call of the wild

People say that when they are homesick and are far away from their loved ones, they look up at the moon they somehow get this feeling that the world is a much smaller place. Everyone all over is looking at the same moon which gives them comfort. I’ve realized that squirrels are like that for me. No matter where you are in the world, the chances are you will probably run across a squirrel. Granted they are not the same squirrels that are hoping from country to country, but they are pretty darn similar. The day we saw our first squirrel here, we both exclaimed, “Look, a squirrel!” Like we had just seen the craziest animal. But really I think it was like, “Look, they have squirrels here too, just like we do!” Made me feel a little closer to home in that moment. So next time you see a squirrel, think about us, and know that those little guys are in Finland too.

As long as we are on the topic of animals though, let’s talk about the size of the animals here. They are huge. Like wildlife on steroids. Instead of flying, the birds usually choose to hop around because – well, I’m sure their size makes flying a little more challenging. But when they do take flight, it’s only about a foot or two off the ground. Then the other day I was riding my bike home and I saw a mammoth of a bunny. I mean by far the most gigantic bunny I have ever seen. It was pretty dark though, so I thought maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. Nope, the next day we saw one again! It’s ridiculous. Although I am poking fun at them now, I know that come wintertime, they will be the ones with the last laugh.