Yesterday I began removing Christmas displays in the front yard of my home. Unwrapping lights wound around a palm tree, I saw a flicker of movement flash above me. I turned my head to see a squirrel looking squarely at me from a distance of only 15 feet. The animal bounded upward somewhere as I removed the wire doe and buck frames, carried the plastic Santa into the garage, and went back to fetch giant candy sticks planted along the driveway.

Darned if I don't reappear in the yard and hear the same squirrel chattering at me, still perched atop the palm tree though far higher than before. Egads—was the creature trying to communicate something? As my daughter came out of the house toward her car, I pointed out the squirrel and told her what had occurred.

"Dad, that squirrel has lived here for two years," she responded with a slight frown. "Haven't you noticed?"

No, I hadn't. The animal may as well have been another mailbox or fence along the street. Venturing at times hundreds of miles from my house to enjoy the sights of deer, alligators, eagles, porpoises, manatees and so many other animals, I'd never even bothered to appreciate a cute little neighbor with all kinds of perky character.

I sat on the lawn and watched the squirrel. It soon ran down the palm tree to a nearby oak, climbed several feet, stopped, and peered at me. Its tail twitched and the tiny head bobbed up and down, evidently recognizing that I'd become a passive observer rather than as before only a large figure coming and going.

Resisting the urge to go back into the house and return with bread to feed my new-found acquaintance, I recalled the constant warnings about providing food to wild animals. Sure, we were smack-dab in a housing development, but to the squirrels -- and so many other animals -- these trees and yards represented all they knew, and becoming dependent on handouts could inevitably cause their demise.

I watched "my" squirrel for nearly an hour, amazed at its agility and judgment of distances. I soon identified where it nested, witnessed camaraderie with other squirrels -- and a few quarrels over territory -- and came away with a far greater appreciation for squirrels. I also realized that I need to be more observant. The outdoors and nature can be appreciated in the many great Florida parks, rivers, lakes and wetlands, but sometimes all one has to do to enjoy our bounty is to stop moving so fast and just take a good look around.