From his third floor balcony I could see through the branches what appeared to be a squirrel nest. It was well placed and large enough to house the family of three to five youngsters and a nursing mom. It was made with much the same materials as most of the nests they construct. There were various lengths and diameters of twigs, newly sprouted leaves, and then the kicker. Interwoven in the animal architecture were the unmistakable red, white, and blue stars and stripes. I did the best I could on the photo but this squirrel is no nut. She placed her nest fifty feet up in an unclimbable tree growing from the side of a steep creek bank. The wind blowing at twenty knots gusting to thirty was not helping. It was snap fast because now you see it, now you don't. Even as a structural stud in a living room on a sway pole Old Glory was flittering bravely in the wind and holding her own.

Whether it is a gecko in Qatar, a garter snake slithering through the grass on The Mall in Washington DC, a hedgehog in Karbala, or a squirrel in north Dallas, animals is animals. I will not be so anthropomorphic as to think I have found a patriotic squirrel. Their only fights are for survival and procreation. You gotta love 'em.

Our thoughts and hearts go out to our men and women in uniform who are in harm’s way and their families who watch and wait. May they complete their task quickly and return safely. If Saddam is still alive he has yet another worry. Our squirrels are out looking for nuts!