Just Chillin'

Since my cats no longer go outdoors, I seem to have fewer opportunities to photograph them with plants, so there have been fewer opportunities to make weekend pet posts. On the plus side, we also have fewer opportunities to chase live birds, field mice, and chipmunks out of our house, and even better, fewer opportunities to clean up dead ones, either in the house, or outside on the porch.

Another plus side is that I get to see things like this:

Meet Chippie, most likely, Tamias striatus, (Eastern chipmunk) though there are several other possibilities.

Closer view. It is hard to get high quality pictures, since Chippie will flee if I get too close, but this one is pretty good if clicked for full-size.

Chippie has taken to sitting on top of our garden fairy quite frequently, sometimes just hanging out, other times making a loud persistant "chip-chip-chip" sound. Chippie's burrow appears to be under our porch, as there is a hole nearby. We have been wondering if he or she is looking for a new mate, since unfortunately, one of Peppermint's last victims before he became an indoor kitty was another chipmunk, which he left on the porch.

I know I shouldn't like this critter, since like squirrels, they also dig up and eat bulbs. Also, earlier this summer, there was evidence of digging in one of the Hibiscus pots. (I replaced the soil, and there has been no further tampering, even though the Hibiscus are still nearby, as seen in the photographs.) But I'm quite fond of Chippie in a way, and in fact, I'm a bit concerned, since I haven't seen him or her since these pictures were taken last Wednesday.

Edited to add 9/12/10, 2:55PM: Just saw Chippie perched on top of the fairy, as usual.