George lived in a small house at the end of a quiet street. Next to his property was a stand of woods and a park. George loved his home and property, and spent as much time as he could outside when the weather permitted.
Sometime in the 60’s, before George acquired his property, someone had built a little footbridge over a trickle of a creek that ran past the property. George knew there were chipmunks living under the footbridge, and he enjoyed watching them scurry around, their long tails twitching. George had a large, orange car named Sparky that had also noticed the chipmunks.
One morning, George walked outside to see his cat proudly sitting next to a dead chipmunk. “Oh no, Sparky,” George said, “Why did you have to do that? I think that chipmunk probably had pups, and now they will die, too.” George looked under the footbridge, but he knew that the pups would be deep in a burrow where he could not retrieve them. However, to his surprise, there was a baby chipmunk lying on the ground near the entrance to the burrow. George gently picked the little creature up and brought it into the house.
After a bit of research, George found a puppy formula that the baby chipmunk could eat. He fed the chipmunk, whom he had now named Brutus, the formula by way of a tiny syringe. Somehow, Brutus survived and thrived. Soon the little fellow was eating fruit and nuts and was a regular member of George’s home. Sparky had watched George raise Brutus by hand and somehow knew that eating this particular chipmunk was a no-no.
Every morning, George would sit on his porch and enjoy a cup of coffee. Brutus would sit on the concrete stepping stones by his feet and just stare up at George expectantly. “What, do you want coffee, too?” George asked the chipmunk and he twitched his whiskers in reply.
Wanting to enjoy a cup of morning joe with Brutus, George went to a toy store and bought some tiny doll house dishes. The next morning, George made Brutus his own cup of “coffee” out of maple syrup and a drop of cafe. To add to the festivities, he placed a blueberry on a plate and set the plate and faux coffee down next to Brutus. As he sat on the porch, sipping hot coffee, George watched with amazement and joy as Brutus raised his cup and joined George in what would now be their morning ritual. Sparky was not excluded from the morning routine, for he received a small bowl of milk and a smattering of tuna. And mornings were now George”s favorite time of day, where he could sit and enjoy the company of such fine friends.
#FFFC
A Little Bit of Everything, With Love 