The Baby Nutt Chronicles: Baby Nutt says "Hello World!"

                                     The Baby Nutt Chronicles: Baby Nutt says, "Hello World!"

                                                       written by: Lisa Morgan   2/28/2017

Baby Nutt

It has been a rather warm February this year despite a few cold snaps that lasted a mere one to three days. Today was no exception with the mild temps, thus I decided to open the backdoor from my master bedroom leading to the veranda (that's back patio for those above the Mason Dixon line). My dogs had just finished their afternoon snack & were eager to stretch their legs while doing some business outside. The fresh air welcomed itself into my master bedroom & I was obliged to prop the door open with a chair, so the wind would not slam the french door shut, when I turned my back on it.

I noticed one of my tuxedo cats named Nemo scurry into my master bathroom. Nemo is a gentle giant of a cat, who is basically still a kitten although he is 18 months old. After maybe five minutes I noticed Nemo had an object he was playing with on the bathroom tile floor. Nemo stood next to what appeared to be a dead field mouse. It dawned on me that Nemo had scurried inside with a prize, which I was going to immediately dispose of properly. Nemo then scooped up the rodent with his paw & threw it on the floor. I saw it move slowly. I shooed Nemo away with my hands & I then eased closer to assess the situation. Upon closer inspection, much to my surprise the field mouse was an infant squirrel.

I gently picked up the squirrel with a clean washcloth. I observed there were no cuts, blood or visible injuries to the tiny light grey baby squirrel. My next move was to place a chenille blanket around the baby squirrel to warm him or her up, as the infant was cool to the touch. I told my husband & he immediately went to the most knowledgeable & nosy busy body on earth to get further information....Google. What do you feed a baby squirrel? How often do you feed baby squirrels? What formula do you feed a baby squirrel? Sol my husband had found a website www.squirrelnutrition.com  that had a wealth of information on the topic of rescuing, feeding & loving squirrels. Who knew? The all seeing all knowing busy body Google that's who knew. William Sells & Squirrel Haven Rescue many thanks to you, for your helpful information on squirrels. I read as much as I could on baby squirrels in between his first feedings.

Luckily we had whole milk, coconut oil in the house & my husband only had to purchase heavy whipping cream from the store. The formula is 1 cup whole milk, 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream 6-7 drops of coconut oil or about 1/2 teaspoon, then you heat all ingredients in a boiler on low heat until it starts to get frothy. You will need to stir often while cooking to keep the formula from scalding. Remove the boiler from the heat & allow it to cool to room temperature. As with a human baby you will need to test the temperature before placing the formula in a syringe to fee the baby. Never feed a cold baby squirrel You must have the squirrel warm before heading him/her.

I swaddled the baby squirrel & placed him/her in a pink milk crate atop a twin sized ivory colored chenille blanket. My brother had once raised a baby squirrel & he also gave me tips for the newborn. My next move was to heat up a bag of uncooked rice for a minute & then place the rice in a small cotton zippered pillow cover. It was warm & would bring the baby squirrel's body temp up & stabilize it, while I mixed & heated the milk recipe to feed the helpless creature. I mean how hard could this be to keep this helpless animal alive? You feed it, keep it warm, stimulate it as it's mama would to encourage it to move it's bowels & kidneys & you repeat. Wow I'm attempting to nurture this squirrel to save it's life. God please help me!

Baby Nutt being fed by syringe in my studio

Baby's need food, diaper changes, to be warm, to be held & loved. I can do this because in the past I have raised three kittens with eyedroppers, syringes & bottle until they were old enough to eat food. Surely this could not be much different. I know the routine of 2 hour feeding around the clock & setting my alarm to wake & feed the kitten or in this case squirrel. Luckily for the squirrel I don't sleep more than two to three hours at a time nightly, without waking to the urge to go potty, thanks to menopause & being just slightly over 45. Whatever...I'm 53 but I digress from the story. I can handle this responsibility of keeping the new edition to the Morgan funny farm alive. Our animal menagerie just grew by one more. Lord above please guide me & bless this baby squirrel to survive.
I decided that if we named the infant, then we would be attached to it, as if I weren't already at first sight. Since the mama squirrel never showed back up, we named the new edition "Baby Nutt" & it appears he/she may be a boy. Baby Nutt gripped my finer as I fed him, while I sat on the floor of my art/writing studio; afterwards he slept until the next feeding.

I repeated the routine to heat up his pillow of rice, heat his formula & allow it to be warm to the touch before attempting feeding number two. As I picked up Baby Nutt he screamed at me like a puppy or kitten would, which I took as a sign of determination & possible hunger. I fed him but he was not as eager to eat as he had been initially. Despite Baby Nutt's less than receptiveness to feeding number two, I proceeded slowly urging him to finish his 2 cc of formula. I cradled him in my cupped hands to give him security & warmth. Oddly enough I gently swayed him like I would a baby, then I kissed his tiny head, after which I placed him on the warm rice pillow & covered him back up with the chenille blanket. Day Three I remembered that I had a heating pad in my bedroom dresser drawer. I placed the heating pad on the lowest setting & replaced the warm rice bag with the heating pad. It did work better, but if you don't have a heating pad then the rice in a cloth bag will work. 2 cc- 3 cc every 2-3 hours around the clock until baby is 4 weeks old then he/she will up the feeding amounts to 4-6 cc every 3 - 4 hrs until the baby's eyes open at 5 weeks of age. Then you can feed 8-10 cc every 4 hrs, but the baby will vary slightly with amounts but 8- 10 cc is average. If baby wants more to eat then allow him/her to eat these are suggested amounts to make sure baby does not get dehydrated & is healthy.

How weird is this that just as I was wondering what do with my afternoon today, God gave me the answer. Today you will do your very best to save the life of an infant squirrel. Now here we are at sunset with Baby Nutt resting in his pink milk crate in my art/writing studio. Well I suppose that's the way life goes. We never know from one minute to the next what will happen. We can make plans, schedule appointments but life will intervene to remind us that we are not ever in control. I'm fine with he acceptance of God's plan over any idiotic plan I had. Life is about to get more interesting with the addition of Baby Nutt.

 I wonder if Baby Nutt likes music. After all Sol is a musician & I listen to music everyday in my studio, while I'm cleaning house, in the car or outside in my backyard. Music soothes all creatures large & small, so it would make logical sense that Baby Nutt would enjoy some music turned down low. Let's try my favorite stand by album Laid Back by Gregg Allman, as the beginners introduction into music for Squirrel 101.

Apparently Baby Nutt either is enjoying the blues music or maybe his ear are not open yet or possibly he's deaf, but either way he is sleeping as the Laid Back CD is playing. Who knew Baby Nutt was a blues fan? Just call #BabyNutt the Allman Joy Nutt...LOL, then again maybe it's my way of justifying listening to the Laid Back album yet again. It relaxes me what can I say? I'm going to put on some Etta James music to see how Baby Nutt responds. Nobody sings the blues like Gregg Allman, Ms. Etta James, Marvin Gaye or Ray Charles. After Etta finishes "At Last", I'll have Ray Charles sing few tunes. Does that sound nuts?

If anyone has ideas, tips or stories to share on their experiences with rescuing, saving or raising infant squirrels please let me know by adding them to the comments or adding them to my Twitter @thebeachwife  & use the hashtag #babynutt to your posts or comments. I'm going to do my best to ensure this small furry baby has a chance at life. I appreciate all information that might assist me in nurturing Baby Nutt. Are squirrels supposed to be blues fan? Am I a little squirrel-ey? Maybe so! Stay tuned for the next installment of the Baby Nutt Chronicles.

