Squirrel on the Prowl

Last night the contractors removed most of the scaffolding outside of the stretch of building that includes my office and those rooms adjacent to it. In the process they seem to have stranded at least one young squirrel in the pillar between the windows of my colleague's office.

When a lone squirrel on the window ledge was brought to my attention I scoffed at it and went back to work. After all, the squirrels are quite capable of climbing the brickwork of our school. Surely it could find its way down.

Half an hour later I was roused from my work by cries of alarm from next door. Somehow, the squirrel had entered the office through the closed windows and was prowling around the office looking for a way out. It jumped to the floor, wandered under my friends desk and conference table and looked like it wanted to cross to my office and the yarn stash. Gasp!

I took action, stepping in to the infested office, garbage can in hand. I closed the door behind me while the window was opened by another occupant of the room. As I slowly moved in the direction of the squirrel it thought better of its actions and found the exit. Phew!

Personally, I think it was looking for some cardboard on which to build the house it is designing with the wood taken from my window frame and the glue that was subsequently snatched. Yesterday, it, or one of its brethren, entered the Main Office and poked around for a bit before leaving, empty pawed.

Tomorrow should be interesting. When I left work, the contractors were hard at work removing my old, wood-framed window from its opening. When I return in the morning, I will find a brand new, metal framed window in its place. No more staring at squirrel gnawed wood. What are the poor squirrels going to do for amusement? What am I going to do with no squirrels to watch? Oh wait, I know! Work!