The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia...or Score One for the Squirrels

My father has been waging a war. This particular battle is against the squirrels which take delight in eating all the bird food he faithfully puts out for the winged creatures that visit my parent's garden.

The first line of defense in this war was a Red Ryder BB gun...which we gave him one year for Christmas. He would sit on the porch, waiting on a squirrel to dare enter the yard and then ping him (or her!) with a few rounds of Old Blue!

The next strategy, one that has been more effective, was to place cages around in inconspicuous places, luring the squirrels to them and then once caught, carting them off to a park or other wooded area...far, far, from my parent's house. I think to date the number of squirrels entering this "catch and release" program is in the triple digits! It is amusing and my daughter loves the thrill of seeing a captured squirrel and helping to take him (or her) to its new home.

But this evening, or rather this past week, the squirrels took revenge. They must have sensed my parents were out of town, I can imagine that they all huddled together to come up with a plan. I can just see them sitting around, munching on the bird seed that had fallen to the floor, giggling and conspiring.

Apparently one in the group had a martyr's desire, either that or they pulled straws...maybe it was like that movie "The Lottery" where once a year the town drew lots and one unlucky soul was stoned to death for the prosperity of the town. Maybe the squirrels meet once a year during a week in September, draw lots and determine which of their number will sacrifice his (or her) life for the rest of the squirrel community. I am unclear on the realities of squirrel etiquette and customs, but no matter, one of their number was either chosen or volunteered to plunge headfirst into the power transformer and cut the power to my parent's home!

When my folks returned home last evening from a trip, they were shocked to find that the power was shut off to their house...everyone else on the block was watching tv, cooking, reading by lamp light and could open and shut their garage. To make it even crazier, my parents needed a key to get in the front door, that was different from the one they had with them, so they called me. Since the child was already asleep, my husband went over and through his sly, sneaky skills, was able to get them in their house. The power company was called and after a short while, discovered the martyred squirrel in the power box.

I can just picture the group of squirrels standing on the edge of the wood, snickering and high-fiving each other, as we all know they do, relishing in the sweet, if only short-lived, revenge on the people who for the past year have been capturing and carting off all of their friends and family!!

Daddy -100+ ; Squirrels - 1

And the battle rages on...

Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev