INKTOBER52 PROMPT NO. 16 IS "CRITTER"
Hey there, Inky fellas!
After a quick visit to one of my kids out west, I am back and ready to see your art again! While I was hoping someone would draw Native American Hoop Dancers, I was still so inspired and appreciative of your hard work and talent. (maybe if I missed one, send it my way!)
We’ve had a WILD few days over here. Between painting our attic in the evenings (because I’m too much of a cheapskate to pay someone else to do it for me), to loved ones having babies, to unexpectedly having the gas meter being replaced by the county this morning (hello cold-water showers), to some major construction work inside our house, we’re a bit…chaotic over here; all really great things, just a lot to work around. I was hanging on to my sanity fairly well until I heard the exterminator tell me this morning that the noise coming from my living room ceiling are being caused by FLYING SQUIRRELS. Guys. I have flying squirrels living in the walls of my home! Now, I come from a pretty rurally-minded family (Jake says we’re a bunch of hillbillies), and we take care of fire hazard-causing animals by relocating them or.…inviting them to fly away home to heaven. My parents live far outside city limits and we were surrounded by foxes, kudamundi, raccoons, bobcats, rattlesnakes, skunks, ring-tailed cats, and javelina. My mom likes to blame the hillbilly influence on my father’s side of the family, but I do believe it was her that shot an angry skunk out back one time, mortally wounding it but not before it could crawl under my dad’s office and then die. All Summer long, we were treated to the aroma of skunk carcass whenever the wind shifted. She will never live that one down. And even though I love (most) animals, due my well-documented history of feuding with a family of chicken-murdering raccoons one winter, I’m probably not going to be awarded any medals for peace by the animal kingdom.
But you guys- have you seen a flying squirrel? They’re so cute! Do I want them to stay and eat my wiring or have babies in the insulation? Of course not! But I can’t kill them (and not only because my 16-year old daughter would disown me.) So now, I find myself paying someone else to trap these critters and find them a new home far far away. It’s a new experience for me, and you can bet your fountain pen I’ll be climbing a ladder to check the trap several times a day. (I’ll try to get a photo!)
So, this week, whether you’re a fan of animals or not, see what your imagination does with our furry little CRITTER friends.
Happy Inking!
-Alison