Squirrels of the Old West Side

Commence Furlough

Yawn. Good morning, world. Officially on furlough for the next week. Lots of chores, hikes and relaxing ahead. It’s all good. Hanging with my animals. Try to spot the blurry chipmunk.

Breakfast Is Served

The squirrels are often ready and waiting, peeking around the side of my catalpa tree, when I put out a fresh frisbee full of sunflower chips in the morning. They will come up to me and give me that look to guilt-trip me if I go a few days without giving them a refill. It's a peaceful co-existence and I greatly enjoy their playful presence. My dog even accepts that we share our yard with these critters.

Climber Of The Trees

A black squirrel climbs down a black walnut tree, waiting for his turn at the bird feeder in my yard. I've always been impressed with the climbing abilities of squirrels, especially their upside-down game.

Blue Heron Pond

A blue heron in a wetland area on the north side of Dhu Varren Road, just west of Nixon Road, in northeast Ann Arbor on June 28, 2016. The adjacent lands are being cleared for the Nixon Farms housing development.

Sunday Chilling

Vestergaard Farms

Mike Vestergaard was able to purchase the old Frederick family farm on Wagner Road in Lodi Township, just outside Ann Arbor, in 2009 after the previous owners sold the development rights on 100-plus acres for more than $770,000. "There was no way that I could make a budget work without having those development rights sold off," Vestergaard said. The farm had been in the Frederick family for many years but it had been passed down to a generation that was not interested in farming it. After restoring old barns and making other improvements, Vestergaard and his family are planning to open a farm store by next summer. He plans to sell his own pasture-raised meat products, plus dairy products from another farm. He already has belted galloway cattle roaming a section of the property and plans to eventually have 112 acres laid out in pastures for rotational grazing. "We farm with organic principles," he said. "Everything is grass-based from the hogs to cows, and also we're going to be moving into chickens." Read story.

I Love My Dog

Squirrel Patrol

I was back on Squirrel Patrol on the University of Michigan Diag this afternoon. I found these guys circling around one of my kickball teammates who was kicking back with his Kindle reading a news article about Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. Call me nuts, but I think the squirrels are so friendly on campus, even Roberts would vote to keep them. I'm pretty sure of that.

Disclaimer: Shot with wide-angle lens, so squirrels in pictures are closer than they appear.

The Squirrel Club

University of Michigan student Ashley Hastings, a member of the Squirrel Club on campus, attempts to feed an evasive critter on Tuesday afternoon. There's a long history of squirrel feeding on the Diag dating back at least 100 years. Check out the club's website. From the site: "The Squirrel Club was founded by Jason Colman and Justin Hyatt in 2002 after a late-night dorm conversation about squirrels. Although only five students attended the first meeting in October of that year, by the following Spring the club had over 100 members. By 2004, the Squirrel Club was one of the largest student organizations at Michigan with over 400 members—and our ranks continue to grow."

Sleeping With The Alien

We came back from a walk, and as usual Stan went right for the bed. I looked away and looked up and he already had settled in for a nap, his head on my pillow, hugging his favorite plush toy, Axel the green alien. You know what they say, let sleeping dogs lie ... with aliens.

Like Crazy

Ultimate Frisbee

Dog City

It was just another day at the Swift Run Dog Park in Ann Arbor. Stan made new friends, including an Australian shepherd/border collie mix named Barney (after the character from "How I Met Your Mother") who was elusive with his plastic carton. Another dog took a liking to Stan and tried to hump him, but Stan wasn't having it. Every dog has its day. Every day has its way of being forgotten.