TRUE STORY

Squirrels and Walnuts

This is a true story.

Today, while in my kitchen, I heard a tapping at the door that is connected to the garage. Checking at the window, I watched a chubby squirrel casually saunter away. Later, when I went to my car, I noticed a perfectly peeled walnut tucked in the corner of the doorway. The squirrel had knocked on the door with the nut and left it in a safe and obvious place for me to find. 

Black walnuts, which seem especially abundant this fall, have a thick green skin, can be the size of a baseball and take some work to peel. I’m sure squirrels are faster and more efficient than humans, but even still, it’s got to be some effort. 

I tend to view the squirrels as foes. But what if the walnuts are a friendly gift? Perhaps the squirrels see themselves as owners of the property and are benevolently sharing their bounty? I like to imagine such things as I clean up shell debris and pick up hundreds of walnuts, which are, in case you haven’t had the experience, not much fun to run over with a lawn mower.

There are many ways to tell your story. I’m going to go with this version for a while.