I told the retarded squirrel story in the seventies. Today you would never use a term like retarded , but at that time we did use retarded.
On a wintery day I noticed a squirrel that was apparently trying to cross the alley by jumping from one tree to the other.
The squirrel would run up one branch and then another looking for which branch was the closest to his target across the alley.
Finally he chose a branch and went as far as possible to the end which would still support him. He rocked back and forth three times trying to find the best jumping off place. He tried this a few times and then gave it his best push.
He missed. He didn't get to the branch in the other tree. Instead he fell about 10 feet and landed in a soft snow bank. He was stunned for a moment . Then shook some snow of and jumped through the snow until he got to the fence.
Only middle school kids would think this is funny. They seemed to like the squirrel falling in the deep snow.They kept asking about my squirrel, but I did not see more squirrel incidents.
It was odd as we think of squirrels running through the trees with little effort..
Probably those who can't perform as squirrels are expected to , perish for one reason or other.
ReplyDeleteI've seen squirrels miss their mark occasionally but I've never seen one fall into a snowbank. I can see how kids would be amused by this story!
ReplyDeleteIt was a silly squirrel, maybe it was having fun swinging from tree to tree. Take care, enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteStory time with Red.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it was a young squirrel who was not quite adept at choosing a path across the trees.
ReplyDeleteRetarded squirrel is a pretty funny mental picture
Maybe it was an elderly squirrel:)
ReplyDeleteAww, poor squirrel! 🐿️
ReplyDeleteI saw the title and thought, "Whoa! we don't use that word." But you're right, we used to.
ReplyDeleteI have seen them fly through the air from tree limb to tree limb and climb up and down, backwards and forwards. I don't think I have ever seen one fall. I agree...I think he/she must have been older.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't acceptable to use that term anymore, Red! Just so you know. I spent a lot of year teaching special needs students. We really have to get away from that!
ReplyDeleteWe had the sauciest squirrels in Illinois. When we'd shoo them away from burying their nuts in the yard, they'd move just far away, turn and shake their tails at us....sort of like giving us the finger.
ReplyDeleteI think retarded is now intellectually disabled?
ReplyDeleteWhile visiting your country, there was a park that had more black squirrels than I have ever seen in my life. They were so tame that they were taking treats from a child's fingers. He was not tame enough to be picked up, which she discovered the hard way. She got bitten.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad he had a snowbank to fall in, even if he was stunned.
ReplyDeleteHe forgot to wear his cape to transform into Super Squirrel. :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this story! We have tons of squirrels and I've seen one or two take a misstep and crash to the ground or a lower branch. They're not always sure-footed!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting story dear Red
ReplyDeleteI felt like I was looking at the monkey trying to jump
But funnily it was squirrel
We have squirrel in abundance,they come up and down on our neem tree and roaming around our front yard
I find them naughty and interesting 🥰
But I never saw them swinging to jump on next branch
Maybe that was more smart and active squirrel
Red, this gave me a smile. That poor squirrel may have misjudged the distance, but at least he chose a soft snowbank for his landing! Nature usually makes these little acrobats look flawless, so it’s almost reassuring to know even squirrels have an off day now and then. John
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