What Seal Team Ninja Chipmunks Have To Teach

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One day we discovered a hole in the plastic lid on the peanut can that was in the cupboard. We knew what it was. It was our resident chipmunk.

We were right, and we were wrong.

Here's the story.

Living in semi-country, we always host chipmunks. They run in and out of our garage, they stand on their hind legs and watch Del chop wood, and laugh at me from behind bushes while I am working in the garden.

Someone with chipmunks probably made the movie "Holes" because sometimes my garden looks just like that. This is different from moles and shrew holes. They are secretive within their holes. Chipmunks are playful and love to see the results of their labor, so are more often scampering around on the surface.

However, when we discovered that at night that our chipmunk was coming into the kitchen and raiding the cupboards and drawers, we knew it was time for a relocation of said chipmunk.

We purchased a live trap and put it out into the kitchen at night with peanuts inside, but didn't set it because we wanted the chipmunk to be familiar with it first. That was a mistake.

In retrospect we can see they got very familiar with it while munching away without any danger.

We waited to set the trap because we wanted to take him into the forest that Del manages. It is a beautiful big forest, far from any homes.

However, we shouldn't have waited, because right away the chipmunk had the upper hand.

First, it was the weather. Since Del wanted to take him or her to the woods while working there, we waited for a day it wasn't going to rain. This earned the chipmunk a whole month reprieve during which he once tried to eat M&M peanut candies that we left in a bowl by mistake.

(The giveaway was the rattle - rattle in the middle of the night.)

Finally, we decided enough was enough, rain or no rain; it was time for capture and release - somewhere beautiful of course - but not necessarily in that same forest.

That was when we discovered our error in thinking there is only one chipmunk raiding the goodies. It is a Seal Ninja Team.

This is how we know.

We bait the trap with peanuts. It takes only the slightest touch on the platform for the door to fall.

The first time the peanuts were gone, but the door remained open, we figured he got lucky. The second time, we were astonished, and then the third, fourth and fifth time... all we can say now, is, "Are you kidding me?"

We tried placing the peanuts where it would take a major balancing act to reach them, but still they are gone.

We decided perhaps we could video them (sounds like something that could go on a best animal video show right?) but they vary their timing so we can never plan it. Sometimes the peanuts are gone within minutes, sometimes hours, and sometimes overnight.

We've taken to whispering our plans in case they hear them.

Here's what we imagine.

One chipmunk holds the door open, one holds the triggering mechanism, and one goes in - stuffs the peanuts in his mouth, and the mission is completed.

Looking back, we can see this has been going on for a while.

Our live mousetraps last summer caught a few mice. After that, the peanut butter was eaten, but the trap remained open. When the peanut butter was gone, the trap was set so we would look inside and restock the peanut butter. Of course, you know there were no animals inside!

Once again, it had to have been the Seal Team Ninja Chipmunks at work.

We removed the temptations for the chipmunks to be in our kitchen while we try, once again, to outwit these chipmunks.

However, we admire their joy, their playfulness, their obvious ingenuity. We are in awe at the teamwork that we figure must be going on and their intelligence to use what is set against them, and find a way to make it work for them.

All these qualities would serve us all well in our daily lives.

The next time you see something that looks impossible, remember the chipmunks, and I bet you will find a way.

Read Beca's new book: "The Four Essential Questions: Choosing Spiritually Healthy Habits." Paperback and Kindle version here

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