sophie's fair

Chip & Dale (c) Walt Disney Co

what a glorious day! not even the kerry campaign (visible everywhere now -- on people's hats, bags, coats and yes, even strollers) could dampen my spirit. it was déjà vu getting a glimpse of the autumnal park. the feeling was very much like the one I had the first time I walked in the Yard, revelling in the poignancy of the day... when i noticed a couple of chipmunks rolling on the ground, playing. boy, were they having the time of their lives... i thought, if i were to grab someone and wrestle them to the ground, it wouldnt be cute at all. those harvard chipmunks were certainly making the most of their cuteness. lucky chaps.
i really couldnt resist giving them nuts. which chipmunks/squirrels hoard. sounds scroogey, but that's part of nature's grand design -- their stashes help preserve the world's ecosystem.
now, if only the pigeons werent so aggressive. they flew towards us, one right in my face. i was petrified (i saw hitchcock's the birds). i shrieked, breaking the day's poetics... i must have really hit the high note because everyone stopped what s/he was doing/thinking, and stared. but that's for another posting.

did you know...
One reason squirrels come to the ground is to bury and retrieve food. In the fall you can often see them digging small holes in the ground called caches, into which they deposit food, especially nuts and acorns. They may cache thousands of nuts and acorns during a season. On warm days throughout the winter, then, when food is scarce, the squirrel descends to the ground and digs up its treasures. Many nuts and acorns are never retrieved, so they sprout in the spring, and develop into trees. Thus one important job the squirrel does in the ecosystem is to plant trees.