THE LONER
By Christy Lowman
Burke County
I thought we would start the year off by talking about an animal that hibernates in the winter. However, it doesn’t hibernate all winter long. They wake up periodically to snack on their food supply and will wander outside for a brief moment to check the weather before heading back to bed to sleep until winter is over. While hibernating their heartbeat slows down from their normal 350 beats per minute to only 4 beats per minute. Their temperature will also drop to only 40F instead of their normal temperature of 94F. So, during hibernation, these animals seem dead but really aren’t. Do you know what this animal is?
This animal is the chipmunk. There are 25 different types of chipmunks, all but Siberian chipmunks live in North America.
Chipmunks are omnivores and love to eat fruit, berries, seeds, nuts, grain, insects, earthworms, bird eggs, baby birds, lizards, frogs, and mushrooms. They have pouches in their cheeks which allows them to carry lots of food. In fact, they can fill their cheek pouches 3 times the size of their head. Chipmunks spend much of their time gathering food in excessive amounts. They can gather and store 165 acorns a day and can have enough food stored up for winter in just 2 days, but they never seem to realize they have enough and will continue storing up more.
Captive chipmunks sleep 15 hours a day, scientists are unsure if those in the wild also sleep as much.
Chipmunks can be as much as 8.5 inches long including their tail which is 5 inches. They can weigh from 1 to 5 ounces. They are about the same size as a teacup.
Chipmunks are excellent climbers and swimmers and can live in a variety of habitats.
They make their homes in burrows which are about 10-30 feet long. In their burrows, they have a separate food storage area and an exceptionally clean nesting/sleeping area.
Chipmunks are loners, meaning they prefer to spend all of their time alone except during mating season.
Are you a loner? Do you prefer to spend your time by yourself or are you social and enjoy the company of others? I find myself more of a loner. I do enjoy my time with family but I like my alone time too. I’m not big on getting out and socializing even though when I do I enjoy it.
The good news is that unlike chipmunks, who God made to be loners, we don’t have to be alone, ever. We have God that will be with us in everything we do if we ask Him to be. He wants to be a part of our lives. He wants to be the one we depend on in times of trouble as well as the good times. I feel very sorry for those who do not have a personal relationship with God. I can’t imagine how hard, meaningless, and helpless life would be without Him. For the new year will you join me in praying for those who do not know Christ? That they will come to know Him?
Dear Lord, I thank you for letting us live to see another new year. I am excited to see what You have in store for each one of us this year. I pray that this year will be the best yet. Dear Lord, we know with every passing year we draw closer to the end of time. I pray that this will be the year that more people who do not know you will give their hearts and souls to You. So that they may know Your goodness. In Jesus’s precious name, I pray, Amen.
“Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.” John 16:32
Bibliography
https://www.treehugger.com/things-you-dont-know-about-chipmunks-4864283
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/chipmunk
https://www.mykidstime.com/things-to-do/20-cheeky-chipmunk-facts-to-impress-your-friends/
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Christy Lowman is a Christian author and illustrator that lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband and two children. She enjoys writing and illustrating books for all ages. Some of her short stories are published with Guideposts and HCI. Christy gives all the glory to God in everything she does. A portion of every book sold from the Small Bible Character Series will be donated to battle human trafficking. If you enjoy her books, “like’ her author page on Facebook and let her know! You can buy her books at //www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AChristy+Lowman&s=relevancerank&text=Christy+Lowman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1. You can reach her at //www.facebook.com/authorChristyLowman/
or christyssoaps@yahoo.com
You can read more Christian news from Christy here.
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