Spring Fever

[talon]

The new baby squirrels all think Itzl is one of them.

This makes him very happy on his morning constitutional because he gets to play with them. Later, when they're a bit older, they'll be much warier and more likely to chase him or run away than to play.

The pigeons are also playful with him. A flock of 8 were pecking at the ground when he approached them, and they stopped pecking in order to watch him. When he bounced at them, they bounced back, and so they danced and played for a few minutes, until a big truck loudly hit a pothole and startled everyone. The birds flew off and Itzl ran to tell me about the loud noise.

Now it's work time, and he wants back out to explore the pansies, the daffodils, his grass stumps, the birds, the squirrels, and everything else outdoors.

He's got a bad case of cabin fever and I must work indoors most of the day, so he's pacing the length of my desk, pausing in front of me to moan, then staring longingly out the north window, where the birds are playing in the water fountain.

Occasionally, he stops to sit with his back to me and tosses his nose up in the air - the strongest sign of disapproval he knows. He's "shunning" me.

It never lasts long, but it's his way of telling me he's not happy.

Poor baby. We go through this every spring. He wants days off to play and enjoy our brief spring and I have to work.

Last night, he helped me plant stargazer lilies, and prep the beds for this year's garden. The rose bush still isn't quite ready to uproot and move to the other side of the steps, but this weekend, I will have to rip out all the horsetails, like it or not.

Itzl loves when I rip out the horsetails, he thinks they are marvelous toys and likes to trot around the yard with the long stems dangling out his mouth. He may be the reason I have horsetails all over the place.

That's a small price to pay for his happiness.

I'm kind of with him, though. It would be nice to take the day off just to play outside in the sunshine and warmish weather.