Meet Amelia! Amelia joined us for a short time when her first flight from the nest proved to be unsuccessful. She and her brother PePe were found on the pool deck and were whisked away to the intensive care unit, also known as the laundry room bathroom. Much like a triage team, we went about gathering eye droppers, a heating pad, and a recipe for home made saline solution certain to provide energy.
While my daughter welcomed our new house guests with loads of love, the cats were even more excited about who was living in the laundry room. Needless to say, they were temporarily banned from the house. Their intentions were quite obvious and less than desirable.
Pepe was not long for this world and left Amelia in our care. His fall had been hard and was too much to overcome. While I'm certain it was my imagination, the tiny she-squirrel appeared to reach out to me anytime we were near. She took comfort in my hand and I didn't want to let her down.
The same fall breeze that brought down the squirrels reminded me that it was time to plant winter flowers. While time waits for no one, I found myself doing household chores and planting pansies, all with one hand while a baby rested comfortably in the other. Amelia traveled outside with us for a reminder of the smells of home. It was Velvet, a flyer who had come before Amelia, who reminded me that these babies bond quickly and easily take comfort with those who care. After a few days, it was clear that Amelia's strength was fading and I prepared my child for the process to follow. Comfort was the most important thing to offer and Amelia left us on a Monday resting softly on a warm bed of fluff with tiny squirrel memories of a family who loved her.
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