1-B: Western Gray Squirrel
2-B: Forest Dweller
3-B: Walnut Collector
4–B: Fauna
You may think this darling little (and I use the word “little” loosely) gray squirrel nibbling on a walnut, is just the cutest little thing… but this guy (and his friends) are real rabble rousers!!
This Western Gray Squirrel is about the size of a small cat and lives in our suburban neighborhood with a pack of buddies who frequent or yard… especially when the nuts begin to ripen on our lovely Walnut Tree in the back.
They come from far and wide on some kind of critter road system that miraculously seems to survive the constant road traffic in front of our house. They’re athletic little buggers… dodging vehicles and scurrying back and forth across the street like nut collecting stuntmen. Pretty impressive… actually. Wish I was that nimble!
Too bad it’s such a pain in the butt to clean up after them!
When the nuts begin to ripen, the squirrels have a sixth sense. They come out of the woodwork… blast across the street from who knows where (probably my friends place where she puts out peanuts for them), and they go whipping up the tree to collect their booty, high-fiving each other as they pass.
And, they don’t exactly just daintily head up the tree and put a nut in their cheek and head home. No… they nibble at the whole cluster that comes barreling down like 20 green walnut hand grenades! Our walkway goes right under that tree and I’ve had to dive out of the way more than once to avoid being blasted in the head by those falling nut projectiles.
Then there’s the mess… see that cute little guy nibbling on that nutshell in the picture? He’s not having a tasty little snack… he’s shucking the thick, green dye, walnut stain filled, husk from the outside of the nutshell…. before checking see if the nut is a good one to bury in the ground to save for later in the winter when food is scarce.
And another thing about this walnut chipping business… they don’t like to do it politely on the grass, where it would be easy to clean up. There they might be a target of a sneaky neighborhood cat. So, they like to sit and chip those husks into little piles on the railings (what this guy is doing right now out front of Doug’s Office), on the gazebo roof, the stairs, the middle of the driveway (where they can hear someone coming)… and even on top of our vehicles!
Each little green crumble, leaves a stain that is almost impossible to remove… no matter where it lands. On the deck, the driveway, the railings, in the truck… even on the kitchen floor and the carpet, when someone tracks them in on their shoes and then drags them around the house on their socks!
If I didn’t love nature so much, I’d probably chop down that tree and put a 90 foot fence around our place… but instead I can be seen sweeping and muttering (sometimes, not so under my breath) until nut season is over.
Some might say at that time of the year I go a little nutty myself!
I do hope you enjoy this inspiration for our next Vol-084-B Series color recipes for May 2015… even if it did sound a little ranty ;)
Everyone who is subscribed to our Polymer Clay Guest List will be able to download the following recipes free, one per week on Friday mornings during the month of May 2015:
- Western Gray Squirrel (Recipe 084-1B)
- Forest Dweller (Recipe 084-2B)
- Walnut Collector (Recipe 084-3B)
- Fauna (Recipe 084-4B)
[wp_ad_camp_1]…Western Gray Squirrel is a blue gray color, found in the fur of this cute little bugger. Forrest Dweller is a deep rich brown, also found on the fur, as well as his beady little eyes. Walnut Collector is a warm nut brown found in the cheeks of this nibbling creature. And Fauna is a soft tan found in the soft under fur of this crafty Gray Squirrel.
The recipes described above are from the Volume-084 B-Series Palette. They are free to download for everyone subscribed to the Polymer Clay Guest List, Friday Email Newsletter, during the month of May 2015.
If you want to see the Volume-084 A-Series Color Palette that paid library members will also receive during the month of May, then click here: Arbutus Bark Palette
I just wanted to thank you for making the B color recipes free each week. Thanks from all the people who can’t afford to get them any other way. ~Deni-L
You guys are amazing.. .giving these away FREE! I can’t imagine why anyone would pass this up. Why not subscribe to your mailing list to get these recipes? They’re missing out BIG TIME! (Well, so are those who aren’t members, spending just 3 bucks a month to get your remarkable weekly videos and even more recipes). ~Phaedrakat
I look forward to your colour recipes as much as the videos, Cindy. I try to train my unruly colour sense by guessing what you have mixed to get a particular shade or tint. ~Monique-U
***********************************************************************************************
If you would like more information about the Members Library, here are some direct links:
Library Member Benefits and What Others Are Saying
Order Page for Color Recipe and Video Back Issue Packages
Become A Full Member at the Library
  |
Thanks Cindy. Am reviving my polymer clay crafts once more. I have never liked what I have made but thanks to your tips I may well be liking them now.
