Battling the Critters

I always thought of myself as an animal lover.

I have discovered that I really am not.

Oh, I like a friendly dog. I'm up for watching cute little goats jump around in a barn lot. I admire the beauty of a fast and flashy horse. I prize a well grown and groomed market lamb in a show ring. I like seeing the gentle cows in the pastures. So, I guess technically, I am an animal lover.

Technically, I just don't like rodents of any kind and I am not a reverent birder. I don't know whether to refer to these as critters, vermin, or just a plain nuisance. 

I'm still tying reflective ribbons on my truck to scare those pesky things away. I am still having to drive through the car wash about once per week, though. GRRRR!!!

As for the rodents, I've begun to battle with them as well. This time it is not with traps in the house. This time the battle is taking place outside. Chipmunks or squirrels have had free run of our yard. We have several oak trees and it is a haven for them. They gather up acorns and munch on them and store them away. They scamper around in the grass and up the trees. At times, I've even seen them scamper across the porch or along the fence rail. To me, these animals are all just rats wit a fur coat. I am not a fan at all!

Recently, they have been being pesky on our porch. Remember all the flower pots I worked so hard to fill? Well, these squirrels and chipmunks seem to think those were placed on the porch for their enjoyment. 

They dug into the trough and pots that I have near the basement entry and dug up some of my newly sprouted seedlings. 

They've also scratched potting soil out of my porch pots as they were digging holes. They threw some of the soil onto the porch and window sills. I have not been a happy camper. 

I have declared to battle them and keep them out of my plants. My first step has been to use an additive to prevent them from digging in the soil of my pots and trough. I simply sprinkled a bit of crushed red pepper flakes atop the soil in each container.

All of my flower pots sort of look as if they have some sort of top-dressing on them. We shall see how effective this remedy is. I am determined to battle these critters and not let them win! Stay tuned for a special report at a later date.