Monday, June 11, 2007

Woodchuck Stories

My mother suggested that we should call animal control and they will come and take the parents and babies to a nice forest preserve somewhere that has a nice warm cave. Yesterday she asked me if I could put out some veggie scraps for them, and with a night's sleep, she too has decided that Chuckie and family must go.

I am not sure that animal control takes care of woodchucks. I am pretty sure that they don't. Since it is illegal to trap them...well...I guess I could call and ask.

So far this morning our backyard is a woodland paradise. Woody One sits out by the garage door surveying his new kingdom with not a fear in the world. Big Chuck ran across the neighbors lawn and then came silently back to munch away on the neighbors grass for awhile. Mom is nowhere to be seen, probably inside doing dishes and laundry like all good moms.

I had a doctor in Chicago once, who when I went in for some malaise or another, recommended "cheerful neglect." We have tried using cheerful neglect when dealing with the Chuckie problem, and now we have four little problems. So much for hoping that the situation will go away by itself.

Right now George and I are at the stage where we sit on the deck eating our dinner at night, watching the birds at the feeders and doing woodchuck watch. But if they touch my tomatoes, I'm callin' the feds!

Have a great day!