Baby Nutt Chronicles: This squirrel is nuts!

 Baby Nutt Chronicles: This squirrel is nuts!

By: Lisa Morgan

Baby Nutt

How do you feed a baby squirrel? You feed a baby squirrel with a syringe that you can purchase at a feed store, your local vet or possibly Walmart. The baby bottles may aspirate the baby & cause him/her to get fluid on their lungs & die. Be careful when feeding not to go too fast. My bay squirrel just had a birthday last Saturday. It's hard for me to believe Baby Nutt, my orphaned squirrel is almost 9 weeks old now. Where has the time gone? When Baby Nutt was 7 weeks old, I introduced avocado  pieces into his diet.along with the milk formula he drinks daily. It has been amazing to watch him grow from a tiny 3 week old squirrel with basically fuzz all over, into a rambunctious grey squirrel with a fluffy tail.


 He graduated from the small pet carrier, that he had been living in from the age of 3 weeks until 5 weeks of age, to a large pet carrier, in which he now takes up residence. It is a fully equipped squirrel crib with small tree limbs horizontally crossing through the holes on the sides; this makes a cross hatch pattern, for Baby Nutt to climb & swing upon.  He discovered he could jump last week. My husband yelled at the TV & it startled Baby Nutt who went from being asleep to leaping straight up in the air & hitting his little head on the top of the pet carrier, with a resounding thud! It was funny, but it felt bad for Baby Nutt, who appeared to be shaken for a moment. He shook it off like a trooper & it was at that moment Nutter Butter had an epiphany! He realized he could jump. Well suffice it to say he has gone form being a baby squirrel to a teenage spider monkey. He's bouncing off the walls literally.

Baby Nutt eating avocado.

Baby Nutt has also become quite affectionate. He has been smelling me from the beginning but last week when he started running across my arms, up & down my back; he began approaching my face to dole out mini kisses upon my nose or my cheek. Twice this week he decided it would be exciting to climb to the tallest part of Mom, my head. Luckily, I keep my hair up in a hair clip when I tend to him or let him out to play in my office. No he does not roam free in my office, unless you consider him scaling me like a mountain climber, to be roaming free.

It is quite amusing to see him shaking the door of the pet carrier. I give Baby Nutt a voice, so that when he shakes the pet carrier door I yell,"Attica, Attica!" Baby Nutt always looks at me as though I'm nuts. (Pun intended.) It's always interesting down here on the Funny Farm. A good example of the chaos, is when I stepped out on my front porch to feed the stray cat Pops, that apparently has adopted us, that's when I was startled by the opossum who I thought was just passing by last fall. He's twice as big as he was in the fall, so I'm assuming he has been eating cat food for months from the porch, thus his size. Cats, dogs, a squirrel & a opossum oh my! Like I said, "Funny Farm". Sometimes I feel like I've been transported back 50 years to an episode of the TV sitcom "Green Acres" & it extended into the next TV sitcom "Beverly Hillbillies" only without the uber oil wealth. (giggling)

Baby Nutt the messy eater with avocado & carrots scattered about.

Until we meet again at this same blog, have a blessed week. Remember no matter how chaotic your life is, at least you're not living on a Funny Farm & there is always someone less fortunate than you, with much less than you are blessed with. If you have your health you're a wealthy person indeed. God bless!

Thank you for spending your time with me,
Lisa Morgan
Author Get Beach Slapped
Muse at Maxim Chic Media

#RT #MAXIMChicMedia #squirrel GetBeachSlapped #cats #dogs #farm #health #pet #funny #porch #BabyNutt #author #blessed #blog #greenacres #beverly #hillbillies #TV #sitcom #wealth #babysquirrels #farm

