Let the games begin

First.... thanks you so much for your compliments on Holiday Express. Soon it will find a permanent spot on my wall. Given the challenges this piece offered I'm displaying it year round!


Next, see the critter on my bird feeder? That's Chippy. Chippy will soon have a new place to live if I have my way. He's cute and all, but when he learned to climb up to the feeder it became evident it was time for him to move out.



We have tons of nature in our yard... bunnies that aren't afraid to come inside the fence and eat flowers, deer, squirrels, foxes, the occasional coyote, turkeys and so on. This is our first summer with a chipmunk. At first, he was cute running around the patio. I got a little curious when I found him in the blue bird house and he wasn't afraid of me.... even after dropping the house and hurrying away. My husband had to go shake him out.


Then, the weather got colder and I saw the birds crowding around the usual feeder spot so I filled one and hung it out. Well, Chippy thought this was his personal seed dispenser and went about stuffing his cheeks and running back across the patio to bury it under the porch. The magnitude of what he was doing became apparent the day I saw a mouse scurrying under there too. I'm convinced he's become the mayor of mouse town. He's planting and storing enough grain so his little subjects can survive the winter under there.


So, yesterday we went and bought a humane trap at the farm store. We placed it right out in plain sight with some seed and a few apple wedges. Soon I noticed some apple wedges gone and Chippy sitting on the steps to the hot tub all fluffed up like he was nice and full and was going to settle down for a nap. I spooked him and he darted off the steps and straight into the trap.... which snapped..... but he just kept on going right out the other side! Guess those bars weren't going to hold him. The stinker.


We didn't see him again yesterday but, based on the photo, he's alive and well. A new Havahart trap is on the way. We'll safely relocate him to a nice wooded lot over by the lake.


We had a busy weekend with various activities including a trip to the movies to see The American.... not scary or even that thrilling. We were the youngest people in the theatre if that gives you any clue who this movie might be geared towards. I finished reading Justin Cronin's The Passage. I'm not a sci fi fan. Loved the first 200 pages. After that it was like the book was written by an entirely different person. I'd like to read one of his other, non sci fi books, and see what they're like.


Time to take The Boy Wonder to the barbers to see what we can do with the hair. Maybe he'll learn not to shave his head again.

Oh, and how could I forget? School starts tomorrow..... I'll try to contain myself.


The Queen Bee.