Unexpected Groundhog

[rusty_armour]

I was at Edwards Gardens this afternoon when I had an expected encounter with a groundhog. I had managed to find a rather secluded bench (because I always go to public places to get away from people) and had just pulled out my notebook and pen when -- BOOM! GROUNDHOG! Okay, there wasn't actually a "BOOM" involved. The groundhog was silent and stealthy. One second, I'm all on my lonesome and then, suddenly, there's this groundhog staring up at me. I mean, he was right by my leg and I think he was seriously considering whether it might be worthwhile to climb up on the bench beside me. He looked a lot like this:





I stared down at the little fellow in surprise and trepidation because I was afraid he might really climb up on the bench beside me. Our exchange went something like this:


rusty_armour: Whoa...

groundhog: Hiya!

rusty_armour: You're...whoa...

groundhog: You realize I'm looking for food, right?

rusty_armour:

groundhog: So, do you have any?


As it turned out, I had some broken vegetable thins. I was saving them in case I came across a friendly chipmunk or squirrel. I never expected to be feeding them to a groundhog. I threw a couple of pieces on the ground, wondering if he would even like them. He sniffed one cracker before quickly wolfing it down. Then he looked back up at me expectantly, so I threw some more vegetable thins at him. He ate those too and then seemed torn between taking his leave or asking me for more. As I'm a total sap, I gave him some more. After that, he left. However, that wasn't the last I saw of him.

There are these rocky ledges throughout the bottom level of Edwards Gardens. People often stop to sit on them, but they also provide a kind of animal network. Chipmunks will pop up through cracks or disappear down holes. From my bench, I could see a group of sparrows hanging out on top of a higher set of rocks. It wasn't long before Mr. Groundhog joined them. I watched in amusement and disbelief as he chewed on a crab apple. I could only see his head, but the rest of his body appeared when the apple rolled away and he had to reach out to grab it. Unfortunately, he took off when a group of people walked past, but I saw him one last time in the undergrowth near my bench. He had a huge carrot in his mouth. I have no idea where he got it. It didn't have the leafy green top, and I think it might have been peeled, so maybe someone having a picnic dropped it. In any case, he seemed very satisfied with his prize.

Despite all the distractions, I did manage to get a tiny bit of writing done. However, I have a feeling I might do better with the writing session I have planned for tomorrow morning. The closest thing I have to a groundhog in my apartment is a Vancouver Island Marmot. He's a stuffed animal, so he should be safe.

Comments

[grondfic.livejournal.com]

Wow! What a great thing to happen. I love your groundhog-dialogue.

[crimsoncorundum.livejournal.com]

What a cutie :) And such a wonderful thing to happen. Very sweet and funny dialogue. Good luck with the writing.

[avictoriangirl]

Awwww. What an awesome experience! At least you weren't afraid of the cute little critter and fed him some treats. :) This guy that I used to work with was so afraid of ground hogs that he wouldn't walk by one on the side of the road! I told him they are mainly herbivores, but he was still scared. Granted, the one we had living in the industrial park where I work was a pretty big one, but I thought it was hilarious that a grown man was scared of a large chubby rodent. XD

[jackycomelately.livejournal.com]

Huh. Kind of beaver-like (minus the flat tail). Vegetable thins, the universal path to friendship. Who knew? Yup, urban animals, they get pretty bold.
Central Park has muggers, we have roaming bands of ground hogs apparently.

Were you working on the novel? How's it going?

[funkyinfishnet.livejournal.com]

That's so cute. In Canada, we met some black squirrels, they looked amazing scampering over the snow. I always chatter to the critters. Glad you were able to supply him with some vegetable thins and I hope you're writing session today goes well :)

[alysscarlet.livejournal.com]

hee! How exciting! We don't have anything as interesting as a groundhog here in the UK. Just squirrels and Foxes mostly. x

[karen9.livejournal.com]

I think that was a wonderful experience. I love friendly critters. I always talk out loud to them and I feel bad if I don't have food for them. The groundhog is cute and your conversation with him was fun. I'm glad he did well with food that day.

I understand your going to public places to get away from people. I hope you had a good writing session at home.

[boobamiaow.livejournal.com]

yay what a brilliant experience. I love interaction with wild animals. Who can resist feeding them-I sure can't!

[njc2007.livejournal.com]

Humans are just another kind of animal so it is appropriate that you should hold a conversation. I do that a lot, and not just with Brimley. It is nice that you were able to commune with nature.

There is nothing so lonely as being in a crowd so going to a public place to be alone makes perfect sense.