Stuff & Things: June 2008

For the last few years, we’ve been wondering who (or really what) has been living under our front walk. Was it rabbits, snakes, ground squirrels? A couple of weeks ago, I was finally able to confirm that chipmunks have made our yard their happy home. They’ve been digging their little tunnels and doing their thing causing the dirt to erode away. Now, I know it’s not just the chipmunks causing the erosion, but it sure hasn’t helped matters any.
Everybody say aaawww…they’re so cute! Here’s one who was watching me:

Michael looked online to see how we’re supposed to get rid of these little guys. Humanely trap them and release them (where?? Across the road in the field?), put mothballs down the holes (the smell will drive them out), use D-con (which I am completely against), shoot them (uh…no.), use coyote urine (eeewww), remove their food source (M was convinced that was the birdfeeder).

We had a long discussion about the birdfeeder. If you know me, you know I love my birds. Love all the little guys who hang out eating the seed we put out for them. They splash in the birdbath and sing and are so much fun to watch!! I couldn’t believe that the birdfeeder, which is on the deck, upstairs in the back of the house, could be the food source for little chipminks who live under the sidewalk at the front of the house. The birds don’t drop much seed to the ground as it is since we feed sunflower chips. Nope. Not taking down the birdfeeder.

So…we tried the mothball crystals. The only thing that happened was when we opened our windows to get some fresh air in the house, all we got was that lovely smell. Ick. The chipminks never left. They’re still here happily digging away.

Flash forward to last night. Kylie and I were in my bedroom watching a lighting storm and I was taking pictures. While checking the shots on the camera I found these 2 images obviously taken by Michael:

The photos aren’t that great (sorry Sweetie, but you shoulda used the flash), but if you look closely, you’ll see his cheek is full!!! I couldn’t help but laugh out loud! If it had been me I would have been right there with an “I told you so!”, but Michael was happy to take the photos, prove he was right and let me discover them on my own. Now I guess, since he was right (and you know it’s killing me to say that), I’ll take down the feeder for a couple of months. Or maybe we should try the coyote urine first. :-)

Oh...and those photos I was taking of the storm last night? Here are a few for ya. Keep in mind that these were taken at about 11:30pm:

This first one is of the fireflies that happened to come around while the shutter was open...