Ted:
Looked out my kitchen window earlier today to see a half eaten Cherokee Purple sitting on my deck railing. When I came out to investigate there were also several unripened small green tomatos scattered on my deck. The perpetrator was beating a hasty retreat across a limb of the big Ponderosa pine that abutts our deck in the front yard.
We'd been finding more damaged tomatoes lately and finally... this squirrel has settled on our tomatoes as being an easy solution to her hunger. A big, healthy, fearless pine squirrel that has claimed our little garden as her own.
I ran her off twice but within a hour or two she was back. "That's It" I said to myself and went into "manland" (as my wife Ann refers to it) looking for my GAMO Whisperer. Found it and finally...some .177s, took it out behind the house to confirm the sights were accurate (they weren't, but they are now) broke it open and sat on the deck. My wife came out to chat and while we were discoursing that darn squirrel came sneaking back onto the deck (Ann heard her coming long before I did). Bad plan on her part.
I must be getting soft in my old age as dispatching her made me feel a little bad about it (I'd also just heard [from her brother] that the author of my new favorite tomato book had passed as well).
All deaths seem to bother me more now. Tim Curry and Dolly Parton seemingly have lots of company today.
Last edited by Lloyd3; 08/27/26 08:49 AM.