I hope you will now find success with your polymer clay projects Linda! The search box will help you find the info you need. Have fun!
Hilarious write up, Cindy. We have Eastern grays, equal in “pia-ness” to yours.
For 20 years these little devils have lived off the fat of the land, outwitting my every attempt, to feed at will off our deluxe palate of black sunflower seeds.
Frankly, I give up, and on a bad pain day, grab the broom and beat on the base of the trees they all run to, lol. They come back in 10 min.
They are huge and heavily muscled, as a result of the excellent fare, and throw 3 litters a summer.
That aside, I do enjoy watching the young ones attempt what their parents have mastered.
Love this subtle color palate, with it’s background blue hue!
Too funny Jocelyn! I am sure you and I are the only ones to have a few squirrel encounters of these kinds! :)
* are NOT the only ones
Those bright green walnuts (before they have ripened) and with the rind on make a great Nocino (Walnut Liqueur).
Seriously? I had no idea Lawrence… looks like we are going to have to look into that!!
Very nice color palette Cindy. I’m thinking this would be a great palette to try my metal powders on! I used to drive by one of those trees twice a day and watched the nuts come and go and the greenish mess that was made all over their porch, sidewalks, even the street! ewwww! I always told myself I was so lucky not to have one of those trees in my yard. I’ll stick with the silver maple spinners! We still have those pesky squirrels though. They used to sit on the top of our chain link fence and literally sharpen their teeth on the rings that held the fence to the posts. We had to replace them twice before my Robert got smart and raised the whole fence to the top of the posts so they had no room to sit anywhere. The trick worked and I don’t have to worry about squirrels anymore.
Your Robert sounds very clever Dixie Anne!
Just a quick tip, for those interested in a fur or velvet like effect (you squirrel and rabbit folks), try rolling a standard background sheet, and press spices like pepper, paprika, etc., into the surface with an acrylic roller. If you texture the backing clay first, it really can fool the eye. Next time, I might even use a thin coat of liquid pc, dry tacky, and try it.
Very neat idea Jocelyn! Little bits of snipped up wool work too for making furry polymer clay animals. There’s a YouTuber who sculpts little miniature dogs and rabbits and stuff out of white polymer clay and then bakes them. Then she paints them in the colors that their fur would be. Then glues snipped up wool bits in the color sections that she painted them in. They look really real. I’m not too good at sculpting animals or I’d do a tute on it myself. Mine would probably look more demented than cute! LOL
Thanks, really surprised at how well it covers and gives the look. Think it’s mostly due to the fine grind pepper, with a little paprika added for depth.
LOL, what we need is a sculpture tute, the Three Demented Squirrels, like ‘Winkin Blinkin and Nod.
A dear passed neighbor had three stuffed ones in a row doing See Hear and Say No Evil. And carrying miniature musical instruments….
This could be a really funny project. No death involved. ROFL.
Hello Cindy,
I do not have squirrels to worry about! (kinda sad!!! because i live in a building)
Never south those little funny creatures wore so annoying!!!
But i would’t mind having the trouble because like you a love nature….so next season if it helps think of those of us “unfortunate” who don’t have the chance of been annoyed by them!!!
thanks for the recipes, and for sharing this piece of your life whit us…..I was trying to picture you… “I can be seen sweeping and muttering (sometimes, not so under my breath) until nut season is over.”…ehehehe, made feel closer!!!
thanks again and have a nice season!
LOL Yeah I probably look a little nuts talking to myself! :) I do enjoy the squirrels the rest of the year… they are pretty cute, but during nut season, I do wish they would visit someone else’s yard instead.
Little boogers can be such a menace!! And I swear they delight in tormenting my two Newfoundlands as they watch from the windows. No amount of training is stopping the very loud manic barking. You can almost hear them saying nah nah nah from the yard. Lol, I do enjoy watching their antics, just wish I could do something about all the racket. Sometimes the dogs scare the bejesus out of me. Great color palette as usual! Big hugs to you!
Thanks Eden! I agree that watching these little buggers is quite entertaining… just wish they were a little less messy! :)
Yes Eden, I had the same problem with my late Schnauzer. Having a pet door in my laundry room allowed her to dash out and rid the yard of the critters.
All I had to do was say “squirrel” and she was out like a shot.
Lol, my beasts weigh over 300lbs combined. That’d be one heck of a doggie door!