I forgot this one this morning, due to trying to put it out of my mind.
Downside?
Taking all the kids to school, and before you drop any of them off, there's a smallish squirrel placidly walking across Parkway Drive, right there before the stop sign at the library, and he looks at you with his shiny beady black eyes and you, being you, know in your heart that he, being a squirrel, is smart enough to continue walking on up to the curb so that you won't crush him with the solidly porky Honda Odyssey you're driving, and as you pass the spot where he was waiting, you feel a tiny thump in the steering wheel, communicating at once to you that squirrels are pretty danged stupid sometimes, and almost immediately eliciting a squeal from the tiniest passenger of "DAAAAAAADD EEEEEEEEE! Daddy killed a SQUIRREL!"
Posted by Terry Oglesby at September 7, 2005 11:58 AMIt was probably a refugee squirrel from the coast. He was most likely out of his natural element.
Posted by: jim at September 7, 2005 12:01 PMI believe he was actually a robot squirrel, sent by a race of extraterrestrial aliens to spy on us and find our weaknesses. So, even though it was an accident, at least we won't have to worry about extraterrestrials raining squirrels down on us. At least not yet.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 7, 2005 12:05 PMI've never understood why those critters almost unfailingly run in the wrong direction. There have been times I have wound up coming to A COMPLETE STOP to give the dumb thing a chance to go in the right direction.
Posted by: Stan at September 7, 2005 12:13 PMSoftware glitch, probably. Or they just like the smell of rubber.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 7, 2005 12:14 PMAt least squirrels run, that is more than possums do. Sorry Terry.
On the other hand do you think this is related to the outbreak of robopossums that was terrorizing cars earlier this year?
Software glitch, probably. Or they just like the smell of rubber.
I think they must like the smell of burning brake pads, personally. Maybe it intoxicates them.
Posted by: Stan at September 7, 2005 01:12 PMSilly college perfesser Jim--I've said it several times, but robopossums do not exist. The whole idea is ludicrous. ::hides remote control::
And Stan, I would say you're right, except I never smelled any burning brake pads. That would require that I put on the brakes or something. Which I did have to do at the stop sign, but I wasn't going fast enough to make the brakes hot.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 7, 2005 01:15 PMWe at last can answer the question: Which is tougher, Possum or Squirrel?
One less rat to trouble the world.
Posted by: skinnydan at September 7, 2005 02:52 PMWell, if the possum is driving a van, I would think that unless the squirrel is driving some sort of armored personnel carrier, that the possum would obviously win. Just like in this case.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 7, 2005 03:20 PMJust be careful about the raccoons (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y47/Teckelcar/Terry/terryraccoon.jpg). They are mighty big in the south.
Posted by: Sarah G. at September 7, 2005 03:50 PMAAAGGHHHHHHH!!! And may I also say, AAAGGHHHHHH!!!!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 7, 2005 04:06 PMSee, you shouldn't run over those things.
Posted by: Sarah G. at September 7, 2005 04:08 PM::gulp:: Yes, ma'am.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 7, 2005 04:11 PM