starving squirrels

Now it all makes sense. The gourd torn to pieces on the front porch. My sister's peppers stolen from the plant on her back porch. The picked apart pumpkin on our jogging trail. An empty bird feeder within hours of a refill. There is a major acorn shortage in Maryland and Northern Virginia, people. Major. And our furry little friends sure are feeling it.

The Sunday Washington Post reported on the absent acorn phenomenon yesterday but the cause for zero-production remains a mystery. Some say it is just a slow production year or a strange anomaly. Others suggest weather patterns and heavy rain could play a role. I can't stop thinking about that movie The Happening in which the trees wage biochemical warfare in areas with high concentrations of humans and development. Ugh.

I have to say, on morning dog walks under Oak trees taller than nearby homes there were more than a few moments when I thought to myself, "Tread carefully, self. A direct acorn hit on the head can be startling and doggie droppings are hard to spot in a blanket of acorns... Wait a minute... the ground seems so even and soft... Not bumpy as it would if it were covered in acorns... Guess the squirrels are quick to gather 'em this year. "

Not quite, huh? Poor little things. Guess I'll be picking up some peanuts on my way home tonight.