Squirrel Problems at The Lake

Word of the Day

Lactomangulation - 1. Manhandling the "open here" spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the "illegal" side of the container. 2. When one accidentally forces open the wrong side of a milk container not realizing the fact.

I made a batch of stew for Gypsy. This morning when I fed Gypsy, I noted that I only had five more days worth of her stew. Time to make up another batch. This latest batch should last for 36 days, so I may not have to make any more stew here at The Lake this season. I tried giving Gypsy the store bought Beneful stews but...she doesn't like them. I'm thinking of slipping a bit of it into my homemade stew....just to get rid of it. Waste not, want not. And...maybe...this will make my own homemade stew last a bit longer so I won't have to frantically make up another batch when HTP and I get back to Arizona.

Two of my hummingbird feeders were empty this morning. Actually, they were empty for a couple of days now but I've been too busy to make up some more nectar. Besides, there were two more feeders with nectar. It's not like I'm starving the little pigs. I filled the two empty feeders and noted that one of the other ones is getting low. It'll probably be empty by the end of the day. I've gone through lots of sugar this year and it's mainly for the hummingbirds. Though, my sister and my wine-making activities do use quite a bit too.

Although Gypsy is just starting to watch for squirrels, the persistence of the squirrels getting into my seed feeders have required the purchase of LOTS of bird seed this summer. Even though I have solved the raccoon problem that I've had on previous summers by bringing the feeders in each night, I think I've gone through over 80 pounds of bird seed already and I've got one more month to go. I don't really mind the squirrels, except that they've been gnawing on the plastic seed feeder. I suppose I'll have to replace it with a metal feeder next summer.

HTP has talked about fitting Gypsy with a bark collar. I really don't mind her barking...if she's got a good reason for barking. Unfortunately, she races off to bark when then pump kicks in, or when a fan squeaks, or when my canning lids ping, or when someone across the lake sets of fireworks, or, or, or.....We've been correcting her but now that she's found her voice, the least sound will trigger a race to the door and a barking fit. I'm not sure that a bark collar is the answer but I do have one back in Arizona that we could try if things get too much out of hand. In the meantime, HTP and I have been diligently correcting whenever Gypsy barks at anything she really doesn't need to bark at. Maybe she'll finally get the idea and since she only started doing this in July, I figure she may get the idea by the end of September? I hope?

Murphyism of the Day

Prescher's Law of Exams

If you don't know the answer, someone will ask the question.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The end result of kindness is that it draws people to you.

- Anita Roddick