I was on the hunt for pine cones to decorate for the holidays.

No need for store-bought scented ones for me; oh no.

I knew that because our backyard has over 20 fir trees, there would be an abundance of them just laying on the ground, ready to be brought inside, painted and glued into crafty creations.

Obviously I was a tad late in my quest... for my treasures were now covered in a thick blanket of snow.

Doh!

But then I spotted a few cones simply laying on the tree boughs... Hooray!  I was saved, for I was able to collect at least enough for a few Christmas projects I had in mind.

As I trudged from tree to tree, I smiled at all the bunny, squirrel and bird tracks in the new fallen snow. Back and forth across the yard they went, from tree to tree and up to our deck where the opening to the bunny den below was clearly visible now.

When I reached out to grab what I thought was an extremely large pine cone, my hand stopped and I laughed at this sight, about four feet off the ground:

A corn cob.

The very same corn cob I had thrown into the yard months ago as the end had rotted. But since the rest seemed okay, I thought perhaps the bunnies would like it.

I guess the squirrel got it first.

And had dragged it to safety, out of the reach of the rabbits, high in the boughs of a pine tree.


I only wish I could have been there to witness that squirrel drag something twice it's size up there.

That's quite a haul alright!