Bigger Than A Spider, But WAY Better

I used to work as a nanny. One evening after the mom got home, I was chatting with her about the kid’s day as she poured herself a glass of wine. Suddenly, she gasped and jumped back from the counter. I thought she’d seen a big spider and looked around for a glass to catch it in. Then, I noticed that the bag of chips near her wine was rustling. The house got some big spiders in it sometimes, but none that big.

We sprang into action: the girl I watched ushered my toddler out of the room. I handed my baby to the mom. The dog… had an accident. I grabbed a blanket from the nearby couch and shut the door and went looking for the source of the rustling. I stepped on something squishy and looked down, fearing I’d just killed some small animal. It was “just” the dog’s mess. (Yay?)

Then, a blur of movement! Carefully, quietly, I peeked under the couch and the table. Another blur of movement! This time, I caught a tiny, furry animal in the blanket. I carefully opened a little bit of the blanket to see what it was. 

And that was the day I learned that flying squirrels live in the woods of the Seattle area! I carried the bundle to the porch, opened the blanket, and we all got to watch the little creature jump off the blanket and glide away into the trees.

Ten years later, a flying squirrel remains the most unusual animal I’ve seen at any job.