A Little Squirrel Therapy (and other things)
If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a year you’ll remember we lost our beagle, Amstel, in January of last year. It’s been extremely tough not having him around. After all, Amstel was with my wife and I almost from the beginning of our lives together.
The easy choice would be to get another beagle but we decided it wouldn’t exactly be fair to the dog. We’re in this sort of limbo right now in our lives where we’re hesitant to get another dog because we have some pretty extensive traveling planned for the near future. Once our international travels are done we’ll get a camper van or RV and the new doggo will be by our vagabond sides 24/7.
So, since we can’t get another beagle right away we’ve found a compromise, squirrel therapy. We’ve been visiting the park behind our condo building since last October and feeding the squirrels walnuts. It’s such senior citizen-ish behavior but it’s been fun and it somewhat fills the void. We’ve discovered a whole cast of squirrel characters in the park— Capone (named after the gangster who always has a mean expression on his face), Mama (she had two litters of babies last year), Speck (who was the smallest squirrel we've ever seen) and the true star of the show, Magoo.
https://youtube.com/shorts/QYvczbQtQ1I?si=-QMqsCwbLslItau4
The squirrels know us so well now we only have to whistle and ten or twelve of them come running. Magoo, named after Mr. Magoo, a popular cartoon character from our childhood), is mostly blind (as you can tell from the cataracts on his eyes) and is the friendliest of the bunch.
As soon as Magoo hears my whistling he pops out of his hole in the tree and makes a beeline for us with both front paws out, feeling for the toes of our shoes so he can put himself into a prime proximity to get first dibs on the walnuts.
As silly as this sounds it’s become one of the highlights of our day. Nature never fails to impress me with its ability to heal and to teach.
Rabbit R1 Update
I wrote about the wildly popular Rabbit R1 AI assistant a few weeks ago and am on the list to receive one later this spring. So far they’ve sold out of six batches of 10,000 of the devices, which is very impressive for a start-up.
Shortly after I placed my preorder I joined the company’s Discord channel. Many of the developers of the device are active in this Discord as well. It’s been so interesting to see how open they’ve been to listening to the feedback from their customers and integrating some of these ideas into the device before rollout. I haven’t been this excited for a new piece of tech since the first iPhone dropped in 2007. After I receive the R1, which should be in April or May, I plan on replacing my iPhone with it for a week and writing about the experience. It should be an interesting experiment.
Yet another reason to look forward to spring!
Spreading the Muse (I'm Active on Medium Again)
I’ve had a Medium page for almost a decade but just recently decided to start becoming active on there again. As long as Hive is still around it’ll always be my primary blog but figured a little diversification to reach different audiences isn’t a bad thing. If you’re on Medium and like my content please give me a follow on there (here’s the link).
All for now. I hope you're having an amazing start to your week. As always, thank you for reading!
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Let’s Keep In Touch
Yes i am reading your blog form past 1 years and i can feel your sorrow you have for your dog, I am agree with your decision to not have another, because as you have described you have a long travel coming up. Now this squirrels has become your freind
it's shocking for me that they listen to your whistle, I think they love to eat peanuts? am i right?
After spending time with them they're more like dogs than I ever imagined. They even recognize our vehicle sometimes when we pull up to the park. They like peanuts but we usually feed them walnuts.
Yes, I remember and I wouldn't pet any other animal after losing beloved one.
It takes quite a while to recover.
Hello, @ericvancewalton
Yes, losing a four-legged friend, cat or dog, is very painful. It is a pity that his life is not coupled to ours, and we have to watch him grow up to die. Those of the squirrels, I'm impressed. Nature has many surprises in store for us.
On another note, I hope you enjoy the new device when I receive them in the spring. I will look forward to your review of the Rabbit R1.
Well, after your travels and the purchase of the motorhome, I hope you and your wife enjoy a new canine friend, of course, it won't replace the old one, but it will surely give you new joys.
Greetings.
Thank you!
Lovely 😍
Very cute. Once a time, we also have a rabbit which was died accidentally. He was eaten the poisonous feed and after many hours, when we realized that its not between us, I saw it in my room and it was died. Pets are always cute and we should take care of them.
Sorry to hear about your rabbit!
