Blogs

By Dean Norman

Maureen and I have made several vacation trips west, and always stopped at Vedauwoo Rocks, a forest service camp and picnic ground a few miles east of Laramie, Wyoming.

There is a very nice-one mile hike around a small mountain and a lot of weird rocks that rock climbers love to climb. On a weekend the campground was full of rock climbers, so we often timed our visit to be there in the middle of a week.

One time we were picnicking at Vedauwoo Rocks when a prairie falcon dived on a chipmunk. The falcon missed, and the two critters faced off about five feet apart. The falcon flapped its wings, and threatened the chipmunk — like it wanted the chipmunk to run. The chipmunk stood on its hind feet, punched the air like a boxer with its front feet, and started trash talking. Translated into English the chipmunk said, “You run and I'll laugh. C'mon. Let's rumble. Give me your best shot, Beakface.”

I wanted to save the cute little chippie from being eaten, but thought maybe I shouldn't butt in. Falcons have to eat. Better let nature take its course. Our two dogs wanted to get into the action. We had them leashed to the picnic table, and managed to keep them from barking.

I thought the falcon might run toward the chipmunk. But it stood still. Hmm? Maybe the falcon has to fly, and dive to make a kill with its talons. The chippie cussed for a few minutes, and then the falcon flew toward its victim. The chippie zipped toward the falcon, under it, and into a hole at the base of a pine tree.

So the falcon missed its lunch. We finished our lunch. Happy to have seen a wildlife show that had a happy ending for a cute critter. Who knew that a chipmunk would fight when it couldn't get to its hole?

Sports teams like to name themselves after fierce predators like falcons, eagles, tigers, pirates, etc. Why not call your team the Fighting Chipmunks? I would root for them.

— Dean Norman

Dean Norman is a cartoonist and humor writer, whose work has appeared in greeting cards,The New Yorker, MAD Magazine, The Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine and The Kansas City Star. He's also written comedy for cartoon shows and written and illustrated children's books. He illustrated a cartoon book for Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland Metroparks Adventures.