanging where we parked our cars. Black walnuts stain the shit out of whatever they touch. Right next to the walnut, my parents planted bamboo for a cheep privacy fence after a developer put up a hundred town houses where there used to be fields when we moved there, fields with some lovely willows to the east and a huge wild raspberry patch to the north. This was in a little town in Loudoun County that used to have a railroad stop because it was a place where Washingtonians came to sit out the miserable D.C. summers back around the turn of the 20th Century.
Yes but those are British and North American squirrels. What are your French squirrels up to? Leaning artistically against tree trunks puffing on their gauloises?
Possibly the walnut tree in your garden is a Black Walnut, which is the most common variety in the US. The nuts are bitter and inedible for humans. The walnuts you buy in the store to eat are English walnuts.
Black walnuts are too edible! They are amazingly good. But they have to age a few months first or they are green and bitter. We would store them in our unfinished attic. The shells are really thick and the green outer coating really stains, so they are a lot of work but worth it. I miss black walnuts so much now I've moved down south. Even if I buy the very expensive store packages of them, they are not as good.
Concerning finding nuts, if all else fails, the buried nut will eventually sprout and grow a shoot poking out of the ground. If they get that far, the squirrel will have little problem finding the now succulent nut and sprout. (How do I know this? I planted some acorns in flower pots on the porch to start oak trees. All dug out and consumed before I could transplant them.)
We once had a Squirrel that lived in our yard who liked to make furious love to his mate on the railing outside the breakfast nook window as we sat down to our breakfast. He always stared aggressively at us as he went at it. We called him Super Squirrel.
Then one day, as he was having his usual fun, a large hawk swooped down and yanked him off of her. She looked relieved.
I watched two squirrels going at it high up in the trees. They lost their grip and fell about 100 feet. They seemed to be OK and ran back up in the trees.
My friend Steve reports he's seen some amusing Mexican standoffs between the squirrels and crows in his yard. Says the crows, somewhat smarter, will actually seem to work as a team in trying to find ways to outcrow the tree rats to the food.
Thanks for the fascinating post, Martini! I’ve seen many a squirrel bide its time while a raven caches some nuts, then, when said raven flies away, the squirrel hurries in to dig the treasure up and make off with it. Feisty little buggers.
My backyard squirrel pals like to stash in my garden near the base of my plants. I had to do a bit of a stake/skewer fence around each to keep them off the root ball. Don't mind 'em digging otherwise. It's a squirrel's world and I just live in it.
Beautiful write up on Andre Braugher, SER, my parents know and love him from Homicide Life on the Streets, and live work (I as well loved Homicide) but my grown sons know and love him from Brooklyn 99, one of the few shows we would watch together & bond during their teen years. Of course they knew Andy Samberg from SNL & I regularly explained to them how captain Holt is ACTUALLY a real-for-real actor!
Growing in Sacramento, I experienced pineapple casseroles at several holiday gatherings. Minimum half a century ago. I personally think it was more about the times than the region.
It's crazy but I am feeling pretty good today. I am blown away by how quickly the anti-viral has worked. Almost all symptoms gone, I lost my voice but no cough and that's it. I almost have too much energy now. Really this was a miracle drug for me. That and some amazing friends being super supportive, you know who you are! Plus the Wonkteriat was there for me with all the love. Thanks everyone! ziggy loves y'all!
ETA: I got my sense of smell back already. I am making some ham and bean soup and it smells great.
I'm a Real G*dd*m Southerner (minus the treasony part) and Pineapple Casserole, while beloved indeed, sits firmly in the Funeral Food category for me and mine. Wouldn't be death without it.
I'm a Real G*dd*m Southerner (minus the treasony part) and Pineapple Casserole, while beloved indeed, sits firmly in the Funeral Food category for me and mine. Wouldn't be death without it.
Just got a call from the garage that has my car, which had to be towed from my driveway yesterday.
Got all ready to go to a doctor appointment that I've been waiting the last two months for, start the car and...on comes the oil light. So, it seems the oil pan is cracked and must be replaced plus all the expensive synthetic oil, plus the rear struts are leaking(?) and a couple other things are wrong, and I'm looking at a bill for about $2100, none of which do I have. The county still won't acknowledge the $4,309 I paid them back in September for the second half of my property tax, nor have they processed my Homeowner's Tax Credit application (sent early last month). I have virtually nothing I can sell and am in way too poor physical shape to go back to work. Yikes.
