It’s in town because I made the Squirrel Circus here. No, this isn’t another story about that ex-boyfriend who went off to join the circus. You’re welcome.

This post really is about squirrels I got to jump through hoops, sort of. It’s more like running through tubes and boxes than jumping through hoops, but close enough.

At the state park I’m camped at, my volunteer job (in exchange for free RV parking) is to sell permits, help customers, stock shelves, tidy up the place, etc. In the downtime I started building a Squirrel Obstacle Course.

No lie.

When Park Officials come to check how the park is doing, I tell them it’s our Squirrel Enrichment Program. One asked if I had a degree in Animal Psychology.

BWAAHAHAHAAA!

The squirrel acrobats are: PeeWee (a tame-ish female, currently pregnant again, and mother of at least one of the following squirrels), Jr. (aka “Hangin'” <— ahe name the Rangers gave him), Rocky (a male, very skittish), and Cinnamon (a female, also very skittish).

The Squirrel Obstacle Course/Habitrail is perched on a picnic table, right in front of the office entrance. You can’t miss it when you walk in.

The Squirrel Obstacle Course in an early phase. That’s a squirrel in the cantilevered tube on the right.

As you can see it’s made from used drink bottles and cardboard boxes. And a LOT of tape.

It’s my pride and joy.

A later phase of the squirrel obstacle course where a second story has been added. PeeWee is seen entering the first box.

People come to the park and stop before going inside to wonder at the odd arrangement of plastic tubes (the bottles) and cardboard boxes all wrapped with too much packing tape.

Squirrel Obstacle Course with newly-added extension. Pregnant PeeWee is inside the newly-extended tube going between boxes one and two.

They ask, ‘What’s inside?’ or ‘What are you trappin’?’ This is Texas after all, so their first thought is that it’s a trap. Naturally.

I then explain the wonderful-awesomeness that is the Squirrel Obstacle Course/Habitrail.

It’s at this point that most people regard me with a blank stare as if to wonder of my sanity. Then they utter, ‘Huh’ while walking away, shaking their head. (This really does happen often.)

Some are actually brave enough to say that I’m probably not all that sane. (There’s no holding back in Texas.)

I agree with them. We all know I’d be lying if I said I was sane. And they don’t even know about this blog.

PeeWee and Jr. are the two squirrels brave enough to enter the squirrel obstacle course. They are both seen in the above video compilation.

In the most hilarious, laughter-filled moment I’ve had in months, Rocky, who usually tends to be smart and savvy when encountering my squirrel enrichment program (aheh-heh), ventured into the obstacle course/habitrail. Upon entering the first box and beginning down the long tube in between, he immediately became spooked and ran at hyperspeed to the second box, rather than back out the way he came.

He then became very confused, scrambled around and around in the second box, and kept trying to go out the cantilevered end (an obvious dead end). Finally, he re-entered the (only other) tube back to box one and then ran out the door tube. This lasted about one to two minutes and it was the best laugh I’ve had in a very long time. Unfortunately, I did not have the composure at that moment to get video, but I laughed for days.