So Where Do They Hide the Yeti?

After two trips to Marionville I had begun to wonder if the white squirrels the town is famous for really existed. I had gone once for business and once on a squirrel seeking mission but both trips left me empty handed and with nothing to brag about. Heck, the Joplin Spooklight had been easier to spot.

Today, Sept. 23, my ma and I took another trip out that way. It had started out as an apple seeking mission as we went to Murphy's Orchard right outside of Marionville to buy some apples and cider. Since I was driving I decided to venture right past the city limit sign and take another stab at spotting the cute little oddities that had so often eluded me.

With nothing else to do and no where else to be we had time to drive around and look. We started our search in the business district. Our reasoning was if these are unique to the town they are probably employed here and should be at work. We saw plenty of gray squirrels, but no white squirrels.

I started yelling at my mom with a desperation only found in people who have spent their life hunting the impossible.

"How can they possibly call themselves the home of the white squirrel when I've never seen one? We might as well call Springfield the land of the yeti if we don't actually have to have any."

Like I said I had been reaching the end of my already short rope. I so desperately wanted to see one.

She tried to make me feel better by siding with me and telling me the least the town could do was store some in a cage in front of city hall.

Then my mom pointed out her window and said, "There's a unicorn," which caused me to start in on another tirade.

"Oh so it's easier to find a frickin' unicorn than something this town is famous for?!?!"

Notice the excessive use of question marks and exclamation points - that truly illustrates how crazy I was getting.

But it was during the unicorn rant that I stopped my car in the middle of the road and stared into some person's yard. There it was:

Marionville White Squirrel in its natural habitat
preparing for an unusually harsh winter by storing
nuts in its adorable cheeks.

A Marionville white squirrel. As we drove on we saw another and then three and then one. It really was all I had ever hoped for. Tears welled up in my eyes as I stopped my car in the middle of the street time and time again to take pictures. This is why you should always carry a camera: because if you find your yeti people need proof, and the recollections of a crazy person hardly count.

See dreams do come true.