THIS IS NUTS!

Country Notebook

By Rogene "Jeannie" McPherson

Years ago, my young son and I wrote a story called, “Nutsy the Squirrel.” He told the story and I wrote it down. Other than that my recall is slim, but I think it had something to do with a squirrel running up and down a tree to gather nuts, and then store the nuts for winter nourishment. This same story takes place on my deck everyday only the squirrel is digging in my summer flower pots. 

Next spring, tiny black acorns and/or burr acorns will sprout in those same pots. The squirrels, all of which I prefer to call Nutsy, apparently dig several inches deep. By the time the nut has had a few months of dormancy, chilling, and then sprouting, it is difficult to pull out a mass of roots. 

With nighttime temperatures in the 60’s, I open my screen door off the deck and especially in the morning, I hear the squirrels chattering. I haven’t decided if they are discussing the plans for the day with Nutsy or giving me “heck” for having only a few pots for their access. After all, wouldn’t you prefer damp potting soil for planting compared to the drier clay soil under the cedar and oak trees around the property?

Like me, the squirrel’s chattering may be cussing because of the numerous rocks and roots making planting a challenge in eastern Kansas. My shovel is the equivalent to their small, but dangerous teeth. On occasion, I use the back of a shovel for protection from a snake, for example, but I would not win in a fight with a squirrel. Nutsy and his mate – or brothers and sisters – take this nut planting very serious. I don’t see scrawny squirrels around my place.

It was obvious last spring that any vegetation that produces a nut or fruit for fall production would be successful during fall harvest. I credit my abundantly-loaded pear trees with the lack of a hard spring freeze in March and April. Have you noticed how prolific the hedge apples are on the osage-orange trees? If you have favorite persimmon groves, you’ll notice their atypical abundance, although their ripeness depends upon a hard freeze. 

Similarly, wild red berries are adding beauty to the forest on trees with names not familiar. Wild plum trees with beautiful spring blossoms attracted flying critters like wasps and bees. In thirty years of living on the farm, this is a first for seeing the small plums show-casing red-ripened fruit. Probably safe for making jelly, but I recall my mother picking plums for jelly and suffering from poison ivy. This was nuts!

Quite soon, the squirrels will graciously share the space under the acorn trees with the deer. The deer are really messy eaters leaving the shells behind, unlike the squirrels. When that co-existence happens, perhaps the deer will not find sport in pulling out geraniums from pots very near my house. Likely I will see the deer jumping up to reach the pears, but they will have completion from raccoons, turtles, horses, and me.  I plan to have a pear-picking day in an attempt to feed the horse and donkey pears instead of apples. I like eating the fruit, too, especially as I savor the pear juice. 

What is amazing is how, in nature, everything seems to adapt to the environment. Nutsy and his friends take what they need and share with the deer. Many living beings benefit from a fruitful pear tree. Why can’t human-to-human contact be as kind and sharing as what I like to believe happens in the forest. When I turn on the evening news, I mostly hear of war, bipartisan conflict and the inadequate resources like food, clothing, and books for children. When did some of society lose the concept of sharing? This is nuts!

Rogene “Jeannie” McPherson, from the Centerville area, is a regular contributor to the Linn County Journal. Her latest book Posts from the Country, Adventures in Rural Living is available online at Amazon.com, Thriftbooks.com, and Barnesandnoble.com.