"Mike, I have something I need to tell you," she said.
"What is it?"
"I have a pair of baby squirrels in the car with me. I didn't want to surprise you."
I wouldn't have been very surprised anyway. That's how my wife rolls!
While Carrie was running her volunteer appreciation event, she stumbled across a pair of "severely dehydrated, five-week old squirrels." They were at the age they "had just opened their eyes recently" and "were big enough to fit in the palm of [Carrie's] hand!"
Naturally, my wife wasn't going to leave them behind.
Squirrels aren't high on my lists, but I am morally opposed to ignoring a problem you notice. Life is precious, so it shouldn't be wasted. I'm very proud of Carrie. She saw the problem, she didn't wait for someone else to own it, and she did what was necessary to solve it. She even drove 45 minutes one way back in the direction she'd come from to take the babies to a squirrel rehabilitation 'facility.'
A job well done!
Personally, I would have been torn. Baby squirrels are cute. They're intelligent (like a rat) and can be social.
On the other hand, I'm not a vegetarian.
"Do you know a recipe for squirrel gumbo?" Pop asked.
Carrie heard him over the phone. "I'm not answering that," she deadpanned. Jama, Pop, and I all had a laugh.
I prefer my meat raised to adulthood. It feels wrong to deprive almost anything of their childhood (mosquitoes and crickets that bother me are clear exceptions).
My only regret from the whole incident: Shane and I never got to see the squirrels.
Shane fell asleep at Nana and Pop's and by the time he woke up, Carrie was in full rescue mother mode. Carrie did run the squirrels across the street to Daniel's birthday party before she rushed them out. They were a big hit! There's apparently a picture of Daniel's dad, Michael, holding one of them.
Oh well. I don't think this will be the last time my wife's maternal instincts kick in. I'm sure there will be other animals in our future, too!
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