There was an old cartoon

back in the 1940s

featuring two chipmunks

called Chip ‘n’ Dale.

They were Disney cartoon

characters who worked originally

with Mickey Mouse and

Donald Duck, but eventually

got their own show.

Then they transitioned to

television in the 1950s, where

they had a jingle assigned

to them which was a catchy

tune, “I’m Chip! I’m Dale.

We’re just a couple of crazy

rascals out to have fun.” Their

voices were recorded at 33

rpm then sped up to 45 rpm.

So, you could understand

them, and they sounded cute.

I was reminded of these

two while reading a book on

the back porch recently. I

heard strange noises coupled

with a chirping sound.

There were two squirrels,

not chipmunks, who decided

to entertain me with an

acrobatic show.

I swear they knew I was

there because they stood on

the limb of a large oak tree

looking at me. I put down my

book and said, “You now have

my undivided attention.”

While suddenly having an

urge for some cotton candy,

I decided to call them Chip

and Dale.

Later, when I asked my

spouse about the names, he

said it sounded like male

strippers.

“No, they are cartoon characters!”

He did not remember them.

Turns out their names were

a pun based on the Thomas

Chippendale furniture

company

The act began. First there

was the Tarzan like swing,

or leap, from one branch to

another winding up on the

tree in front of me. Their

death-defying act reminded

me of the famous Flying

Wallendas who performed in

the air without a net.

Soon they began chasing

each other up and down the

Live Oak, going round and

round. I was getting dizzy.

Occasionally they would

stop and chew on a few nuts

or leaves then off they would

go leaping between trees,

which made me close my

eyes. One of the squirrels had

his cheeks all puffed up and I

realized he was storing some

extra food.

Before long, Chip disappeared,

and Dale performed

on his own. He flung his

body over to a palm tree and

started to plop down from

one frond to the next. He was

having fun.

Then Chip came out,

climbed a limb, and appeared

to be bowing and saying,

“Ta da! Now you see it, now

you don’t.” No more puffed

cheeks for him.

Finally, I think they got

tired of entertaining me and

began scrounging for some

food. I went back to my book,

but this time put on some

headphones with quiet music

to ignore them. When I was

ready to go in, I looked over

at them and they stopped

eating.

“Bravo!” I said. “Thank you

for the entertainment.” They

bowed.

’Til tomorrow guys.

<i>Lee Scott, award winning humor</i>

<i>writer takes her “Walter Mitty” like persona</i>

<i>and spins tales around everyday life.</i>

<i>She enjoys boating, reading, and meeting</i>

<i>people. Scott lives in Beaufort with</i>

<i>her husband, JD, along with their dog</i>

<i>Brandy. You can reach her at Lasshood@</i>

<i>aol.com.</i>