The Squirrel Dumplin' Gang

Freaking squirrels!  I know that you need to eat, and I am happy to have a few feeders that you can get into without too much effort, but do you have to steal or destroy everything?!!?  Squirrel dumplings is what you are going to be if we can't figure out a way to get along around here.

Last year, during the long hard winter we had a few grey, the occasional black, and three little red squirrels.The Brown Eyed Man and I enjoyed their antics, and they were very well behaved.  The feeder I had out at that time was a cheep plastic red one that I had brought with from the apartment.  It had holes big enough that the jays, woodpecker, and the squirrel could all share, and they did.

April 2014

Winter 2014

I  feel like it was winter, because we had snow until May, but my garden/bird journal assures me that it was indeed April when the incidents happened.

One, or more, of the squirrels decided to chew a huge hole into the bottom of the feeder.  All of the seed fell out onto the ground, and that was the end of that.

I bought a heavy duty, expensive, squirrel proof feeder, and that is what I am still using today.  The problem with it is that the larger birds, my Jays and my Woodpecker, can't use it either.  They now rely on the suet feeders.    

That brings me to the next issue.  The dang squirrel learned how to open the green metal suet feeder that I had hanging from a tree in the valley.  They would pop it open, steal the suet cake, and gleefully dance away. Well, I never saw it, but in my mind that's what happened.  All I know is I had an empty suet feeder, handing wide open.  So I fixed their little wagon and used a twist tie to secure it.  They showed me.  Within a week the entire feeder was gone, chain and all.

                     
I replaced it with a new one, tied it shut, and they weren't so lucky after that.

Winter finally left around mid May, and with it went the squirrels.  It was very odd, but we didn't see hide nor hair of them all summer long, and into the fall.  For my birthday in September I got a new feeder, that is easier access, and I was able to hang it up safely until a few deer showed up during hunting season.  The squirrel only  reappeared a few weeks ago, but they have returned with a vengeance!

We had four large grey, two or three little red, and two black squirrels in the gang, but there was some "squirrel on squirrel violence" (The Brown Eyed Man coined that one.) and we are one black squirrel down.  The Man found him dead on the side of the ice racer.  Everything seemed intact, except the poor thing was missing his manly bits.  Apparently that's how they do each other in.  *shudder*  That was last week.

This week they stole the damn green metal feeder right off the tree again.

 As you can see, all that's left is the chain.  We had fresh snow yesterday, (Just an inch, this winter is the opposite of last year so far.) so there should be a track to where they dragged it, but Jake and I investigated today, and nothing.  Maybe it happened Sunday night before the snow.  #$@#%

The other suet feeder is made of wood, and if the birds or squirrel monkey enough the one side will pop, letting the suet drop to the ground.  To fix this I had a string made of jute tied around that side, and then another one of wire around the other.  Just happened to have those with me at different times.  I always intended to put wire on both...........  The little buggers chewed right through the rope.  There will be wire on it before sundown, I assure you.

Now it looks like they are going to chew the branch off the tree so they can steal this one too.

This Shiz just got real................

                                                  Hey!  Look what I found down by the fire pit while I was filling the feeder that is actually FOR the squirrels!  We shall rebuild it.  There's gotta be some stronger chain out in the garage!  This appears to be accidental, I'm hoping we have it on the camera footage.  The Brown Eyed Man thinks the scrapes on the branch are just incidental, from the squirrel hanging down to get at the suet, I'm not buying it for a second. They are smart lil buggers!

Cider and Cocoa (and Cotton)

I wrote out a Christmas list, but the only thing I really wanted was a new piece for my Christmas Village.  A few blogs ago I wrote about my obsession with the village. It has been years since I have added any large piece because  I can't find anything "village worthy".  This year was different.  When I took Hannah and Tater to check out the village at Menard's in Superior I found THE perfect addition!

I wanted it so badly, and needed the right piece, so I actually printed it off the picture and gave it to The Brown Eyed Man, along with my list.  Then crossed my fingers.

This is what happened.

First off, you need to know that The Man has an aversion to certain sensory things.  I have my village set on a white table cloth, because he has a strong reaction to anything like cotton batting, or felt.  He avoids it at all costs.  When I asked for the village piece, I knew he would have to get near the cottony village set up to get it, so I did tell him how much I wanted it, and suggested he ask an employee to grab it, or have my sister help him out.

Bless his heart, he went on his own.  He went to the Menard's near work.  Gone.  He went up the hill to Menard's. Gone.  He came down to the Superior Menard's. Gone.  One week before Christmas, and they were all out of the Mt. Woodland's Cider and Cocoa shop.  They are only available in store.

Christmas Eve TBEM tried again at the Superior store.

He went over to the village set up, and sure enough no Cider/Cocoa shop.  Then he noticed a box way up above.  Getting an employee to climb up and investigate, it was an empty box.  The box used for the display model.  The Brown Eyed Man asked to buy said display, but the dude didn't think he could sell it.  TBEM said "It's Christmas Eve.  You don't need it anymore.  Please go and ask a manager if you can sell it to me."  The dude responded with, "I doubt they will unhook all of this just to sell it to you, but I will ask."

When the dude was out of sight, the Brown Eyed Man grabbed the ladder, climbed up amid the COTTON, found the plug, got it out, untangled it from the neighbors, and scurried back down the ladder. (When he told me that part of the story, I almost started to cry....)

The employee came back, and said "I can sell it to you if it doesn't disrupt anything."

The Brown Eyed Man reached up, and handed it to the startled employee.  They popped it into the empty box, and he moved outta dodge fast.


After hearing the whole story:

Me: That's really sweet, I just love it!  It's perfect!  I guess I will have to be nice to you.

BEM: Are you turning over a new leaf?

Me:  Nope.  (wild laughter)  It's just for today.

Now my village is perfect!

When I told my brothers that story on Christmas night (and I will include family friend Eric in the brother category)  they all decided that they wouldn't go through that much, and I should be nice for more than a day, at The Brown Eyed Man's Discretion.  He likes that idea.

I said o.k. BUT I need it in writing, notarized, three days in advance.  ;)