It may just be my imagination, but there seems to be a huge number of ground squirrels running around my yard this spring. Just this morning I counted six scurrying about the garden looking for food. They like nuts, but my yard doesn’t have a single tree or shrub that produces nuts, so what it is they survive on is a mystery to me. They are cute buggers, but do create some damage in the yard with their tunnels. They love living under my patio concrete. They could be one of the reasons my patio floor is sinking. Another reason might be the clay beneath the concrete is drying out and shrinking. Based on the amount of rain that has fallen this spring I suspect the squirrels to be a larger problem than water.
At the same time the ground squirrel population seems to be increasing, I have seen fewer regular tree squirrels. I know for fact that I have driven the tree squirrels out of the yard as I did all the birds. The simple answer is I stopped feeding the buggers, but I also don’t have the pleasure of seeing their antics on and about the feeding station. One of my hobbies has been to invent schemes to outwit tree squirrels in their attempt to raid the feeders. The internet is loaded with inventions and videos demonstrating the intelligence and athletic ability of squirrels jumping, stretching, squeezing around obstacles to get the seed. . Stay in place has cut my activities and inclinations in those regards. Instead, I hunker down writing blog posts, pulling weeds, and grinding wood.
Last evening, I was surprised by my youngest grand daughter. She came to deliver a mask I ordered from her. She is a creative little person (5′-6′) who jumped at the opportunity to help me out with a custom mask. (www.creatingbyjenna.com) Last month she painted a pair of gym shoes for her friend in Arizona. Michael Jordan never had shoes like these. I like the mask so much I will wear it about town with pride. I’ll also use it as my Facebook marker.
Filed under: Aging, family, Garden, health care, Warm and Fuzzy | Tagged: Ground Squirrels, Nature | 2 Comments »
