Ahhhh.....

my day off and I could sleep in a bit. I looked over at the alarm clock on the nightstand and it said 8:45, which meant it was actually 8:15 because I have my clock set 30 minutes fast so I won't be late. (don't think about that statement too much, ok?) I stretched and decided that I would sleep in a bit longer.....after all, it was my day off and I had no plans.

I turned over and snuggled against the pillows and started to drift off again. At this point I heard a firecracker so loud and powerful that it actually shook the house. I mumbled to myself, shaking my head. Some people have no sense, I thought. Here it is, not even 9 in the morning and they are already shooting off fireworks. I hoped that it was going to be the only one for a while and then I drifted off to sleep. I awoke about 45 minutes later. I'm not quite sure of the time because when I looked at my clock, the face was dark. I knew in an instant what had happened. I put things together immediately..........I'm quick like that. The loud noise I'd heard a while before.....it was no firecracker, it was the transformer again and guess what? I had no power! And.....there was for sure a fried squirrel laying on the ground at the back of my or the neighbor's yard.

This is a never-ending war between us, the power lines and the squirrels in our neighborhood. The squirrels are always the loser,but we end up suffering because it knocks out our power. Sometimes the power company is not busy and they can get us up and running again within a couple hours......sometimes, its 5 hours. This time it was 2 hours.

You know when you are without power......it seems like everything you want to do involves electricity. I ended up reading a book without my morning coffee.

You can understand why none of us around here are fond of squirrels.....even if they do have those huge brown eyes and that cute fluffy tail.

dogs, squirrels and shopping.....

Well, first of all, my daughter had to put down her wonderful pet, Mollie. Mollie, a black lab, just had too many aches and pains from old age and it was something that had to be done as she could barely move any longer.....she was an important part of our family for over 15 years and was a bit of a heroine to my old dog, Tommy. You can read about it here. Rest in peace Mollie.

If you read that old post, it gives you a little insight on the problems I have had with squirrels. They are the cause of many power outages, not to mention the intimidation they do to the family pets. Tommy (my Lhasa Apso) wasn't able to fight them back like Mollie did so he had to put up with it. This dog I have now...my rat terrier, Abby, just hates squirrels. I think her breed is born hating them. She spends her days running from one window to the next watching the squirrels jump from tree to tree or scamper all over my roof. Since Abby would rather chase a squirrel than eat, I have to let her out on a 50 foot nylon leash so she won't leave my yard....the squirrels have learned just where the boundaries are and they will run around just inches beyond her reach with her angrily yapping. Yesterday I let her out and she tore off the deck and headed straight for a squirrel that wasn't out of her reach....he just wasn't paying attention. My sweet little pet turned into a snarling savage as she tackled this squirrel....they tumbled ears over tails in the yard and the squirrel managed to get away from her. That was her first taste of actually having one in her grasp. When I let her inside a few minutes later and went to unleash her my hand came away covered in blood. Upon checking her over I could see that the squirrel had bitten her on the top of the head and also on the ear. Abby has her first battle scars and she wears them proudly. I hope she was able to get a couple bites on him too. I called the vet to make sure I didn't have something to worry about as I've heard that a lot of squirrels carry rabies. They said as long as she's up to date on her shots, (she is) that she should be fine. I cleaned her wounds with peroxide and put some antibiotic ointment on them. Now when I let her out, she actually prances. The squirrels are keeping their distance for right now, but I know they'll be up to their dastardly tricks again before too long.

Now this is off the above subject but its something that I have to pass on or I'll surely forget to. About 6 months ago I came across what I refer to as a best kept secret in the shopping world. Yep, its a family owned department store somewhere in PA. They may have more stores elsewhere in that general area too, I'm not sure. I was looking for something (what....now I can't remember) and I believe their name came up in Google. I checked them out and really liked what I saw. I have bought from them 3 times now and they are wonderful. This last time I got my granddaughter a London Fog winter coat for only $43. and some new Mary Jane type shoes for $16. I also got her some nice waterproof and insulated Totes winter boots for $23. These prices are absolutely unbeatable....especially for brand name merchandise. Yes, they were having a sale, but they seem to have a lot of those. They ship for a flat fee of $9.95 no matter how big your order is and they are prompt, as well as accurate. I'm not getting anything from them to promote their business....I just wanted to pass along a good thing. Go to www.boscov.com and see for yourself. I just love it when I find good deals. And just in time for Christmas too.