 Thank you for taking your time to read this blog,
Lisa Morgan
Author of the reality check humor book "Get Beach Slapped" available on Barnes & Noble, Google play, Amazon & other book outlets. Download the ebook. Follow my Twitter page @thebeachwife

#RT #squirrels #BabyNutt #EttaJames #RayCharles #GreggAllman #animalrescues #author #blog #life #funny #farm #nuts #MarvinGaye

SoulShine on Valentine's

                                                           Soulshine on Valentine's

                                                    written by: Lisa Morgan   2/13/2017

 Link below is to SoulShine by the Allman Brothers Band, quite possibly the best band ever!

https://youtu.be/pDIQ7Otf1mw 

Valentine's Day was a day created to shame men into buying flowers, candy, jewelry & cards for the women they adored or lusted after. The St. Valentine's day massacre was a lousy day for those men who got whacked at Capone's behest. Let's put it in perspective folks. Don't get depressed, stressed out over it...it's a Tuesday. I quit stressing over holidays a few years ago because it's not worth the hassle of expectations, emotional roller coasters. Here's some sage advice for you: Feb. 14th 2017 is a Tuesday, so be kind to each other & at the stroke of midnight on the 14th, it will be Wednesday the 15th, don't stress just live & let live.

Do not allow society to dictate when you say I love you, or spend time reminiscing, or sharing time with the one you love. If you are alone, then know that it is better to be alone than to be in a bad relationship. Spend time doing something you enjoy or doing nothing but being still. Call Valentine's Day the day you do something nice for yourself. Life has too much stress, don't allow society to place even more pressure on you.

Take a walk, look for the beauty around you, adopt a dog or cat from a shelter or rescue. Animals give love 365 days a year & do not care if you have a bad hair day, gain weight or if you have bad breathe because animals have those issues too, but the difference is they love unconditionally. We humans could learn from the animals. If you have someone special in your life, tell them they are special & not just because society says you have to do so on Feb. 14th or else you're a loser. Give yourself a break. Hey fellas before you ask me, yes you should forward this or share it with the lady you love, so she can get pissed at me for being honest. (giggles)

The link below is for Queen of Hearts by Gregg Allman from his first solo album Laid Back. Do yourself a favor & buy the CD. If you listen to the songs on this blog & you're not moving, then honey you might just be dead.   (Queen of Hearts by Gregg Allman)
                                                       https://youtu.be/iyrFpR59_vQ

   

 

 I prefer to listen to good music & unwind with memories. Neither of them cost anything unless you purchase new music. I personally listen to my trusted favorites, that I purchased on 8 tracks, then cassettes & finally CD's. I prefer my soulful southern rock & bluesy rock bands. Allman Brothers, Wet Willie, Little Feat, Tedeski Trucks, Boston, Bob Seger, Marshall Tucker Band, Lynryd Skynrd, 38 Special, Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Black Crowes, Marvin Gaye. I suppose I'm still searching for my elusive misspent youth. I've said it before, "looking for my misspent youth is like searching for an ice cube on the beach." I listen to the tunes I like & then unwind. If my husband falls asleep in his chair watching a TV that he has seen 4 times already & he snores too loud; then I say,"all is well as it should be in my home, no worries. I'll just kick back with a glass of tea & some Allman Brothers tunes. I don't sweat that which I can not control such as taxes, death, laundry or the weather.

Life is good indeed, life is very good. Spread some love." 

The link below is "Never Knew How Much" by Gregg Allman & I must say this is my favorite.

https://youtu.be/itnrjDZnM_E 

Take time to purchase a CD or Download an album  from the Allman Brothers or 

Gregg Allman & show your love for the boys in the band!

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog,

Lisa Morgan

Author of the reality check humor book GET BEACH SLAPPED

#GetBeachSlapped #RT #love #ValentinesDay #music #AllmanBrothersBand #GreggAllman #blues

#soulshine #AllmanBrothers #Boston #Bonnie Raitt

Signs at the Crossroads of Fear & Courage

 Signs at the Crossroads of Fear & Courage                            by: Lisa Morgan

Signs are supposed to guide us in the right direction. Signs can also be misleading, humorous or deceiving. Navigating a road to success can be complicated especially when you have misinformation guiding your path. Allowing fear to guide you cause you to be lost down a road of isolation coming to an intersection at the crossroad of fear & courage. When what you fear makes you angry, take that passion from the anger & transform into courage. Fear is a powerful weapon that an enemy can use to subdue you. You can also allow fear to hold you down in chains, when all you have to do to free yourself from the chains is to gain knowledge. Knowledge will break chains that bind you. You must be careful of where you obtain the knowledge for sometimes wickedness will fool you into thinking you are filled with knowledge & wisdom, when in fact you are pumped up with arrogance, pride & ignorance. Allow that which you fear to encourage you to have courage. The courage can then be used for good to defeat, whatever caused the fear. Be a person of great courage & not of anger or fear. Also remember that which you fear might not be so frightful if you research what it is that you fear. Inform yourself with knowledge not hearsay, but truth. The truth may open your eyes to see that which you feared may not deserve the fear, for there is nothing to fear.

