For most of us, Tropical Storm Michael is now a distant memory from this summer, but a woman named Debbie Colson in Irwinton formed a special relationship thanks to the wind and the rain.
"The morning after the hurricane, I went out to my yard to clean up some debris, and I saw this little squirrel laying off to the side," Debbie recalled.
The storm destroyed the little guy's nest, so Debbie stepped in.
"Just as soon as I picked him up that morning and looked at him, 'Hurricane Michael knocked you out,'" she said, "'Your name's Michael.'"
Debbie nursed him into adulthood but then knew she had to let him go.
"Yes, I got on the internet and found out a lot on how to release them, and your main goal is to get them back acclimated to squirrel life, and so you have to build something like a squirrel nesting box," Debbie said.
The friendship didn't end once Mikey went out into the wild of Debbie's backyard.
Now, she's got a squirrel that comes when he's called.
She visits him twice a day, usually with treats in hand.
"I know it's best for him to find his own food, but there's hickory nut trees all around here, and I usually pick up a few of them and give them to him and he loves them," she said with a smile.
Our pets are like our family, and Mikey is no exception, especially around the holidays.
"That was a little candy cane I was going to put on his house -- that's a little squirrel charm," Debbie said.
Dressing up is where Mikey drew the line, but there is no end in sight when it comes to a woman and a little feisty fella that now calls her yard home.