Squirrels and some recent(ish) discoveries about their caching strategies. Interesting!
https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/squirrel
There is a huge old walnut tree in the yard of the neighbor behind us that drops walnuts all over our yard, which of course the squirrels love. We’re constantly tripping over walnut shells.
Over the years we haven’t been very vigilant about noticing the unplanned baby walnut trees all around the yard. So we now have 20 year old walnuts along both edges of the yard and saplings in any attempt at a garden. The saplings we cut down when we find them but the roots go deep.
we used to have a black walnut tree in back, overhanging where we parked our cars. Black walnuts stain the shit out of whatever they touch. Right next to the walnut, my parents planted bamboo for a cheep privacy fence after a developer put up a hundred town houses where there used to be fields when we moved there, fields with some lovely willows to the east and a huge wild raspberry patch to the north. This was in a little town in Loudoun County that used to have a railroad stop because it was a place where Washingtonians came to sit out the miserable D.C. summers back around the turn of the 20th Century.
Yes but those are British and North American squirrels. What are your French squirrels up to? Leaning artistically against tree trunks puffing on their gauloises?
They are taunting the dogs down on the ground, telling them their mothers were hamsters, and their fathers stink of elderberry.
No doubt assessing the terroir of their last acorn collected.
Acorn fermentation is an art.
How to plant a black walnut forest:
Plant 1 black walnut tree
Add squirrels
Wait
we have a walnut tree in our garden and have never managed to harvest any edible walnuts
Possibly the walnut tree in your garden is a Black Walnut, which is the most common variety in the US. The nuts are bitter and inedible for humans. The walnuts you buy in the store to eat are English walnuts.
Black walnuts are too edible! They are amazingly good. But they have to age a few months first or they are green and bitter. We would store them in our unfinished attic. The shells are really thick and the green outer coating really stains, so they are a lot of work but worth it. I miss black walnuts so much now I've moved down south. Even if I buy the very expensive store packages of them, they are not as good.
Where do squirrels store their nuts?
https://substack.com/chat/1805685/post/fab495a7-9586-4dad-a226-634d0c675fe9
Concerning finding nuts, if all else fails, the buried nut will eventually sprout and grow a shoot poking out of the ground. If they get that far, the squirrel will have little problem finding the now succulent nut and sprout. (How do I know this? I planted some acorns in flower pots on the porch to start oak trees. All dug out and consumed before I could transplant them.)
Squirrels did the same to me, only it was redbud trees.
SQUIRREL!
We once had a Squirrel that lived in our yard who liked to make furious love to his mate on the railing outside the breakfast nook window as we sat down to our breakfast. He always stared aggressively at us as he went at it. We called him Super Squirrel.
Then one day, as he was having his usual fun, a large hawk swooped down and yanked him off of her. She looked relieved.
But did he ..... nut ...... first.
I'll show myself out.
It's nature's way of telling you....
... somethings wrong.
Wow, he can see his tree from up there!
I will say that the guy had a real sackful.
I watched two squirrels going at it high up in the trees. They lost their grip and fell about 100 feet. They seemed to be OK and ran back up in the trees.
Joined the 100 foot club.
We're not here to kink shame, but maybe they did it on purpose?
;-)
My, what a way to go, though.
Wow! maybe if he'd been a little more discreet....
Not his jam.
My friend Steve reports he's seen some amusing Mexican standoffs between the squirrels and crows in his yard. Says the crows, somewhat smarter, will actually seem to work as a team in trying to find ways to outcrow the tree rats to the food.
Thanks for the fascinating post, Martini! I’ve seen many a squirrel bide its time while a raven caches some nuts, then, when said raven flies away, the squirrel hurries in to dig the treasure up and make off with it. Feisty little buggers.
My backyard squirrel pals like to stash in my garden near the base of my plants. I had to do a bit of a stake/skewer fence around each to keep them off the root ball. Don't mind 'em digging otherwise. It's a squirrel's world and I just live in it.
