Our first snow was little more than a dusting, but I used it as excuse to light the fireplace for the first time this season. My wood stove is out of commission and I’m awaiting the install of a new Jøtol stove. The fireplace is great for ambiance but crap for heating the cabin … though Althea wasn’t complaining.
And the colder weather brought my squatters back with a vengeance. I woke up around 3:30 a.m. to the sound of something gnawing. I keep a flashlight by the bed, but it revealed nothing. The gnawing continued for the next hour until I got out of bed to go to the bathroom, where I found a southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) on the window, apparently trying to figure out how to escape while his buddies partied like rock stars up in the ceiling. I used a hand towel to nab him and put him in a plastic container. The next morning, Althea and I drove him a few miles away to Strouds Run, where I released him and hoped he wouldn’t find his way back.