Return of the dreaded squirrels and upstate cats

We have had quite a few days of a squirrel-free backyard. I knew they would eventually return, either the same nasty boys (and girls) or new ones to fill the vacuum, but I was hoping for a longer vacation—at least until some of my tomatoes finally ripen.

Back to setting the trap...

The Husband has been in NY all this time, settling into a less stressful life. He and Sophie are relaxing and gardening in much cooler weather than what we have here in steamy South Jersey. There have been so many above-90° days this summer that it has been like living in the tropics, minus the cool ocean breezes. Yesterday the heat index was 106°. How did I ever survive without air conditioning in years past?

The Husband and Sophie return today for a week. I am hoping he returns with more photos. The cellphone pics I have been posting just aren't the same quality.

All of us, including Dave and Will, our cats, are going back upstate next Sunday. We are pretty sure the cats are not going to enjoy the 4.5-hour trip, so we only want to do it once. Once they become New Yorkers, they will forever leave their cushy air-conditioned life behind. No more squirrel TV at the french doors. No more attic-window view of the birds nesting in the cedar trees. But I am sure they will find their new channels acceptable—plenty of new critters, plenty of new large screen TVs.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Basics: Nut? What Nut? The Squirrel Outwits to Survive (nytimes.com)
• Product Reviews: Small Critter Repellents for the Guerrilla Urban Gardener (blogcritics.org)
• Outwitting Squirrels: one of the funniest books I've ever read (boingboing.net)
• Do I just have to kill them? (ask.metafilter.com)
• About 65,000 South Jersey customers lose electricity after thunderstorms (nj.com)