The Apple Thief

     We decided it was a good day to have breakfast for dinner.  Nothing out of the ordinary around here...except for letting Kid make his pancakes, because he put a bazillion chocolate chips in them.  I should have know better than to relinquish my pancake making rights.  But, that's a story for another time.  
     As I was sitting at the table, eating my delicious pancakes, sharing in good conversation with Eldest and Kid, I noticed a squirrel running through the yard.  Again, nothing out of the ordinary.  I said, "Ohhhhh, look at that cute squirrel!"  To which Eldest replied, "So what, it's a squirrel."  I ignored his less than enthusiastic response since he's a teenager and, well, he's a teenager.
     As I happily ate my pancakes while watching the squirrel, it suddenly ran up into the apple tree.  "Awwww, look...now it's in the apple tree," I said, which Eldest responded with, "So what, there's squirrels in all the trees."  Again, I ignored his less than jovial response.  However, Kid came to my defense and told him he's wrong, that there aren't squirrels in all the trees.  (I also figure he said that just to get on Eldest's nerves, but again, that's another story.)
     The next thing I knew, that squirrel looked like it picked an apple from the tree.  Surely my eyes were playing tricks on me.  Squirrels don't eat apples!  I said to the kids, "There's no way that squirrel just picked an apple, right?  Tell me, that squirrel did not just pick an apple!"  To which eldest replied, "Mom, squirrels eat apples."  My response, "No way, squirrels eat nuts. Not apples."  I was aghast at the thought of all the squirrels in the area (and there's a bunch of them) eating apples from the tree.  Gesh, I've made two pies out of them so far, and felt lucky at that, because you might not know it, but sheep like apples...and their leaves.  Ever seen a sheep trying to eat an apple? Not a pretty sight.
     Anyway, I'm getting off track.  I just couldn't believe a cute fuzzy squirrel went and picked a juicy red apple right off the tree, let alone sat there and ate it in front of us.  Well, I marched myself right out there and told that squirrel that it's sorely mistaken, that they don't eat apples.  I pointed out the butternut tree conveniently located right next to said apple tree, and told him (I'm guessing it's a him due to the situation) to move on over there.  That tree is loaded with nuts just waiting to be picked off by squirrels looking to stock up for the winter.  The squirrels of the area had no qualms over divesting our black walnut tree of it's nuts in a matter of days not too long ago, anyway.  I think it's just rude to start in on the apples when there are plenty of nuts to be found...a much more suitable diet for a squirrel in my humble opinion.

     Even with me pleading to the apple snatcher to hop down out of there and up into the nut tree, it just wouldn't listen.  It did quite a good job of ignoring me, as you can see from the picture I took.  Quite rude, if you ask me!  

     So, there you have it folks.  A squirrel.  Eating our apples.  Right. Out. Of. The. Tree.  I still say it's confused, and will obviously need continued guidance and prodding over to the nut tree.  Oh my goodness, do squirrels eat peaches?  What about pears?  I sure hope not.
     

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