Down Spout - There Has to be a Quilt in That

After our walk this morning the boys wanted to stay outside.  It still looks like rain, there is a lot of fog and the dampness is everywhere.

McGee was hearing some far away thunder, so he wanted in.  I heard weird noises I couldn't identify, and that is never good when bassets are concerned.  So I investigated.

I saw Chloe and DiNozzo congregated.  Another bad basset thing.  Around the downspout?

First thing you think of is a snake, so I grabbed the flat shovel.  I have killed my share of snakes, in
my day.  Part of the "swamp life".  (we live in the middle of the city, mind you!)

I don't see anything.  I hit the downspout with the shovel and I hear a weird cry I can't identify.  I can also hear scratching noises.  Oh oh!

DiNozzo has his face stuck up the downspout (metal flashing, duh!) as far as he can get it.  I grab his collar and pull him away.  Chloe goes up to see what the deal is, although I am sure she can already smell what it is up there.  If it is a opossum, it will fight like crazy, even the babies.

DiNozzo is all concerned that Chloe is going to get whatever it is, so he attacks her!  OMG!  She falls down, I yell, he stops.  If you have ever seen a basset fight, it is a bunch of noise, lots of teeth and ears and not much contact.  She was unhurt, but pretty upset.  She cried all the way to the back door.

I yank that dog's collar and drag him up to the house and shove him through the door.


Frank is nowhere to be found.  He is casually changing his socks and wondering what is all that weird noise.

I enlist him to go check the downspout and we hear crying sounds.  He says bird.  No way that is a bird.  he knocks it and this falls down.

That is a squirrel tail, then a foot then a butt.

If you watch American Ninja Warrior, you see these guys  get stuck on an obstacle.  They hang  on, and hang on and hang on.  They sink lower and struggle more, and still fall.

 Half Body.









Three quarters body.










Plop!  A baby.

 I encouraged him to scamper off out the yard, across the driveway.  Dale, next door, has no dogs to eat him.


When Frank left, he tried chasing him further away, since baby Squirrel was insisting on coming back into the yard with the dog monsters.

My guess is the storms shook him out of a nest he was not really ready to leave just yet.  Close, but not yet.  His mother did not teach him to get home.

I went out just now to let DiNozzo (on a leash) see he was gone, but he was not gone.  He was hanging on the fence.  I tried shooing him out.  No go.  He was staying here.

He is actually pretty good at hiding if he is not good at going home.

DiNozzo is beside himself.  He is totally obsessed with going out (by himself, mind you) and checking on the squirrel.  He assures me he will make sure it finds its way back to its momma.

This one below here is my favorite photo.  Too bad it is out of focus!