Man, I can't believe it has been a year already. That has to be a little bittersweet to realize it's been that long but also feel like it was just yesterday. I am sorry. I agree with your thinking though. I think my wife and I will be in a similar situation when the time comes. It will likely be quite some time before we get a dog again. I look forward to hearing your experiences with the Rabbit. I saw it was one of the hottest gadgets at the recent CES show in Vegas.
I know! The one year anniversary was a week ago already. Thank you, @bozz. It's definitely tough to let them go but everything they add to our lives makes it well worth the pain of losing them. I hope you have Jovi for a long time to come. Yes, I think Rabbit came in at just the right price point to make their gadget catch fire. It'll be fun to play around with. I don't see it replacing my phone indefinitely but it sure will be a fun accessory.
This squirel is infinitely cute : )
We're afraid he's going to want to come home with us soon.
It's a pity you lost Amstel after being used to him for a long time. Maybe with a little luck you may yet find him. Nevertheless the squirrel therapy you've started is a good substitute and sounds equally interesting. I hope it gives you all or most things you would have gotten with Amstel around. Thanks for sharing and have a nice day, @ericvancewalton.
Thank you!
Awww, those squirrels are so well fed lol, they will survive the winter in good form! As much as you're enjoying visiting them on a daily basis, I know they cannot possibly fill the void left by Amstel. When your international travels are over and you choose another furry friend, you will fall in love all over again. Amstel will never leave you nor will he be replaced. I like to think he will be so happy that you are not lonely for four legged company any longer. Silly, I know, but that's how I deal with the loss of beloved pets. I love your squirrels :D
Magoo looks like a sumo wrestler. : ) They don't totally fill the void but we sure have enjoyed visiting with them and learning about them. They're so much smarter than I ever imagined. A few of them even recognize our vehicle now. It'll be fun to bring a new beagle into the family some day. If I were to venture a guess I think we'll be ready in 3-4 years.
Maybe you can make some squirrel friends in the other countries you plan to visit. They may not understand you though, unless you speak the language lol. If you do, take pictures so we can see the Squirrels of the World!!
Funny, maybe the whistle is their universal language!
It is a fact that when a person keeps an animal for a long time and falls in love with it, and then when it leaves, then it becomes very difficult for a person to live without it. reminds him and that is why we have seen that you have not kept the dog again and because of this man becomes very sad and worried sometimes and the way we see that this thing is We used to see it on top of the trees and it is very nice that it comes to you and sits here and you feed it, that is the special love of humans and animals.
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Thank you! I hope you're having a good week!
Sharing on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/djbravo121741/status/1752054414368559441
And now I must check what a Rabbit R1 (was it) is. Sounds intriguing. Especially if it can replace an iPhone 👀
I love your story about the squirrels. :D
Totally relate. Those are my favorite moments as well. Animals make everything stop for a while and, suddenly, you're just right there in the moment.
Yes. Perhaps senior moments 😆
But really... that's when that childlike joy and wonder kicks right back in 💕 Best ever.
I've also been missing having my dog around. Life seems far emptier but I also don't know what the future holds so yes.
I pet random stranger's dogs as I walk, instead.
Oh. I'll find you on Medium. But I don't spend much time there myself. I do know one writer who was hired to curate content for an okay monthly income for a few hours work a week. But as for earnings, I haven't seen any actual success for writers over there.
And a saw a few who get quite a lot of "claps". Perhaps this will save you some time. :)
Still.. I also figure more exposure is always better. And more connections etc. And different content works better for different audiences. And different communities. Naturally.
And there are some really lovely humans and good writers there! I tried to lure them here. One did join but left after a bit. Hes actually the guy that got picked uo by Medium to curate actually. Chris
I'll introduce you on there 👍🏾
Thanks Nicky! The R1 is pretty amazing gadget from what I've seen online, the jury is still out if it can fully replace a mobile phone but that's what I intend to figure out.
The squirrels really have been therapy for us but do make us feel about 15 years older than we are. : ) Just a little glimpse of senior citizenship, I guess. We have a few dogs in our condo building and take advantage of surrogate dog pets whenever we can.
Yeah, that's why I initially left Medium around 2015. There was never much interaction and zero pay. I'm just recycling the content I make here on Hive and elsewhere and posting it on there. Exposure is mainly the reason I'm resuming there.
