Mabel the Squirrel!

I had a review lined up for tonight. But I realized that I need a little more time before I post it. It's just not ready. I scrolled through the food pics in my phone, and well, you've seen just about everything. So tonight, you're getting a Mabel photo essay. Sorry not sorry.

Just in case you've not been following the Mabel tales, here's a quick rundown. In August, teensy baby Mabel fell from my backyard tree. My pit bull Maynard found her writhing in the dirt, covered in mud and worms one morning. He began pawing at her. She screamed. I knew that sound — the desperate cries of a baby squirrel. I'd heard them last summer when another squirrel, Herman, fell from the same tree. We raised him, set him free, and he's off doing very important squirrel stuff. He doesn't visit anymore, and I miss him very much.

But I digress. I rushed Mabel inside, cleaned her off, and picked off the worms. I fed her formula, rid her of a nasty maggot infestation, and let her move into my bathroom (the best room in the house to raise a squirrel in my opinion). And she grew up to be a strong, healthy squirrel. She's 13 weeks old, and we officially set her free last weekend. I opened a window, and now she's free to come and go as she pleases. She goes out during the day. But for now, she's been opting to sleep inside in the nest she built in my bathroom using old toilet paper and used KT tape that she scavenged from the trash can. She'll probably eventually build a nest outside and come by less and less. Just like Herman. But for now, she's around a lot. And I take lots of pics. So here ya go.

Mabel loved grapes a few weeks back. Now she's just meh about grapes.

But she does love acorns.

And sticks. Oh, sticks! When she's done with one, it looks like a forest exploded all over my bathroom.

She knows the good stuff. Here she is trying to get into the cashew jar.

Sometimes, when I get home from work, I find that Mabel's made a big ole mess of nut shells, wood, and toilet paper in the bathroom floor. One day, she offered to help me clean.

Mabel spends most of her day outside though. Here she is peeking out on her first day of freedom.

And here she is climbing stuff.

Sometimes, she likes to eat perched on my shoulder, usually when I'm wearing black for a maximum messy effect.

And if you been reading the blog lately, you've already seen this one. But it's too cute to not include in a Mabel photo post. Her Halloween costume is basically the greatest.