EAGLETS NAMED -- SQUIRRELLY -- SCAMS--CONS

Bald  Eaglets – continuing saga......

The two fluffy little Big Bear Bald Eaglets written about in my most recent previous posts with links to this continuing live cam have been named – Cookie and Simba.   Names were submitted by the public, then selected by the Big Bear Valley 3^rd graders as reported on this Friends of Big Bear Valley site.

Mama Shadow feeds Cookie and Simla:   Oops!  Mama is Jackie and Papa is Shadow.

Squirrelly .....

My house had sudden fluctuating power outages once again about 10 P.M. one night earlier this week, like that previously described here.   Since electricity to only half the house was down again with all the same important appliances off as before, the outage proved to be as my electrician had previously indicated – “one leg is down”.  

My electric company did send someone out that night, after they called me again when I left it up to them whether or not someone needed to come since I had since regained full power.   The following morning more service men appeared, then informed me they would be replacing the line to my house, so would be on my roof.    

When they left after reporting having completed their job, I didn’t think quickly enough to ask what the problem was with the defective line or “leg”.   The truck with the cherry picker has yet to come to trim the trees as had been suggested earlier was needed.    

Thinking about all of this, I remembered the electrician’s weeks earlier speculations about a possible culprit other than the wind blowing in the tree branches causing my outages.  There was no wind the night of this most recent occurrence unlike before.   His suggestion had altered  the perception I had been indulging for many years that the neighborhood alleged creature culprit causing my power loss was “harmless --  merely attractive, cute and funny”.  

Reflecting now on a years ago experience, I recall I had previously heard rumors,  even “stories”  from others that should have given me pause.  When the offense actually happened to me, I’d never before been exposed to such behavior as occurred in that years-past weekend series of destructive actions.  But I tended to make allowances then for the attractive creature.   The episode did distress me enough that I initiated immediate action making the future environment totally unattractive and uninviting to him or her having now become a violating intruder.  

I should have noted more seriously what that one wily squirrel’s actions was telling me when after my several delightful strictly bird-feeding-only years he/she discovered my bird feeders.   The sock with nyjer or thistle seed for my yellow-feathered finches was shredded, the black seed spread all over the barren ground below.   Plastic portions of hanging feeders were gnawed open expelling all those sunflower seeds in the bird treat mix.   The feeders were so ruptured they could no longer be used. 

So it is that the delightful creatures I once rather enjoyed seeing from my patio performing their high wire act and other antics, that I’d also  pleasurably observed elsewhere through the years, I’m finally seeing more clearly who they really are -- the rose-colored film has lifted from eyes through which I had viewed them – my perception and attitude toward them changed.

I am disappointed but no longer disillusioned as to those agile squirrels’ capabilities and true selves --  and I don’t trust them – even if they do have lovely fluffy tails and their actions can sometimes evoke my laughter.  It’s that pesky “...red-furred sleek generalist from the East Coast, a fast procreator with an appetite for everything” that has invaded our So Cal area displacing our native gray squirrels described at SoCalWild.   Did those native eastern squirrels gnaw on one leg of my electric line?   I may never know.

The California gray squirrel displaced by the eastern invader red fox squirrel:

Words and actions......

I was reminded we can see who others are since they will show us by their actions -- if we just pay attention.  Objectionable behaviors can sometimes be excused as anomalies, but all too often they reveal character quality.   We need to not forget what we learn from such observations, but especially on the occasions they’ve caused us distress.  Our lesson best be to disassociate ourselves from the violator of civilized tolerant standards permanently, as quickly as possible.    

Perhaps crazy unpredictable antics are what draws in some human champions of such species  – allows these supporters to minimize, overlook or excuse the behaviors being demonstrated – dismissing  what they’re really about which is greedily taking others share for their own, dividing allegiances between those who see their true nature and those who don’t – the latter  likely having not yet experienced their destructive actions, mistakenly thinking they never will be subjected to them personally.

Do you suppose there might even be some parallels here with what’s occurring with our nation’s government and similar leadership in the world we’re navigating today?  

Scams and Cons ......

I don’t think Alexander Graham Bell anticipated this abuse of the phone system any more than some of our tech guys thought would occur with the Internet.  Always seem to be some individuals who have to introduce undesirable and exploitive elements into inventions that otherwise would be only beneficial to mankind.

Scams.....

The latest new phone scam I received was a message left on my answering machine informing me a collection agency was coming after me, so I needed to contact them post haste.  They were even brazzen enough to follow-up with a second call. 

Then...there’s that old standby in a call that just came again – “I’m calling about your computer.......”

and Cons.....

I was also treated to a con when I answered the phone recently to what proved to be a man representing himself as being with my electric utility company.    Given my recent power outages I thought this was a follow-up call of some sort.    I specifically asked if he was with the Edison Company to which he said he was.   He then proceeded to ask a question that told me he had just lied to me.  I asked again, directly, was he an employee of Edison and again he said “yes.”   I said, “You have just lied to me.   You’re selling solar.”   He stammered a few utterances, then abruptly disconnected before I could hang-up.      

I regret now that I did not first find out what company he represented so I could report this misrepresentation to the electric company, then call the solar company to tell them what happened and that I would never do business with them in the future plus would be alerting others to the same about their proclivity for dishonesty.  I only go to such lengths if I happen to not have other matters occupying my attention at the time.