A pair of squirrels scrambled onto my ice-covered patio as I exited the house to get another shopping bag out of my car.

One of them looked suspiciously fat. Could it be Freddie? As the squirrel bounded up the stairs, I noticed a red tail. Another good sign.

Then came the test. Would the squirrel take a peanut held between my fingertips?

The squirrel hesitated, stopping on the second stair from the bottom. Oh, maybe it’s not Freddie.

But then she advanced, grabbed the nut, and zipped away. It was Freddie and all’s well in the backyard.