I thought that looked like a vintage card! I'm pretty sure my squirrels don't hibernate here in the "winter".
''Honey, the car won't start, but something in it sure SMELLS good, like roasting nuts.''
''Squirrel leaves 42 gallons of nuts In man’s Chevy avalanche''
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4gXCfYX4eQ
Truck nutz hehe.
I found a huge cache of maple seeds on my Subaru's engine once.
🎶 Chestnuts roasting on a Chevy truck 🎶
Testicle type nuts?
EEWWWW!
Sadly, no.
''Lately I've been goin' crazy lookin' for my nuts.''
https://toddburge.bandcamp.com/track/looking-for-my-nuts
I recently discovered the Dug shorts on disney (the Dog from Up) and his nemesis the yard squirrel
It is amazingly hilarious
At one point Dug is all AWWW I feel bad and I do not want you to be dead so much, but only a little
Beautiful write up on Andre Braugher, SER, my parents know and love him from Homicide Life on the Streets, and live work (I as well loved Homicide) but my grown sons know and love him from Brooklyn 99, one of the few shows we would watch together & bond during their teen years. Of course they knew Andy Samberg from SNL & I regularly explained to them how captain Holt is ACTUALLY a real-for-real actor!
Get well soon, Editrix!
Good luck to the Poles. At least electing Donald Tusk PM maybe shows the tide of idiocy and authoritarianism is receding in Poland.
WHAT? Pneumonia? We don't want you havin' no stinking pneumonia! We don't want you havin' no OLD-monia neither!
I had pneumonia and they effing INTUBATED me, and I'm still traumatized two years later!.
REST! TAKE MEDS! REST AGAIN!
The world needs you, Rebecca. Please recover quickly. 🤒🤧😷
Growing in Sacramento, I experienced pineapple casseroles at several holiday gatherings. Minimum half a century ago. I personally think it was more about the times than the region.
Get well soon!
It's crazy but I am feeling pretty good today. I am blown away by how quickly the anti-viral has worked. Almost all symptoms gone, I lost my voice but no cough and that's it. I almost have too much energy now. Really this was a miracle drug for me. That and some amazing friends being super supportive, you know who you are! Plus the Wonkteriat was there for me with all the love. Thanks everyone! ziggy loves y'all!
ETA: I got my sense of smell back already. I am making some ham and bean soup and it smells great.
Thanks Morgan, these antivirals are amazing. Thank goodness for science!
You come at the Movieboss you best not miss!! FUCK COVID!!!!
Love you Chicken!
I read the pineapple casserole recipe and I do not want to hear anyone dissing pineapple on pizza ever again.
Substackers against Nazi's.
https://open.substack.com/pub/katz/p/substackers-against-nazis?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1nx43t
I'm a Real G*dd*m Southerner (minus the treasony part) and Pineapple Casserole, while beloved indeed, sits firmly in the Funeral Food category for me and mine. Wouldn't be death without it.
Get your Z-pak. Pneumonia is no fun
I'm a Real G*dd*m Southerner (minus the treasony part) and Pineapple Casserole, while beloved indeed, sits firmly in the Funeral Food category for me and mine. Wouldn't be death without it.
In WTF news, NJ transit was delayed because of a bull on the tracks.
I live in NJ. This does not surprise me.
Just got a call from the garage that has my car, which had to be towed from my driveway yesterday.
Got all ready to go to a doctor appointment that I've been waiting the last two months for, start the car and...on comes the oil light. So, it seems the oil pan is cracked and must be replaced plus all the expensive synthetic oil, plus the rear struts are leaking(?) and a couple other things are wrong, and I'm looking at a bill for about $2100, none of which do I have. The county still won't acknowledge the $4,309 I paid them back in September for the second half of my property tax, nor have they processed my Homeowner's Tax Credit application (sent early last month). I have virtually nothing I can sell and am in way too poor physical shape to go back to work. Yikes.
When I had pneumonia and Mrs Canoehead was keeping her distance, we played an open source Scrabble app from different rooms.
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.eehouse.android.xw4/
I loved it for the convenience and because I didn't have to keep score ALL THE TIME.
Now she won't play it because it reminds her of pneumonia.
PS It worked; she didn't get pneumonia.