fuzzy tailed rats

so we have this walnut tree in the back yard. and a pear tree too, but that's another story. because we are a veritable smorgasborg for rodenta, i get to listen to the little buggers squawking and husking and cracking walnuts from the time the walnuts ripen until the next year, when the walnuts ripen. in otherwords, these little buggers are noisy. and destructive. i've had the phone lines (that means my DSL line, most importantly) replaced because these critters ate the insulation off the wires. i was internet free for 6 agonizing days until the phone company figured out what the problem was, and then another 5 days until someone actually came out to fix the problem. i don't like these little dudes. but i do have to admit they have a certain "cute" factor in their favor. much cuter than the 'possums that raid the cat's food. about even on cuteness with the raccoons. but at least the squirrels don't rear up and challenge me when i catch them in the garage like the 30 pounder i interrupted breaking into the cat food storage container. that was interesting. anyway, here's a shot of one of the fuzzy tailed rats in my back yard, chowing down on a walnut.


click on picture for the whole shot, critter in situ in the yard.
damn squirrels. only thing they are good for is target practice with the bb gun, and my neighbor calls the cops every time she hears me cock the old red ryder daisy.