Squoils = Squirrels, in particular Sciurus carolinensis (Eastern Grey Squirrel).

You know, those rodent like creatures that have fuzzy tails and dart in front of cars? Yeah, those guys. Squirrel issues have plagued my family for years. Example #1. Dad is now up to "Squirrel War XII," which is the never-ending battle of the squirrels trying to overtake his bird feeders. I think my family has gone through 30+ feeders, half of them jerry-rigged by Commander Dad to prevent the squirrels from stealing the birdseed. He even went as far as setting up one to deliver an electric shock if the squirrel sat on it. The squirrels then got smart and realized they could hang upside down from the pergola and eat the seed without touching the feeder.

Example #2. My sister once found a baby squirrel that had fallen out of its nest by the side of the road. Despite the fact he was crawling with fleas, he was actually really cute. We named him Miles. Poor, scared little Miles ended up getting rehomed with the Audubon center a few hours later, as Mom was NOT going to let us have a pet squirrel.

Example #3. While spending my short-lived semester at Mary Washington College, a squirrel (we named him Nutley - very creative) made his home on a tree branch squished next to my door room window. Normally that was OK, but he was a loud little guy and was trying to make Nutlets with his wife, so we ended up having to call maintenance to remove the branch.

Example #4. This photo is somewhat famous, as it made the Mary Washington campus newspaper and was subsequently posted on the newsroom wall. It's actually a great shot, I have no idea how I was able to get the depth of field thing going there, but I think having a subject that freezes in place helped.

My most recent encounter with squirrels involved my house. (Thanks to these guys, I almost broke my 21 year record of not peeing my pants when I found out firsthand they lived in the detached garage.) Anyway, the other day I went up to the attic to get something from my suitcase. I unzipped one of the outer pockets, and imagine my surprise when I found a small, neat pile of ACORNS sitting in there. I didn't know whether to scream or laugh. Either way, it was concrete evidence that there our friends are actually sharing this residence with us. Needless to say, the owner of those acorns is not going to be happy when he finds out his secret hiding place has been depleted of its stash and is now fully zipped shut.

(Of course, one of my roommates says, "You didn't LEAVE them there?! Now he's going to be hungry!")