Walking down the sidewalk, lost in thought, all of a sudden I realized that the crunching underfoot did not match acorn crunches. Now, we have big acorns, small acorns, and lots of medium-sized acorns, and I am vaguely familiar with what they feel and sound like underfoot. (I especially worry about the big ones, which can be like striding on ball bearings.)
The crunch I felt and heard today was different, higher in tone, and crunchier. Which may sound silly.
Definitely not acorn sounds.
I looked down. Aha! I looked up. Yup. Beechnuts.
The photo? Well, the Squirrel Clan is the reason I found the beechnuts on the sidewalk, and broken open so they’d be so crunchy under my feet. This specimen, however, is a Park Squirrel—different clan—also open to begging as well as gathering in the usual squirrelly manner.