Saving a Squirrel and Tweaking a Republican

This diary is going nowhere but, what the hay, I can publish it anyway by clicking a button.  Last week I spent time with my best friend at his primitive Sears kit cottage on a lake.  He's a Republican and he hates squirrels.

I was schlepping a bucket of water up to heat water for dishes when I heard:  "Hey, check this out!"  WTF?  The bucket weighs about 30 pounds and I was carrying it up a 92.5% rocky slope.  O.k., I needed a break.  I followed his pointing finger to some movement on the ground.

Struggling to get purchase on last Fall's leaves was a baby squirrel -- eyes still not open.  Dang, why did he draw my attention?  He knows I'm a sucker.  We found the nest above -- waited about 3 hours for the mother but it was getting dark and the place is loaded with predators.  I cranked up the computer and searched for info on feeding.

Ackk!  Off to the store to get milk to scald and a syringe.  Leaving behind a squirrel-hating Republican added to my angst.  I returned to find the squirrel not shot with the flintlock, rather, nestled in a leaf laden cardboard box.  Scalded milk was warmed -- dribbled on my wrist (I'm not a mother but I saw this on teevee) and sucked into a tube.  As I was about to try my hand at feeding, the Republican squirrel-hater grabbed the syringe and said:  "You have no clue what you are doing."  Harumpph.

I stared in amazement as he gently lifted our flea bitten foundling, stroked its head and got him to suckle.  I then searched desparately for a wildlife rescuer and found one.  As the baby was still contentedly lapping away, my Republican squirrel-detesting friend asked:  "O.k. that's one hurdle -- now tell me why I should vote for Obama?"

Sometimes the oddest convergences bring about a conversation that can change one vote.  One vulnerable life is now happily cared for by a lovely wildlife rescuer and one Republican squirrel-hater has been irrevocably changed.

P.S. Scalded milk with sweetener is not the best food -- some Pedialyte concoction is better.  Male baby squirrels are incredibly hung -- whodathunk?