Snow❄️Camp
“The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.”
Where are all the squirrels?
“The … squirrels work hard in the warm summer and early fall, gathering and caching cones and other good things for them to eat. Now, their work is finished for the year.”
Snow Camp
It was late one morning on November 2nd, and I was at Grandma’s desk doing my favorite, math lesson (Yuck!) As I worked on a problem, Grandpa came into the piano room where I was. I looked up at him to see what was on his mind. To my surprise, he asked if I would like to go with him to Cowboy Hank’s ranch.
I jumped at the chance! It did not take me half a second, or any thought to say, “Yes, when are we leaving!?”
“Whoa, Buddy!” Grandpa replied. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning and should be gone for about four days. We will be staying with Cowboy Hank and his wife. I do not want to impose on him by bringing the whole family along, so it will be just the two of us, this time.”
“My answer is still ‘Yes’! Can we go over to elk camp, too? I would like to visit my squirrel buddies and see how they are doing.”
“Blizzard, I think we will have enough time to go up to elk camp and look things over, but you are in for a big surprise,” Grandpa answered. “We will need to leave here very early in the morning so we can come into camp from the north side; then we can be on our way to see Cowboy Hank. It will take some extra time to travel up there, plus we will need an extra hour to check out camp; it should be educational for you. Now finish your school work and then pack some clothes. Don’t forget your little wooden box and the personal items you keep in it. Be prepared to dress very warm and have your good boots ready to load into the truck by this afternoon. If you need help, Grandma or I will assist you.”
Wow! I could hardly wait! I went to bed dreaming of our trip to elk camp, but it was odd when I woke up; I was in a sleeping bag on the back seat of Grandpa’s big, red pickup. I rubbed my eyes as I realized we were far from home and on our way to camp. “Where are we, Grandpa?” I asked as I climbed over the passenger’s front seat to sit next to him.
“We are about three hours from home, Blizzy. We should be at camp in another four or five hours. Put on your boots, as we need to stop for breakfast just a little farther down the road,” Grandpa replied. “In the back seat, there are some snacks and lunch, if you are very hungry.” I was doing well, but the thought of a big stack of pancakes, some sausage or bacon, and a big glass of milk, made my tummy start roaring!! “I will wait to have breakfast with you, Grandpa”, I replied.
As it always is, the trip was long, but this time it was different. The further we went, the colder it got. There was no warm desert sun that whole day, and as we went up the last mountain road, we started to see snow everywhere. As we continued up the mountain, the snow just got deeper. I was pleased it was not snowing right then, but the sky was sure gloomy. Before we got to our elk camp, Grandpa and I had to put the tire chains on the pickup. We did that just to be on the safe side. I prayed for safety as we drove up the mountain road. I think Grandpa did too.
When we finally arrived in mid-afternoon, I could hardly recognize the place. It was white everywhere. The trees were white. The ground was white, and even the pond near camp was white. The forest was also eerily quiet.
After putting on our heavy coats and wool caps, Grandpa and I started walking around. It was cold, but we had warm jackets to keep us warm. As we walked around in the snow, we saw a Camp robber (a species of bird) and a white “rabbit”. Grandpa said it was a Snowshoe hare. He told me they are brown in the summer, but turn white in the winter. That was amazing! We also saw a set of dog tracks in the snow, but Grandpa informed me those tracks were made by a coyote. He said they like to hunt the hares for their food.
I finally asked Grandpa where all the squirrels were. “Why aren’t they out running around and playing?”
Grandpa said, “The Douglas (Pine) squirrels work hard in the warm summer and early fall, gathering and caching cones and other good things for them to eat. Now, their work is finished for the year. They have hidden their food in several locations near their nests. They do a lot of sleeping in the winter, so in the summer they often cache their cones in piles of discarded cone scales, called “middens”. They also cache cones in bogs, springs, and other moist places so they will have an easy food supply for the winter and into the next year. It will last them until a new abundant crop of food arrives.
“Blizzard, do you remember watching the squirrels while we were elk hunting? You saw how they cut cones and how those cones dropped out of the trees. Then the squirrels would gather up their cones and carry them away in their mouth. Sometimes another squirrel would come and try to steal one of their cones. That was a NO-NO! The squirrel that cut the cone would then chase the suspected thief over the ground, along logs, and up and down the trees. The chase was on! They were faster than racing cars! You didn’t know where they’d end up. The suspected thief would try to run away while the owner of the cone would scold him unceasingly. They were a lot of fun to watch, but it was all business as usual for the squirrels.”
We hiked and looked around the frozen landscape for over an hour. After learning where the squirrels were, I told Grandpa I was getting cold. Grandpa said it was time for us to head to Cowboy Hank’s camp. “It’ll be dark within an hour, so let’s walk over to the truck and head back down the mountain. Knock off the snow from your boots before you get inside.”
While we were leaving my beloved campsite, I looked around for one last glimpse of the wonderful sight. I was glad and thankful for the squirrels who teach us much. “Grandpa!” I exclaimed, “What you told me about the Pine squirrels reminds me of something Proverbs 10:5 tells us. It says, ‘The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.’”
Dear friends,
I think we should all be a lot like the honest squirrels I saw in the forest.
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