A wise person knows knowledge is a powerful tool. The first key to wisdom is to revere the Lord God & from there you can start paving your pathway to wisdom. Acknowledging that you are not the center of this vast universe is key to being a wise person. Humbling yourself is not a bad thing but an empowering thing., You see if you put things in perspective realizing how insignificant you are as an individual among all the creations God has created, then you are humbled, thus you can out your pride aside & hear God, wherein comes the beginning of wisdom. Sit on top of a mountain & look out at the valley below or rest your weary bones onto a secluded beach to gaze out upon the ocean, then if you should feel how small you actually are in the scheme of things. Those who think they are on top of the world have a hard day of reckoning coming, when they realize that world that sat upon was nothing but a spinning wheel. Spinning wheels blowout from time to time leaving you stranded. Be aware of those who speak of everything you want to hear, that tickle your ears with sweet nothings, because that is exactly what they speak of...nothing.

If you have ever felt helpless in a situation, where you could not help someone or save someone, then you know how powerless we as human actually are despite all of our arrogance. I will say that prayer helps me.  Everyone walks their own path in life. Sometimes we choose the difficult road that is winding with treacherous cliffs leading to dead ends, even though there was a straight path ahead which was a much easier path; it appeared to be boring, thus the more exciting path was chosen. The truth is even a straight & narrow roadway will have crossroads. The crossroads we face will all have consequences regardless of the choice & these are the lessons we learn from. If you are lucky to live long enough, you realize to learn from the mistakes of others, so you don't have to make those same mistakes yourself. When you waste time making mistakes that others before you have repeatedly made then you are being a fool. Life does not give us refunds on wasted time.

Dreams are a funny thing. Dreams can be a driving force or a nightmare. Dreams can become illusions or be prophetic. Dreams leading to aspirations, believing that you can achieve, achieving goals through hard work & seeing the fruits of your labor flourish is the reward you reap. Likewise if your dreams are lined with greed, envy, jealousy, sloth (laziness), pride; then inevitably what you have sown will be a crop of malcontent, anger, deceit more of the aforementioned greed, jealousy, sloth & pride. The viscous cycle of jealousy, anger, pride, sloth only lead to a nightmare negating any rest or peaceful dreams. Dare to dream but enact wisdom, courage, hard work to see those dreams come to fruition.

A garden does not flourish without being tended to with care. Briers, weeds or tares will suck the life out of everything they touch. You must be mindful to remove the briers, weeds/tares from your garden, otherwise you will have a brier patch. Briers & weeds always attach themselves closely to the living things around them to disguise themselves. Make sure your "Garden of Eden" is not transformed into a "Garden of Weeden", through fear, laziness, ignorance & deceit.

 I wanted to add one more tidbit of wisdom before I finish this post, be mindful not to post your Google Search to your Facebook status. The world may not be ready to know that much about you. Rest assured your next visit to church, the local watering hole or family gathering might never be the same, if you do make that mistake. Never look to me for wisdom, as I am constantly learning myself. I merely offer up life experiences, after making my own mistakes; you can do with the information what you will. Choice is a beautiful thing. Freedom is a powerful thing. When you combine knowledge, truth, choice & freedom, you have a fundamental cornerstone for building a foundation. America was founded in such a way. Let freedom ring, while never forgetting freedom is not free, there is always a cost to anything & everything in life, remember those crossroads I spoke of earlier, they come into play with choice. Here's to hoping each one of you has an interesting journey on your road to wisdom, keeping your eyes & ears open for truth.

Thank you for spending your time to read my post,
Lisa Morgan
Author of Get Beach Slapped, the reality check book.
#GetBeachSlapped #wisdom #quote #life #saltlife #freedom #dreams