Oh cool, I'd appreciate the introduction. I like some of the content too but most of the good stuff is behind a pay wall now. I'm thinking of maybe subscribing at the basic level, I think it's like $49 a year or something.
Well kids also stop and pet animals so I'm staying young, thanks! :D
Yes to Medium. I'll pop on there now.
Scuzzbucket (Franco) is a lovely, supportive community - poetry. And Mike is hilarious and a genius, actually. Writer. He won't budge though. Despite him bitching about the pay.
But yes to the paywall. I'm not going to subscribe again yet. I can't afford it :) You'll probably find folks won't support you as much if you don't though. Just Human nature and all that. So it makes sense if you want to grow your audience. But most of your audience on there are actually writers. Same with me. Old content from here goes there.
I do miss some of the connections over there tbh, I'd subscribe again if I could afford it. But reading time... 😅
I was just looking at my stats on Medium and no one is going to get rich on there. I received a whopping $.23 for 35K reads. It's a stark reminder of why Hive is my main blogging jam. I'll be sure to check out the poetry community you mentioned. It might be fun to get involved in that.
Yep. It's corporate. And a business. The house always wins 👍
Best you can hope for is to get tons of followers and they may pay you a bit to find new authors and curate
We had to evacuate the village randomly yesterday because of massive fires. Now in Cape Town so will head to medium now and connect anyway. I don't spend much time there anymore, personally. I think one has to hone because there is so much online now. I do it for the passion but, since I'd like to do it full time and live off it, I focus where earnings and good people are now. Good people on Medium. Stupidly low earnings for the effort and content creation.
Plus your content will get ripped off by the bigger authors over there.
Well kids also stop and pet animals so I'm staying young, thanks! :D
I'll pop on there now.
Scuzzbucket (Franco) is a lovely, supportive community - poetry. And Mike is hilarious and a genius, actually. Writer. He won't budge though. Despite him bitching about the pay.
But yes to the paywall. I'm not going to subscribe again yet. I can't afford it :) You'll probably find folks won't support you as much if you don't though. Just Human nature and all that. So it makes sense if you want to grow your audience. But most of your audience on there are actually writers. Same with me. Old content from here goes there.
I do miss some of the connections over there tbh, I'd subscribe again if I could afford it. But reading time... 😅
Losing a pet you love can be so sad…
I send my sympathy
I appreciate it!
Really interested to hear about your experiences with the R1.. If you remember drop the link on one of my posts when you write about it.
Doggos are big voids in the world when they leave. 😭
Yes, I'll definitely let you know how it works out. Some of the videos the developers are sharing in the Discord are absolutely mind blowing. It's like ChatGPT with eyes (camera) and ears (microphone). The things it can learn with just the camera are insane.
You can say that again! Sometimes I can't believe how much I miss him.
My folks had a kelpie that was sooo intelligent and part of the family. Twenty five years ago it disappeared at eight years old. We think someone stole it. Dad still uses her name as part of his passwords and still talks about it like a lost child. Dogs are God indeed.
That's how Amstel was, just like our child. We grew especially close to him once we quit our day jobs in 2017. They are the purest of souls aren't they? I believe they're here to teach us.
Last autumn I was sitting in the study writing one morning when I noticed a squirrel kept coming back to the same part of the garden to bury acorns in the lawn. It made more trips than I could keep track of over a period of perhaps two hours. Reading your post reminded me that as yet I haven't seen it return to retrieve any of its stash. Either it has met a sad demise or is still working its way through another stash, which may mean I will end up with a lot of little seedlings in a month or two.
We've noticed that once the squirrels in our park have their fill they start burying the nuts. We seem to think this might be a sort of communal behavior on their part for the greater good. It seems like they randomly bury the nuts maybe never even expecting to be the one to uncover them. They have an extremely good sense of smell and I think they can find them pretty easily. Fascinating little creatures they are!
Hehehehe that’s quite a name, I can imagine how they all assemble right after you blow the whistle😂😂 this must be quite the sight!
I'll make a video one of these days. We walk to the base of the tree where 3-4 of them are nesting inside, I whistle, and all of them pop out. Once that nest is woken up the rest of the squirrels in the park come running too.
