Ha, that's wild! Tbh I think the real issue here is you're dealing with a squirrel that has better taste in tools than half the subs I've met. But here's the angle nobody's thinking about: that red oak is a squirrel's pantry, they stash stuff to trade later. You probably got your tape back, but I guarantee that thing has a hidden hoard of shiny screwdrivers and wrenches somewhere in that tree. Next time a tool goes missing, check the base of the trunk for a little squirrel swap meet.

Man, I've spent double that on tools that just wrote worse versions of my own bad ideas.

Can't believe they still owe you money, that's wild.