Just for Fun: The Squirrel of my Dreams

@olinj Oh! I meant to tell you. I saw a squirrel stop mid-run to scratch his (her?) armpit and, uh, thought of you. Jeez. That sounds bad.

— carolyn ciesla (@papersquared) August 26, 2013

How can it be that I've been writing this blog for almost four years now, and yet I've never written a post about squirrels? I recently counted, and something like 15% of my favorites on Twitter are about squirrels - the above from Carolyn is just one example.

And I've got to be honest: I'm not exactly sure what it is about squirrels that makes me love them so. I mean, I know they are solidly pests when it comes to gardening, children, and even city living. Also, I acknowledge that they really are rodents. Or, as Carrie Bradshaw would put it, "A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit."

But also, they are badass:

Sweet: 

And hilarious:

Finally, there's the fact that they are so much among us as "a morally significant member of the urban community." According to a recent-ish article, squirrels were intended to help Americans gain an appreciation of nature. 

Really, when you think about it, I'm not weird for liking squirrels. Anybody who doesn't like squirrels is the weird one.