Accidental Critter Feast, or How I Lost My Dinner

As mentioned before, I spent Thanksgiving weekend with my parents and grandparents in the frigid Northland, otherwise known as the North Shore of Lake Superior.  Honestly, though, I don't think there can be much of a difference between there and the North Pole.

See?  I told you it was frigid.  There's even some deep
snow covering the trail to prove it!

I returned home to a nice and toasty 38 degree evening.

Yeah, you heard that right... toasty.  That's how freakishly cold it is up there!  I know, I know... those of you that are real Minnesotans think I'm overreacting.  I have one defense that trumps your argument, though:

Desert Girl!!!

Anyway, the morning after I got back to my house, I noticed that my backyard habitat was still providing critters with happiness.

How?

I accidentally left the two mini pumpkins from my Happy Thanksgiving post on the outside table.  One showed clear evidence of critter contentment.

My first thought was a simple one, reminiscent of Disney's Snow White:

"Oh, how nice!  I'm glad it made such a great dinner for some adorable little critter."

It was shortly followed up, though, with,

"Wait... That was supposed to be my dinner!!!  Noooooooooooooooo!"

True story.  I really was planning on using them.  Specifically, I was going to make pumpkin soup from their puree, then serve it inside the tiny pumpkins - ready-made serving bowls!  Yay!

That's kind of not happening anymore.  Oops...

The good news?  I can guarantee it wasn't a mouse that bit into it.  The tooth impressions were too large.  This leads me to believe it was a squirrel.  Specifically, the obese squirrel that I've seen around my yard.

No, really... 

It doesn't climb up trees... it waddles up trees.  You know when that squirrel, in particular, comes into the yard, because it sounds different from the others.

Louder.  Clumsier.

I really need to get a picture of him, but he seems to have some sort of psychic instinct that lets him know when I have a camera in my possession.

Someday, though... some day.