They scare me.
This fear dates back to my Chicago days. As I'd walk down our quaint street, past neighbors sitting on park benches painted with the colors of the Italian flag, squirrels would scamper across my path. Sometimes they would stop and stare. The closer I got to them, the more defiant their stares would become. They'd invade my personal space.
More times than I'd care to remember we played this freakish, squirrely game of chicken. My steps becoming more tentative the closer I got to the squirrel, wondering when he would turn and run. If he would turn and run.
Some days they would run at me. Darting away at the last moment. Taunting me. Making me want to run away, climb a tree, run back to my apartment and never leave again. Anything to get away.
I think they could feel my fear.
Praise God I no longer have to deal with city squirrels but the wounds they left are still there.
The squirrels that inhabit my backyard today are not as aggressive (again Praise God!). They act afraid of me. But I'm starting to wonder if it is just an act. Some vandalism has been occurring... I fear this could be the beginning of city squirrel behavior.
Two years ago they ate Mya's sunflower. Her one sunflower that would tell her when school was ready to start.
Last year they laid low.
But this summer, two pepper plants have "mysteriously" disappeared from our garden. Some flowers that were planted are missing leaves and showing stunted growth. Maybe it's rabbits...
I think that is exactly what the squirrels want me to think.
They are mean little critters and I wish they would leave me alone!
If I wasn't so afraid, this would be war!
In all seriousness, I'm guessing the pepper plant eaters were probably rabbits, but I don't have strong feelings towards rabbits. That said, I'd love any tips you can give me on how to keep garden-eating vermin OUT of the garden!!!
9 comments:
Oh Megan, you would be so proud of me!!! I hit and killed one of these little guys with my car this morning. 1 less squirrel in the world!!
(I am NOT a green thumb, but I've heard if you spinkle chili powder on and around your plants it'll keep rabits away...or get a cat. We used to have terrible time with rabits until about 3 of our neighbors got cats..no more rabit problems! I am assuming that would take care of the squirrel problem too)
Good Luck!
sprinkle all your plants with chayenne-sp? pepper. it truly works!!
and your squirrel stories struck me very funny. :)
Great tips. I will do that today!!
Thanks!
this was way funny! great writing! a fun way to start my morning!;)
I had the same problem in my old house, those squirrels dug up ALL my bulbs and ate them. They once tore into a pumpkin I had on the porch for halloween.
We sprinkled cayenne pepper on the ground around the plants.
We also greased the pole on our bird feeder, the would try to climb it and eat the bird seed (a crazy squirrel hanging from the birf feeder really deters the birds from eating there)
oh i feel your pain! only mine is still alive and kicking.
there are squirrels all over my neighborhood and they sometimes will even come right up to me when i'm sitting on my deck! oh how it makes me shiver just writing this down.
one time a squirrel actually ran right under my chair, and another stood between me and my car refusing to allow me to go to work!
maybe i have a squirrel family living in one of my trees... that makes it a little better... if i think of them as family sort of animals... yeah, we'll go with that.
great post, sis... i think the fear must run in our blood :)
OK Megan, I think you should take your broom and stand behind a tree just in case one should carelessly wander into your yard. Then you could Bop him into oblivion. Or you could get an airgun and slit a hole in your screen, watch for the bugger and shoot him. He'd never know it was you!! (no squirrel revenge)
Pat uses chicken wire to prevent rabbits. Who eat peppers and sweet peas. Squirrels in west normal seem to like tomatoes. We also do the chili powder routine, and Pat does like his airgun...
Good Luck!
My very stealthy husky Phoebe killed and ate a squirrel the other day. Would you like to borrow her? LOL.
This is so funny because we have been battling rabbits all summer. They are eating up my garden. The other day as I walked across the yard a rabbit sat and starred me down until I got right up to him and let out a yell. Someone told me to sprinkle hair and they would smell human and stay away. So I did and I found a rabbit sitting right in the hair, eating my lettuce. Now Lowe's told me to sprinkle Blood Meal. Sounds gross but I tried it and I am waiting to see what happens. Dad built some noise makers (foil pie tins hanging from a stick) so now these are banging around in the garden. We'll see what happens. At this point I am wondering why I bother to plant a garden if I am just going to feed all the rabbits in Roanoke. I am convinced they all run for our backyard where they are protected by our fence. I think they like my all inclusive resort where they can eat as much as they want as often as they want. Anyway as you can tell I have been very frustrated also with the little varments!
Mom
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