The Backyard Beaver (A Photo Essay)

This morning I went to buy some presents for my neices and nephew at The Book Case, a terrific bookstore in Huntsville, Ontario (go figure I'd buy books for my relatives--I hope they don't read this ;>). I got back in the house and looked out into the backyard. There was this weird scraggly blob of brown down on the ice. What the heck? This is what I saw:

So I threw my boots back on and crept back out the door. It was still there!

So I crept closer....

And closer...

And even closer...

And then...

It turned its head! Now I knew it was both alive and definitely a beaver. So I crept even closer...

And it was still there! It was probably thinking, "Can't a beaver gnaw on some sticks in peace?Why is this crazy lady sneaking up on me?" Then I tried to get even closer but I shoulda known because...

SPLASH! It'd had enough of me. It was outta there.

So I beat a hasty retreat myself cause I was freezing. (In all the excitement I had forgotten to put on my coat.)