Well, this is just plain creepy.....

To add an update to the previous post.....the dead squirrel. The next morning, after my coffee, I went outside armed with a plastic garbage bag to dispose of said squirrel. It was a task that I was not looking forward to, but it had to be done.

I went to the base of the pole where the squirrel had been and it was........(gasp)....gone!

This is the second time this has happened now during the night. ( *a few weeks ago I found a dead squirrel by the AC unit outside. When I went to get it to dispose of it the next morning....it was gone! I think this is squirrel mating season, they are fighting with each other like crazy right now. He was most likely the loser. I doubt his family came and got the body to give him a decent burial, even though I'd rather think of it in those terms.)

Which reminds me of something. One day I was watching an ant carrying another ant, that was dead. He trudged across my driveway, carrying his load, which had to weigh as much as he did. I thought to myself....isn't that special. He's taking his fallen comrade back home. Wow. I watched as he took him to an anthill and down the hole. It was a couple days later, talking with someone else who apparently has a lot more intelligence than I, that I learned that ants are cannibals and he was taking him home all right....he was SUPPER!

Ok, back to the original storyline here...........

There is something creepy out there roaming around my yard looking for something dead for.......food.

Either that or the hawk has been helping himself as soon as its daylight. But this squirrel was in a heavily leafed area....mostly hidden from a sky view.

I've got to quit watching so many spooky movies....my imagination is getting the best of me in thinking of scenarios.

Shudder........this just makes me very uncomfortable although I do appreciate the disposal help. I've got my own National Geographic series going on in my own back yard. Nature's clean-up.

Speaking of that.....I really miss Meerkat Manor. Any of you ever look at that? It was the cutest show that I became quite addicted to. I suppose they ran out of story lines....there's only so much a Meerkat family can do. Hope your day is a good one.

And it continues.....

Sunday was a nice day. The neighbors to one side of me were having a family BBQ, the neighbors behind me were relaxing on their screened-in porch; the other neighbors in this immediate area were gone. I was enjoying a 3-day weekend by doing mostly nothing. I had been on the computer, then read for a while and finally decided that I would take a nice little afternoon nap.

I was jarred awake by the distinct sound that I've come to know so well. Yep, the transformer blew again and it was a sure bet who was responsible. After shutting down my computer safely (its on a battery back-up system), I trudged outside to see where the body or bodies were this time. My neighbors were kidding me about having squirrel BBQ for dinner. The neighbor behind me who had been sitting on her porch said it was the first time she had actually witnessed it....she said a huge ball of bluish white light came off of that pole and it was indeed frightening. I confirmed the body count of one laying at the foot of the pole. I sure wish they would land in another yard for a change but 98% of the time they land in mine, which makes me responsible for disposing of the body. Yuck! I'll admit there's been many times I've been tempted to toss them over the fence (where a MAN lives) and the only things stopping me is that I'm afraid someone will see me doing it and if I'm going to touch it to do that, I might as well go ahead and get rid of the body (logic takes over).

A call was placed to the power company by myself and I'm sure many other neighbors called too. The recording on the phone stated that our problem should be fixed by 10 tomorrow morning. Oh goodie! That's a good 15 hours away. It was just dark enough in my living room that attempting to read a book was difficult. I talked on the phone for a bit then noticed the power company truck. Wow...I was impressed....only two hours from when the call was made! The guy walked into my back yard and located the culprit's body at the base of the pole. It is now completely dark outside.

Well, we waited and we waited and still no power. I couldn't figure it out, since they located the problem right away and its happened so many times before, they certainly have it down pat as to what to do. I began to have scenarios run through my mind as to why it was taking so long.
1. Since its a holiday weekend, they had to call in more crews because they are short-handed.
2. Since its a holiday weekend, they only have an inexperienced crew working and have to call in the experienced guys if something big happens and all the experienced guys are three states away having a last summer vacation.
3.This call interrupted a BBQ and after locating the problem, they went back to finish their dinners first.
4. The truck appearing was nothing more than a facade to get people to quit calling. The "real" crew will show up early tomorrow morning when its light.
5. This was a particularly violent blow-out which fried 1,900 miles of wires and they all have to be replaced.