My Swinging Past

                                                              My Swinging Past                                  3/1/2017

                                                          written by: Lisa Morgan

As a child I used to sit with my maternal grandmother "Granny" swinging to & fro watching the grass grow or so it seemed to me at the time. My Granny was a Poarch Creek Indian lady of small stature, although she was larger than life itself to me. I'd brush my Granny's salt & pepper colored hair & she'd regal me with stories of the past. She'd talk & I'd listen, which for anyone who knows me was quite the feat, for me to listen & not chime in, nonetheless that is exactly how it happened. Granny was very near & dear to my heart. I remember the last time I saw her she was swinging on the front porch & telling me she wouldn't be around much longer. She had a premonition & her life was filled with premonitions that came to pass, as did this last one. Granny was a gentle soul, a kind woman, a tolerant woman & a God fearing woman who loved her family.

The reason I told this backstory to you is because it was a everyday occurrence in my Granny's life to swing to & fro in her old porch swing with the chipped paint. It wasn't until I was writing my book Get Beach Slapped a couple of years ago that it dawned on me why Granny loved swinging on her front porch. I was sitting on my back porch or lanai for those who prefer a more colorful term for porch, anyway I was doing absolutely nothing suffering from writers block when it occurred to me how peaceful it was just to be still. I rarely am ever still much less quiet so for me to be both simultaneously was quite miraculous & yet there I was at peace. I began watching the birds tending their nests while singing a happy tune. The squirrels were scampering from tree to tree forging for food & chirping at one another, as if it were a choreographed. I noticed the bees being chased by dragonflies, while my cats were mesmerized by the dragonflies. My dogs would occasionally chime in just to make their presence known. It was as if an entire orchestrated musical was playing out in front of me, quite the comical musical I might add. I wondered if one of the squirrels might be the mother to my orphaned squirrel Baby Nutt. I suppose I'll never know.

Why had I not noticed this before? How simple it was to stop, to do nothing but watch quietly & learn. I hearkened by to the days of simplicity with my Granny sitting, listening & watching. Granny's escape from the stresses of her day was to sit, swing, watch & listen. I suppose I'll never truly know what she was thinking about as she would sit gazing at her yard. I was too young to understand what being an adult entailed or better still what being an aging adult entailed. I was young, vivacious, ignorant beyond belief, filled with wonder & love for my Granny. She never was too busy for me though she was a hard working woman. She never was too tired to talk to me even though looking back now I see how exhausted she was at the time. She had a gentle voice, a forgiving soul, a humble woman indeed. Granny's swing was her sanctuary, her escape, her solitude where she would be still & unwind.

It reminds me of the bible verse Psalm 46:10 "Be still & know that I am God....". I believe my Granny was appreciating the many wonders of God's hands, the beauty, the enormity, which gave her humbleness. I wanted nothing more than to become wealthy one day to buy my granny a big house & take care of her, but it was not to be since she died early one morning, while visiting my Papa at the hospital where he was suffering from a concussion & broken collarbone; after a fall from atop a barn he was painting. Don't ask it's a long story, much longer than this blog. So my Granny passed away one month before my 18th birthday & I never bought her a big house, but never expressed a desire for anything, other than what she had each day.

Granny taught me to be still even though it took 35 years for the lesson to sink in. I never claimed to be Einstein. My Daddy's birthday will be coming up in April, he would have been 77. Daddy died at age 67. My Granny passed away at 65, so forgive me if I get a little melancholy over an old porch swing with chipped paint. My desire these days is to obtain a porch swing, whereby I can swing to & fro doing nothing, while gazing at the awe inspiring creations of God's hands. I guess I'm a much humbler woman than I realized. Maybe I'm a bit more like Granny than I realized. Thank you God! It's time to feed Baby Nutt. Life is filled with miracles everyday, if we only be still long enough to enjoy them.

Have a blessed week,
Lisa Morgan
@thebeachwife on Twitter
author of Get Beach Slapped www.getbeachslapped.blogspot.com

MAXIM Chic Media - social media management:
maximchicmedia@gmail.com
850-520-5040 MAXIM Chic Media team

 Always remember John 3:16

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