Conversation with a Squirrel

What's that, you say? Well, I've been attending a seminar deep in the heart of D.C. this week. There is a small park nearby where I go to have my lunch. Today, while eating my sandwich, I noticed a squirrel on the trashcan across from the bench I was sitting on. He was easy to spot b/c he didn't have the typically big, bushy tail. It looked as if his tail had gotten caught or run over. Anyway, he was staring at me from the trashcan and I just knew he was eyeing my delicious sandwich and the cheesy puffs that went with it. Sure enough, he started to make his way over to me...holding eye contact the entire way. He crept all the way up to me then started to walk around the bench. The people on the nearby benches had taken notice and were giggling along with me. Obviously, this squirrel has been "trained" to beg for food. So cute and the perfect way to lighten the day. A bit later, after having moved to a bench in the sunlight, I was talking to my mom on the phone when all of the sudden the squirrel made his reappearance...by popping up on his hind legs and looking at me through the arm rest. I threw him a couple pretzels and that seemed to satisfy him, although I'm not sure if he actually ate them or not. I'm sure that he's quite adept at getting fed so I won't worry about him too much :)