Today was the first day of my week off from work. I took a walk for exercise, wrote a thousand words, and picked up a few needed items, including a rat trap. I don’t have rats, but I have chipmunks attempting to take up housekeeping in my garage. My instinct is to live and let live (perhaps charging a nominal rent), but people tell me chipmunks are prone to gnaw on your car’s wiring, so I’ve declared Total War. Three chipmunks have been liquidated to date, and I felt it was time for a new trap.
I have a higher regard for my white squirrel. One day last winter, shortly after I’d moved in, I was talking to my brother Moloch on the phone, and I saw an albino squirrel in the back yard. On Saturday I saw him again, in the front yard. Albinos are rare in the wild, being pretty easy targets for predators, but I suppose an urban environment provides better cover.
I feel an affinity, for some strange reason, with any creature ill-designed for survival by nature.
By way of Blue Crab Boulevard, some very nifty, downloadable inspirational posters based on the original Star Trek. I love this kind of swill.
I saw those too. The one the Blue Crab features is hilarious.
Lars, Referring you to Brandilyn Collins Forensics & Faith Blog – 7 August 2006 entry ~ her skunk and mothballs story. Trying to send the embedded link. Hmmm? Is this allowed? Forgive, if not. 🙁
Forensics & Faith
Phil will have to say if it’s allowed or not. Interesting story. I wonder if mothballs work against chipmunks. I’d rather repel them than murder them, to be sure.
I think it a situation like this the rule is that if it works and isn’t rude then it’s allowed. I tried to make an HTML list in a comment once, but it didn’t work b/c wasn’t allowed.
I’ve heard that keeping a cat will keep chipmunks away.
And the net gain would be…?
😉
Well; considerable. I once had some rats on my boat; during the winter when it was tied up for a few months. Apparently a female had a ‘litter’ in there… and I had to trap them one by one. (Eight or nine as I remember it. Once I got a ‘double header’ – two rats in one trap.) This was a very disagreeable probject. Maybe the cat will kill the chipmunks; but probably (if these are smart fellows) they will move on. It’s up to you; but taking dead critters out of a trap is a downer for me. I’d rather the cat took care of it.
Good thought. However,
a) I’m more of a dog guy (though I don’t have a dog), and
b) When I moved in, my neighbor asked with some concern whether I planned to have a cat. He’s allergic to them. I assured him I had no plans to get one.