DH is half Canadian. I suppose my kids are 1/4 Canadian?

Squirrels are always on-topic, but right now it's Canadians. Borders get very loose and unguarded whenever Canucks and Americans intersect.

And how'd you find out about Uncle Bill?

We have white squirrels around here. Not many of them, but down by the beach you can see one or two of them at my Great Aunt's feeder. Also at the really keen Natural Museum place, that's a bit like a zoo, except all the animals are in as natural a habitat as possible (that is they built the fences and such into the ground and there is as little concrete as possible. The otters have a concrete pool. But the alligators just have a partioned off area of the lake...I digress), there are white squirrels there.

Also, and this would be of interest to Kenny (if Amy Parker is around) they have birds there, but all the birds---owls, eagles, whatnot--have been injured in someway and rehabilitated but can't be let back into the wild. Plus there is a farm from the 1800s. And they have days where they have demonstrations about how everything was done. It's really fun.

Oh, BTW, in my search for the lyrics to TMLF I seem to have come across a Canadian right-wing nationalist. Huh.

"In days of yore,
From Britain's shore,
Wolfe the dauntless hero came
And planted firm Britannia's flag
On Canada's fair domain.
Here may it wave,
Our boast, our pride,
And join in love together,
The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
The Maple Leaf Forever."

(I think Grandma's people were the thistles. She learned it in the 20's in a one-room schoolhouse, along with the English language, which was supposed to replace the Gaelic they spoke.)

Nope, I have absolutely no idea why this anthem was replaced with Yo Canada. I mean, you'd think every group in the country would be delirously happy with it.

Askye, they say the white squirrels are rare partly because the predators can see them. Especially in winter. But given the little amount of snow we've had in the East, it's no wonder they can survive.

And if they happen to be true albinos, their vision is usually impaired to begin with. Poor widdle guys.

That place sounds so cool. I think we have one in NYS somewhere.

Edit: Especially in winter, not except. Sheesh.

The ones I've seen aren't albinos, they usually have some kind of black or brown stripes along their backs.

Their are probably more in the Natural History and Science Museum because there is a lack of predators. Well, there are predators but the predators are well feed and don't really need to eat the squirrels.

Fayjay, I wonder if Amy the Highwayman's squirrel hatred was the root of Anya's bunny hatred. They both mentioned twitchy noses.

Come on, you just KNOW Joss has memorized Blackadder.

"Baldrick! Thanks for introducing me to an entirely new sensation!"

"What's that, milord?"

"Being pleased to see you!"

Nope, I have absolutely no idea why this anthem was replaced with Yo Canada. I mean, you'd think every group in the country would be delirously happy with it.

Well, O, Canada was originally written in that other language, for that other group not mentioned in that other song.

I've never ever seen a red squirrel.

Ha! At last my claim to fame! I visited Brownsea Island once, and there saw a red squirrel. Very cute, and I haven't gone 'ah!' at a grey one since.

I see British-sounding tourists oohing and aahing over the tree rats in NY sometimes.

...y'know, I also go 'aw, bless!' over the ickle filthy black mice in the tube stations. They're so wee! My friend assures me that they're rats, very small rats, but I'm okay with that. Big rats - not so good. Teeny weeny ones scampering around under the train tracks - fine by me. Until they all come pouring onto the platform and surge towards me baying for blood, at which point the cuteness thing will start to wear thin.