I'm sorry for your loss 😔
I never heard of squirrel therapy before but any activity really is good to keep you busy after losing a four-leg friend...
Thank you! It's really helped to connect with nature.
It actually takes a while to move on and pet another animal after losing one that is close to oneself
Your squirrel therapy sounds like a touching and unique way to fill the void left by Amstel. It's fascinating how Magu, with his magical quirks, became the highlight of your day. Also, I'm excited to hear about your expectations for the Rabbit R1 AI assistant and your plans to share the experience—sounds like a tech adventure to look forward to!😄
Just read your post and and find about your loss. Yes, you are right the love between humans and animals are natural. They both are thirst of love.& you are seeking your heal in innocent squirrel. feeling sad for your loss.
It seems like just the other day that you lost Amstel, a year already!
I'm glad that you're having senior citizen-ish fun with the squirrels😉 They are so cute! We don't have them here, but our friend @papilloncharity and his wife live in the Western Cape and used to have loads of fun feeding squirrels.
I remember you writing about the R1, sounds super exciting, and great that the developers are so responsive on Discord! I look forward to reading about your 1 week experiment, and I need to go and take a look at Medium, a number of Hivers are active there.
Have a great week further Eric.
Time goes by so fast. I miss so much about our daily routine. We didn't see any squirrels in Ireland either!
I can't wait to try the R1 out. My birthday's in June so it'll be an early birthday present for me. : ) I'm such a gadget geek. I can't wait to see how it will integrate with the Tesla.
Medium is interesting but, unfortunately, it's another example of a company taking advantage of content creators. I have a post on there that's had 35K views and I've made $.23 in revenue. It's criminal.
Thank you Lizelle! Enjoy your week as well.
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Whether it's people passing away or an animal we love, it cannot be forgotten for the rest of our lives
I read your post on the Humane.AI Pin and Rabbit R1. Definitely looking forward to your review aka new journey experimenting with the "rabbit" ;) Followed you on Medium. I use my website and Hive as primary sources and I import my posts to Medium using Hive.blog as importing from Ecency or PeakD doesn't work. Oh, and I love squirrels. In London they are everywhere; I guess the biggest community resides in the St. James's Park 😊
Thank you, Kris! I'm doing the same thing. Hive will always be the primary source for my blogging. Do you live in London? We were there in 2019 and loved it. We spent the afternoon in Kensington Park and fed the parrots.
My business hub is in London. Love the city and its vibes (well, only in certain areas ;)
Very nice. We spent ten days there in Covent Garden and really enjoyed it.
Hello, my friend. Despite the family problems I have, the squirrels made me smile. Thanks for sharing that video. It's beautiful how nature is full of amazing creatures. I could see Mr. Magoo too. When I was a child I was called that because I was born nearsighted. It will always be a pleasure to read you. Take care and a big hug.
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Losing a pet that has been with you for a long time is very painful. It would be a good idea for you to also try keeping a squirrel. But there is no other animal whose loyalty exceeds that of a dog. Have a nice day Eric.
Amen brother! Nature the great healer, always there for us.
Sorry to hear about Amstel. We have two dogs (both around 3 years old) It's impossible to imagine life without them, so I can imagine how tough it's been losing Amstel.
I love the names ye've come up with for the squirrels 🤣🤣 Capone and Magoo especially 🤣🤣
Thank you! I appreciate it. They definitely become part of your family. They're such a calming and loyal presence, a better friend that most humans are.
I lost two. so I can feel your loss.
I'm sorry. I've lost several in my life and it never gets easier.
Sorry to hear about your beagle. I had a cat I was pretty fond of that just didn't come home one day. It's never easy losing a pet. Squirrels are awesome. I remember being up in Yosemite in Curry Village, and I had some peanuts and a huge squirrel came up to me and I fed him out of my hand until he thought my finger was a peanut. Ouch that hurt lol.
Thank you! They become such a part of your family. That very same thing just happened to my wife! The blind squirrel we feed bit her finger. We worry about him because he came come across as aggressive but it's just the fact that he can't see. When he hears us he runs towards us at full speed and I can see someone else in the park who doesn't realize he's blind getting very freaked out by that.
You are welcome! And indeed they do become a big part of the family. Ouch! Yeah I could see others getting freaked out.