Friday, November 16, 2007

U.K. Island of Red Squirrels

A red squirrel clutching his chest. You O.K., boy? (PHOTO BY AlexRK/FLICKR)

I’ve got “good” news, folks: It appears red squirrels are thriving on an island off the southern coast of England. They went there to escape a deadly poxvirus carried by the more common North American gray squirrel.

Though I’ve never had the “pleasure” of working with red squirrels, let me just say one thing about them: My mentor, H. C. Blithe, hated them. I mean, as much as he loved Eastern gray squirrels, he couldn’t stand red squirrels — “sciurus succubus,” as he called them.

Anyway, you’re probably wondering if I hate them, too. Well, yes and no. On the one hand, I have to show respect to my late mentor (blessings and peace be upon Him), so hating them is sort of a no-brainer. My mentor was a genius, after all. He knew what he was talking about. On the other hand, one of my dreams is to tame one of them (something even the Maestro was unable to do). So there you have it: I love them and I hate them.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

not sure why you hate red squirrels so much. your mentor sounds like a crazy.