Friday, September 08, 2006

Cemetery's Flags Found in Squirrel Nest

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Groundskeepers at Forest Hill Cemetery thought it was kids who were stealing dozens of American flags. That is, until one found a giant squirrel's nest.

"I was mowing, looked up out into the distance, and something caught my eye," said Dave Ender, a groundskeeper employed by the Eau Claire Parks and Recreation Department.

He drove his riding lawnmower to a nearby street intersection and looked up a tree.

"Low and behold, I found the missing flags," Ender said.

They were ripped and serving as the foundation of a giant squirrel nest.

"I never seen anything like that before," he said.

No one at the cemetery had ever seen a squirrel with a flag in its mouth, either.

"They must have done it at night, or very early in the morning," Ender said.

"Those little rascals, they're just amazing," he said.