Memorial to all the orphaned or injured squirrels, around the world, whom the humans ignored out of ignorance, fear or lack of compassion.

Obligation

  They cannot ask for kindness
 or for mercy plead,
Yet cruel is our blindness
Which does not see their need.
World-over, town or city,
God trusts us with this task;
To give our love and pity
To those who cannot ask.

                            —Edgar A. Guest 
                                                                   

Memorial to all the orphaned or injured squirrels, around the world, whom the humans tried so hard to help, but in the end, could not save.

A Prayer for Animals 

  Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow;
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the autumn in the 
morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

  --Unknown

Memorial to all the orphaned or injured squirrels, around the world, who passed unseen and all alone.  May they have passed in peace.

  “The obligations of law and equity
reach only to mankind;
but kindness and beneficence
should be extended to the creatures
of every species, and these will flow
from the breast of a true man,
as streams that issue
from the living fountain.”

                     -- Plutarch (46-120 AD)

Fall 2002

  Your little squirrel life ended
just as it was beginning,
but in a short moment of time,
Sweet Little Girl Squirrel,
you were able to show us
just how easy it is to fall in love
with a furry-tailed tree-climber. 
We miss you and your rattling,
chainsaw chatter. 

     Thank you for honoring us with your too brief visit. 

     Thank you having let us meet you.

The Bradley's

On Walkabout

Our happy wanderer

Wherever your precious 
little feet have taken you, 
No matter how far you
might roam,
You will always have 
Friends and family here
Ready to welcome you home

                                       Mom & Dad

August 25, 2004

A gift
From God
Fallen from the bough of Grandfather Oak
Vulnerable
Resilient
Fighter

  In memory of Macho, so rightfully named after a prized fighter, Macho Camacho.  He came into our lives and we knew he was a fighter.  We were blessed to have had such a frail, little creature teach us the value of the lives of squirrels.  Quite misunderstood, these furry, little beings are and yet, now, so very loved and cherished by two people that will never look at squirrels the same again.  We miss you, Macho and we hope that from time to time you will visit us in spirit.

We all love you!
Sam & Aileen

September 14, 2004

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousands winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die.

- Mary Elizabeth Frye – 1932

I love you, Austin.  Thank you for having spent some of your little life with me.
~ Mom Sandi

September 30, 2004

Below is a memorial that has been two months in the making and has crossed state lines to get to where it needs to be.

Life is precious.
And in the State of Texas,
Life can be taken away.
Without cause.
Without due process.

Who can understand the joy of raising a squirrel from babyhood into young adult, releasing them back into the world, hoping they'll be fine, worrying about them getting caught in the rain and cold, wondering how they'll survive in this dog eat squirrel world?

Who can understand the joy of watching a baby squirrel suck milk from a syringe until it's satisfied, then curl up to sleep, all cozy and warm?

And who knows what bliss it is to hand feed a fluffy young squirrel, watching them clumsily grope for the nut and happily biting into their first solid food?

Who understands the gratitude in the eyes of a brain-injured squirrel, the docile sweet squirrel who trusts as a child trusts its caregiver?

Only a human being who truly loves …a human mother who has become a squirrel mother … a mama that baby squirrels and adult squirrels alike can trust, knowing that they are safe and loved. A caring being of light who is not daunted by the feisty or temperamental squirrel, and loves them just the same as the gentle and well-mannered.

This person of whom I'm speaking is Clarissa Summers - a true patron saint of the squirrel kingdom. She wants nothing but the best for her squirrels and for all squirrels. An expert in squirrel nutrition with a track record to prove it!

Note: Clarissa has successfully rehabbed over 2500 squirrels in the last 20 years.

Yet at the same time in our day and age, she is a rebel, a renegade going against the grain of conventional rehabilitators. She stands by the principals of sound nutrition and natural healing practices, feeding scalded milk with vitamin E added to infant squirrels as opposed to the artificial and chemicalized formulas advised by vets and rehabbers everywhere. This situation is really no different than pediatricians pushing baby formula on inexperienced young mothers who should be breastfeeding their offspring as Nature intended. How far have we strayed from Natural Law? How far have we diverged from common sense?

Have we as a society become so programmed by rules and regulations (it's illegal in the state of Texas to house or care for an injured squirrel) that we have lost the ability to act from our hearts?

Are we so much "under the spell" of capitalism and convenience that we choose what's easy to do over what is the most loving thing to do?

Clarissa cared for her squirrels as if they were her own human children. She nursed them from babies, and if they were not yet capable of release, would keep them until they were ready. The brain injured ones, the ones with paralyzed legs, or the blind ones - those that could not make it on their own, she was prepared to keep until they left this world naturally, in their own time.

However, on September 30 of this year, 50 squirrels were seized from her home upon verbal warrant and under the false charges of improper housing and failure to consult a vet. In "violation of the laws of animal cruelty", these 33 non-releasable squirrels, 15 baby squirrels and 2 flying squirrels were not only confiscated by the game warden, but soon after, their lives were terminated by the "Humane " Society. 50 innocent squirrels who our animal cruelty laws are suppose to protect, not murder! Have we learned nothing since the days of Nazi concentration camps? Where is our respect for all of God's creatures?

