SHH

Squirrel Habitat Healthcare – The morning that inspired this writing found me on the top floor of a professional office building, in which many health care providers work. This eighth floor is totally occupied by a group of doctors specializing in back ailments and the treatment or surgery thereupon. Being a new patient to them and at their suggestion, I arrived a bit early to fill out forms concerning health information and my lifetime of ailments – especially those that required being in the hospital.

This task completed, I was directed to a waiting room to await my call to be escorted to the treatment room. Seated opposite the windows and not feeling like reading outdated magazines, I was just looking out at the skyline of the area. I could see the tops of many buildings, including the ones of the University Hospital and the Medical College of Georgia. In this view was a short section of the outside vertical wall from the waiting room windows to the corner of the building.

As I was somewhat vacantly staring at this view, a squirrel suddenly scampered up that outside wall, headed for the roof. To say that I was surprised would be putting it mildly – this was the eighth floor!! When I walked over to the window for a closer view, the squirrel had already disappeared but I did notice that the surface of this outer wall was some sort of cement with a rough surface, not unlike the bark of a tree – a very large tree I might add. I pushed this amazing sight back in my mind when they called for me and I went back to be seen by the doctor.

He examined me, read the reports from the other docs, checked out my MRI images and then showed me the very spot that was pressing on the nerve and causing the symptoms I was having. He then told me that I had three options – 1- do nothing and try to live with the pain (with medications and such) – 2- Take injections in that spot (to me this was temporary at best) – 3- Operate and cut away whatever was causing the impingement. I chose #3 – I had already decided this would be my option if it was offered – one gets tired of the constant painful symptoms.

Then I was given over to the person that schedules the surgery with the hospital. As we were chatting, I mentioned about the squirrel climbing the side of the building and that the personnel at the front desk were amazed at the thought. It was then that I got the “rest of the story”. She stated that she has seen as many as four at a time go up the wall just outside her window. Then she said – “those were my squirrels”. This statement gave me pause until she explained further.

It seems that the area in which her and her husband live is absolutely infested with the fuzzy-tailed little critters. They were constantly chewing stuff up and digging in her yard so the two of them decided to get a live trap, catch them and transport them to other areas. It seems that they must be taken at least 10 miles from their home turf so they don’t find their way back. This has become a form of entertainment for them because of the odd things the rodents do when they are released.

At last count, they have caught and transported 148 of these tree climbers, with some few released in the trees near the hospital. Evidently they didn’t care for those trees and opted for the “big tree” – the office building. She also told me that there were a couple of red-tailed hawks nesting nearby on the buildings. What that told me was that the squirrels either got smart or became hawk food.

My back surgery is scheduled for Friday, December 29th – checking in at 8am with the surgery at 11:15 at the University Hospital. My stay – barring complications – is supposed to be just an overnight one. God is still good – all the time! ec