Balcony Burrow

Too much carpet indoors! Ssshh! The sliding glass door cracked open just enough for my squishy sides to shimmy through onto the balcony. Bright light! Cool tiled ground! In the corner stood a squat, baked-clay pot filled with dry brown pine bark nuggets. Grrr! I scrambled over the rough ceramic lip and hurled myself headfirst into the heap. Clatter, snap! The jagged bark crunched beneath my belly. I dug my arms deep, flinging dried wood chips over my shoulders until only my grinning jaws poked out. Rough, dry, earthy—my new open-air bunker!