I grieve for those 50 squirrels and I grieve for Clarissa because I know the bliss of raising a squirrel from infancy to adulthood. I know that you can love a squirrel and they can love you back. No, there're not like cats and dogs that have been domesticated, but because squirrels are wild doesn't mean they don't feel love and reciprocate it.

I offer a prayer for Hootie, Ditsy, HoneyBear, Grassy, Pickle, Cappy, Silly Billy, Scutter, Skinnie Minnie the 2nd, Dolly, and all the other sweet angel squirrels (you know who you are). Thank You for all you have taught Clarissa and thank you Clarissa for all you have given to the squirrel kingdom and to us who share this love for squirrels.

May all these squirrel angels stay near you and nurture your heart until it's healed and it is time for them to return again to this physical plane. May they give to you the care and love you gave to them and may they be born in your very backyard in the coming years. God Bless You

In the words of our Lord
"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

"When all the trees have been cut down,
When all the animals have been hunted,
When all the waters are polluted,
When all the air is unsafe to breathe,
Only then will you discover you cannot eat money."
Cree Prophecy

Rev. Julie Anderson
a.k.a. Blue Planetary Monkey

October 2004

Oh, write of me, not 'Died in bitter pains,' but 'Emigrated to another star!'
~Helen Hunt Jackson  

Little darling precious Jack.
Your biggest crime was sneaking into your human parents' lives and stealing our hearts. Nature brought you into our lives for an all too brief moment of time, And nature took you back.

May you rest peacefully with your brother and watch over your sister Jill.

We love you always.
Mom Angie, Daddy Mike & Jill

December 5, 2004

It was a long road home, wasn't it, Bobo? I will always miss massaging your long skinny 'frog legs' and putting you to bed in your heated 'easy-bake squirrel oven.' Pet names for your long, unused legs and your bed with the heating pad. You were the baby Bryan and I could never have. You still are. How we love you! And how it wrenches us we can never again show you how much you mean to us. You were named with a super-tough Buccaneer in mind, and you went out fighting; we love you so dearly.

Mommy, Daddy
 & Ashleigh

2004 – 2005

A wonderful rat, and my first, he was quite the showman.  He loved to come up to the bars of the cage to get his head rubbed, he was quite the persistent rattie when it came to begging for food.  He greeted me first thing in the morning, he played with me until late at night.  Then a mass developed near his heart and lungs.  It depressed his organs, causing congestive heart failure.  While he recovered to a certain extent from that under veterinary supervision, the mass continued to grow and it lead to his untimely death.  Odd how his heart attack left a hole in MY heart.

Khufu on right, with his brother, Khafre

Some do not realize that all pets, no matter the type, breed, or background, are special.  When I first saw Khufu, I knew he was for me.  He was a wonderful first rat and he's started my new legacy of my own rat "colony". I miss his funny ways, but I know that he's in a better place. 

 I hope that he comes back to me someday.

 Love,
Mom
Brandy Stark

2003 – 2006

What a funny little man you were, Johnnie!

We will never forget your fearlessness when rough-housing with your twin brother Sidney and how the “jaws of life” had to come save you when you got hung up… or how you first showed everyone what a helicopter should really look like. How you loved to hitch a ride on the back of my jeans – holding tight to the belt-loop. The fun you had carrying nuts around like miniature footballs, pretending to be Mi tott! What a rowdy little guy you were!

We will never really understand what exactly took you from us, but only hope you understood we tried so hard to make you comfortable and feel warm and safe.

You will always, always live on in our hearts, and Sidney has missed his twin so very much.

We love you, Johnnie.

Always.

Mom, Dad and Ashleigh

July 2004 - October 2004

My Dearest Charley,

Momma just wanted you to know that I will never forget you and that I will miss you always.

You survived Hurricane Charley as a newborn pinkie and a horrible fall to the ground to only wind up under the blades of a mower. Minus a tail and little ant bites all over, you arrived at my house and I immediately fell in love with you! Through all the days of recovery to the moment you opened your little eyes I knew you were more special than any other of the babe's that Momma has taken care of in the past. Your brother CC and I miss you terribly and he still searches for you all the time. Please say hello to "Precious and "Ginger and Li'l "Peanuts" that have gone before you. I'm sure by now that God has given all of you a special tree to share and to be together in. You will see others that will know me as well because I have such a need to help all of you and to give you the love that your real little Momma's couldn't. I am just thankful I had the chance to know you and hold you for the brief time that we shared. CC and I just Love you to much and miss ya to pieces.

Momma

November 23, 2006

February 15, 2007

Set free, only to die.
The hawk fell upon you,
From above in the sky.
I watched in horror
It happened so fast.

Nature is beautiful,
But at times is so cruel.
Why were you chosen,
Little Boy?
So newly free.

Rest in peace little one.

 
Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

We Love You,
Both sets of Parents
Hoover and  Squiggy Miss You

January 25, 2009