Suicide Mission

The squirrels seem to be on a suicide mission recently.  They wait until my car is right upon them and then they dart in front of me, sometimes scampering back and forth in front of the car, just to see how fast my reflexes.  The other day, at different intervals in a single city block, three squirrels burst out in front of me into the street.  Thankfully, all three made it across safely, but no thanks to their own antics.  That same day, I saw two "road kill" squirrels, one that became supper for two hungry crows.  The one crow was evidently so hungry that it hesitated to even get out of the way as our car approached.  As soon as we zoomed by, I saw that the crow quickly went back to its meal.  For those who have been following my blog for a bit, you know that I always cry, "Little Squirrel, Little Squirrel!" whenever one darts out in front of my car, as if my crying out to it will cause it to change its behavior and cross the street in the future with the light in the crosswalk.  Perhaps the squirrels' behavior is even more erratic these days as they gather food and prepare for the inevitably long winter.  Soon, they'll be tucked into their leafy nests high in the trees.  But, till then, they're making me catch my breath with each suicide mission in front of my car.