Nuts and Squirrels

Hello,



Because we have a black walnut tree in the back yard, every year Leroy has been picking up some walnuts. Unfortunately it takes him a long time to get them cracked. If you know about very nutritional black walnuts, you know one of the challenges is getting the hulls off without staining your hands dark in any old pattern that can last for weeks. Leroy wears thick rubber gloves that are for serious jobs. He also uses them to pick them up. The green hulled nuts sit in the garage for a time until the hulls dry. He can take them off with more finesse at that point.



We both like to eat them, but I let him do all of the fun things. After they have dried they need to be cracked. These shells are very hard and the way he gets the job done is to wield a hammer with force and intent to harm. Once in a while he will hit a thumb or finger because he must hold them. He also does not have a work bench to make it possible at a nice height so he kneels on a garden kneeler and bangs away until his knees hurt or his arm is tired or it is to hot or too cold outside.



The squirrels are often very interested when Leroy is cracking nuts. He said, “Sometimes they come quite close.”



The other day one went in the garage with him and he had a bit of time chasing it out. He no longer leaves the garage door open as he feels the squirrels would come in and help themselves to the nuts that are still waiting to be cracked.



After the cracked nuts are inside, I help a little by sorting out all of the empty shells into one pan. I also put all of the free nut meats in another container. The last task is to put all of the partial shells that have nut meats stuck in them in a pan that Leroy pulls out of to attack with the nut pick.



There are some small shells and nut meats that Leroy throws out for the squirrels that come running and sort through the pile looking for treasure.



For some reason we do miss getting out a shell and it will blend in with the nut meats. I am not sure why, but when that happens I am the one who almost cracks a tooth by biting down on it. I have now gotten so that I put the nut meats on a white plate and take it to the window looking for those elusive shells. So far my teeth are still good. How do those squirrels do it?



Paula