The Great Chipmunk Adventure

Category: gardening among the rocks | Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 3:49 pm

My head's still spinning from all the organizing details and such, but the plant-and-handcraft sale at my church was a big success. Even with quite a few plants left over, folks contributed far more than enough that we will be able to buy a really good chainsaw to cut firewood for those elderly folks I talked about earlier! We all got to know each other a bit better too. Several ladies brought homebaked goodies, our pastor made ice cream with his daughter, and we even have a fellow who custom roasts coffee to support his family (and a little villiage where the beans are grown) bring in several pots of coffee, so everyone stood around, choosing plants, and socializing... it was just wonderful.
But, being the animal nut that I am, even with all that, the high point came for me after the sale was over, when almost everything was packed up to leave. We discovered that a tiny baby chipmunk was hiding under the plant trailer. He was none too keen to leave, either. The gentleman, Ray, handling the trailer was very concerned about pulling his truck out; the little chipmunk was so scared that he kept darting under the tires. At one point, he wedged his tiny self right under the front tire of the truck, which was running and in gear, and Ray had to keep the brake jammed to the floor- meanwhile, a church Elder dropped to the ground and reached in to coax the little guy out. One slip of Ray's foot would have meant death to the chipmunk and a broken hand to the other man. But the coaxing worked, the little rodent scurried back under the trailer. As Ray sloooowly inched the truck & trailer out and away, the baby kept scurrying under and around the trailer. Finally, the trailer was moved away, leaving tire tracks in the grass and a befuddled baby exposed to a group of Very Large Humans. After a moment of panic, it made a mad dash between the feet of the very man who had risked is hand, and ran off into the azaleas. At last sight he was crouched by the trash receptical munching on some delightful thing that had been dropped there.
Here's a truly fun website to check out: http://www.oldgeezerbooks.com/
That's the fellow who was driving the truck. He turns scrap metal into the funniest and most amazing garden sculptures, maybe they will inspire one of you to create something for your garden!

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Droopy wrote on Mon Jun 09, 2008 4:28 pm:

Poor little thing, he's probably traumatized for life! I'm glad your do went well, and the Old Geezer page is fun, thanks for linking.

eileen wrote on Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:59 pm:

I'm so pleased the sale went well for you and that you made enough money for that chainsaw. The old folks will be grateful this winter I'm sure.

I'll bet that chipmunk had plenty to tell his family about when he got home. I don't know that I'd have been as brave as the chap who put his hand under the tyre but I'm glad both are OK.

I love the design work the Old Geezer does - especially the bird ones. That mechanical wheelbarrow looks intersting and would save folks a lot of backache.