I got disgusted and went back to bed at 11. I left my bedroom light on so I would know if and when my power came back on. At approximately 1:30 in the morning, I had power.

Now, if you remember it wasn't that long ago that I had back-to-back outages during a weekend due to squirrels. I reported it to a "person of importance" at the power company that time and he said he would definitely look into putting up a squirrel guard which is what we've been asking for in the 37 years I've lived here.....and have yet to receive. Obviously, they still have not put one up even though I was visited by an inspector who stood at the base of the pole and stared skyward at it for more than a few minutes. In all their infinite wisdom, I figure that the power company has decided that it is more beneficial for them to not put up a squirrel guard which would take perhaps an hour or so. Instead they:
1. pay out overtime for their crews to respond on a holiday
2. pay out overtime for their crews to respond during the night or on a weekend
3. lose a substantial amount of money due to the fact that there are hundreds of meters not running during this outage.

So, weigh out the fact of losing much money on one hand.....to paying out a tiny amount for a squirrel guard on the other hand and I can fully understand why they would chose to not put up the guard. These people, after all, have to prove job security and what better way than this.....as if all the storms we get isn't enough. Besides that, if us old folks didn't have stuff like this to complain about, then we might just as well curl up our toes and check out. Half the fun of getting old is the part where you can moan and groan and complain and get away with it. We have earned that right, dad gummit. Hope your holiday weekend was a good one....its winding down now and, like everything else in my life, it went by amazingly fast.

All day rain.....

Today is a relaxing day. Its very dark and the rain is gently and continuously coming down. We need it so I'm not complaining. We did have a picnic planned but its been moved inside....we may end up postponing it until tomorrow, I'm not sure yet. Either way we'll have a good time and good food.

Not a lot has happened and I still say that's good. I need these down times to recharge my batteries. Its been extra busy at work with a lot of people gone on vacations. I had to have another condenser put in my car because the AC kept giving me warm air even though I would go have more freon added. So far its ok but its only been a few days. I still don't have my new computer in my possession, although my guy is working on it. This is a busy time of year for him and since I'm not totally without a computer, he is not hurrying with the new one. He does have all the parts....its just when he gets around to putting them all together. Hopefully before the end of this month I'll be all set.

I have met the love of my grandson's life. I was ok until I saw the piercing just under her bottom lip. WHY would anyone think that adds to their charm? I know.....I know....I'm an old fuddy duddy....my thinking is not progressive....I'm not up with the times. Humph....sorry but I can't see where putting holes in your face is progressive. And yes....I have pierced ears and have had them since I was a youngster myself....but somehow it just seems different. Sigh...maybe its not. Maybe its ME. Maybe I should just shut my mouth. HA!

So, I guess I will go refill my coffee mug and settle back with my book. I have about 400 pages to go and then I can start on the next one in my huge stack of books to be read. I think I have 26 books in that stack so I can safely say that I have fallen behind in my reading. The other ones in the stack are not so hefty as the one I'm reading now (1,000 pages) so it should go faster.

Oh....yes I wanted to tell you. I found another dead squirrel in my yard but this one was not next to the transformer nor did it cause me any electrical problems. I don't know what happened to the little guy. So I left him there until I could get out to the garage and find a shovel to bury him with...about 2 days. Yeah, I know...that's yucky, but I was putting it off, hoping that I could con someone else into doing that for me. Anyway when I went out there, armed with shovel, he was gone! Distasteful as it sounds....I'm wondering if the hawk took him. What do you think? If so, I guess that's a good point about having them nearby.....they make a good clean-up crew.

Enjoy your weekend. We have rain forecast for tomorrow too so its likely to be a quiet one for me.

Tis a sad day in squirreltown.....

