Some visitors arrive with great fanfare.
Others simply appear one morning, as though they had never really been gone.
Today Pinecone came back.
I still think there is only one squirrel that regularly visits us. I may be wrong, but I like believing it is the same curious little fox squirrel each time. I imagine Pinecone living in the neighbor’s large maple tree, making the short journey over whenever breakfast sounds like a good idea.
Today’s choice wasn’t the squirrel food I had thoughtfully put out.
It was the seed cylinder.
Watching Pinecone balance on top of it was like watching an acrobat who had discovered the best seat in the house. There was no rush. Just nibbling, looking around, nibbling again, and eventually climbing back to the branch as though the visit had simply been another stop along the day’s familiar route.
I don’t know how old Pinecone is.
Maybe still young.
Maybe just young at heart.
But I realized something while watching.
I don’t actually need to know.
Sometimes it is enough to recognize a familiar face.
Sometimes joy is simply seeing someone return.
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