Tragedy has hit my back yard once again....and not only once, but TWICE this weekend. You can see two dead as a doornail squirrels in this picture...one is at the left of the silver colored pole and could be mistaken for some leaves. This has been happening at regular intervals for the past.....oh, thirty years or so. I have REPEATEDLY asked our power company to PLEASE install squirrel guards on the transformer that is situated at the top of this pictured pole. So far my requests have fallen on deaf ears. I don't want the guard because I'm a lover of squirrels, mind you....but because of the inconvenience it causes when they create a power failure, preceded by an earth shaking boom that sounds like someone has pulled the trigger on a shotgun right next to you. This is the sound a transformer makes when it goes. Unfortunately, I have one located in the extreme corner of my yard.

When I first moved here I thought squirrels were really cute and I fed them....I even tamed a few. But after so many years of them destroying things.....they have actually become pests and I'm not so fond of them anymore. However I hate to see this sort of thing happen. I am, after all, an animal lover and they could have babies in a nest somewhere. Although I'm more apt to believe that they were males headed home after a long night out with the boys and were attempting to sneak in before the little woman noticed how late it was. Both of these deaths occurred very early in the day....between 6 and 8 a.m. I'm sure they will be sorely missed by their families.

The first one occurred early Saturday morning and we were without power for about 5 hours. I considered myself lucky it was for only that long since we had had a very strong storm a couple nights before that took down many wires and trees north of us. I'm sure the power company had more than enough to do with that mess. So before I could get my grandson to pick up the first squirrel and appropriately get rid of it, we had another one occur about the same time on Sunday morning! This waking up to no power is getting old. I need my coffee in the morning. Let me put more emphasis on NEED....I mean I REALLY need my coffee in the morning!! This time it took about 7 hours before it was restored. CHA CHING. Overtime galore.

So I am going to obtain the name of someone who has some importance in their job description at the power company and I'm sending them this photo. I am going to, once again, plead with them to please put up a squirrel guard or some sort of deterrent to keep this from constantly happening. It certainly would be a lot cheaper than paying overtime for their workers to come out on a Sunday to get our power back, not to mention all of the neighborhood being inconvenienced. We average between one and two occurrences a year and we've had two already and the summer is just starting. The squirrels here have no natural predators other than vehicles and their population has really gotten out of control. Unfortunately Mollie, even though I'm sure she's still a legend, is just too old to help out anymore.

On a brighter note....we had family movie night on Saturday night. My family stayed the night as it was HOT and they do not have central AC. So after supper we settled in and watched Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. Wow, its sad to see that such a superhero of the past (Dirty Harry) has aged.....but then, so have we all. It was a good movie....Depending on where you live, its true to the ways of our society now. Lots of racial slurs but without them, the movie would not have been realistic. It shows firsthand what a horrible violent society we live in and that most people just run from it (relocate). Only problem with that is that someday we will run out of places to relocate to. Eastwood's character doesn't want to move and he's a bitter old man with a family that doesn't understand him and doesn't really want to be bothered with him unless they need something. Thank goodness for the small bits of comedy here and there to lighten things up a bit. It was a good movie, the ending is very thought-provoking. Would I want to buy it and keep it? No. Would I have been mad to have paid $8. to see it at the show? No. Do I feel like I'm a better person for having watched it? No. It was a good movie....but definitely not for all audiences. It did deliver a message and I wish it could help the way things are in today's society, but it won't.....and that part is sad.

Lunch break and a stretch.....

I told you the squirrels at my place were gutsy and this just proves it without a doubt. I took this through a closed window and screen but I seriously think that even if I had been outside he probably would not have gone far. I went through a huge bag of seed in one week and finally just took the danged bird feeder down.

Hope you got a chuckle out of this. Nothing I've thought of so far can keep them out of the seed intended for the birds.....I even greased the pole on the one in the front yard.

Moving right along to other things happening in my little corner of the world....my granddaughter graduated from kindergarten today. It absolutely flew off the scale on the cuteness meter! All those kids looked so darn cute I could hardly stand it. Now usually girls have always outnumbered the boys, but this year in her class.....it was 17 boys to 6 girls. They all had "diplomas" and their teacher did some creative stuff with a magic wand and *Poof*...they were in first grade! Granddaughter wanted pictures taken with all the teachers and aides and office staff and librarian and janitor and bus drivers and lions and tigers and bears.....oh my. Everybody loves her...she is just such a social butterfly, that one.

And she wore a black fur coat.....

Since retirement, I’ve had a lot more time to observe many different things. Today I’ll comment on the squirrels in my yard. Oh and an evil bunch they are too. My old dog, Tommy, lived in dog hell because of them. (Note:Tommy passed away a little over a year ago from old age, bless his doggie heart) They took pure delight in teasing him unmercifully. He was just a little guy (Lhasa Apso) but he was pretty fast. Not fast enough to catch a squirrel though…..and THEY KNEW IT. I think they had nightly meetings and planned their strategies for the next day. They were good too. Each one had his own duty to fulfill, his own personal bit of torture. They teased, they taunted, they bullied, they called him names. They would let him almost get to them and then rush off with the speed of light, shouting na na na na na and making faces. They would come down from the safety of their large commune in the big oak tree and park themselves just out of his reach and chatter insults at him. They threw acorns at him repeatedly. I’m not lying about this, honest. Oh you name it, they did it to him. They were relentless.

One holiday weekend during the summer my daughter and her family came over with the intention of staying for the fireworks and then just staying the night. She not only brought the kids, she brought her dog, Mollie, a black Lab. Molly and Tommy had met on several occasions and got along great, so we knew everything would be ok in that regard. It wasn’t long before the dogs wanted out, so out they went, into the backyard, into Tommy’s nightmare. The squirrels were waiting to carry out their fun. As soon as the dogs went out, the squirrels started coming down from their respective trees with glints in their eyes and smiles on their lips. The women and children were lined up on the telephone wires so they could watch the fun. What a cold bunch they were. One of them ran up to Tommy, did a last minute 90 degree turn and jumped onto the deck then to the roof where he hurled insults. Mollie watched. I think Tommy was telling her that this was his rotten life, this was the hell he was forced to endure. Another squirrel came down while the others egged him on and proceeded to taunt and tease poor Tommy. With the speed of which I’d never seen before, Mollie sprang into action. She was a black blur as she whirled, charged the squirrel and caught him at the base of the tree before he could even attempt to get off the ground to safety. There was a loud crunch, snap and she dropped his lifeless body on the ground. Tommy was in awe. He trotted out to her, sniffed the body and then looked up at her adoringly as if to say “my heroine”. Mollie brushed her paws off and casually walked back to the house with Tommy running circles around her, panting and whispering sweet nothings in her ears. He was infatuated and amazed. The squirrels were in shock.

I’m sure a town meeting was called immediately. The head squirrel announced that it was obvious there was a new dog in town and this one meant business. He announced his deep sorrows for his comrade and condolences for the family of the fallen but also stated that for the safety of the town in general they were going to have to leave the area. He sent them home to begin packing and set guards out to watch for the assailant in the black fur coat that had taken out one of their best. The squirrels disappeared from my yard. I don’t know where they went. I think they all went into the protected witness program because their fear was so great. I did not see them again until this summer. Yes….they're baaaack. It’s a whole new generation. I’m sure the elders all tell the story of the large black-furred one but these guys are young, fearless and don’t listen to the old folks. These guys come right up on my deck and look in the sliding glass door. They want me to know they have GUTS. They are wearing black leather, have tattoos and no respect for their elders. They frequently chew through my telephone wires just to prove a point. They are bullies of the worse kind.

I have a new dog. She’s still a puppy and is full of energy and curiosity. Abby is a rat terrier and has seen those squirrels and instinct tells her that she shouldn’t like them and she doesn’t. Abby is FAST. Because Abby can jump my chain link fence like it wasn’t there, I have to keep her on a 30’ tether. That’s the only thing stopping her from reaching the squirrels. They KNOW THIS and have begun their teasing. I know the squirrel elders are just shaking their heads at the ignorance of their young community but I’m sure they are remembering that in their youth, they did all the same things. *Sigh* I hate to bring violence to my peaceful little corner of the world, but I may have to get Mollie over here again.