stupid squirrels... and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Anyone else have a problem with them? I would love to own a BB gun right now. At least they gave me some direction on how to carve my pumpkin. They ate all the seeds tho.

Doh!

We didn't buy a pumpkin this year...but we are being inundated with the neighborhood squirrels! The tiniest new visitors at the feeder (squirrels) are voracious. I'm sorry for the damage they caused you--but I sorta like the big mouth on that jack-o-lantern ;)

I just finished carving it. I'll post a pic tonite with it lit up.

I didn't buy the pumpkin. It came free when I signed up for the Ace Hardware card.

Wow. That's wild. The first I've ever heard of squirrels doing that. Bummer . . .

Here it is

The younger squirrels are doing the damage here too. They just look at me while they do it.

On a lighter note -- we are having a HUMUNGOUS neighborhood halloween party tomorrow night, 6 - 7:30 pm. DH & I are featured in the haunted house. He is a Zombie and I am the Undead Cafeteria Lady. You are all welcome & please bring your kids too!

If you need directions, just dmail me.

Hey, great job fixing up the pumpkin! I would love to come to the haunted house, but I am heading out this morning for Hawaii. I don't know why your squirrels are so much more destructive than ours. I am sure it has to do with coyotes, bears and neighborhood dogs.

I will post pictures for those who can't make it.

A creature that combines halloween with composting -- I would love to find one of these in my compost pile(s)!

http://www.grist.org/news/2007/09/11/worm/

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003249318_webgiantworm08.html

the squirles are eating my pecans. out of 3 trees i might get enough for a couple pies

Great job on the pumpkin. The squirrels are either really hungry, or sick like the bees. I've seen the come all the way across the street to get into my yard, knowing darn well that there is a cat lurking. They have more trees and shrubs on their side of the street, but yet they tempt fate. Cat 2 Squirels 0

Thanks guys. I wish I had some of your cats in this neighborhood. The cats here are friendly. Do you think the squirrels might be ill, stupid or just nuts? Maybe some of those worms would solve my problem!

I actually had some peaches growing off a old tree in my yard. We tried to save all six of them by hanging little bottles of fox urine next to them but it didn't work.

I believe they ate your pecans. I've seen them chew black walnut skin, the green stuff around the seed- it stinks and stains your hands, to get to the nut.

they have acorns to eat and the critter food i put out for them, but they still eat my pecons. go figure1

I think we have some gourmet squirrels on our hands.

Today, one of the clever ones spent awhile figuring out how to open up the suet feeder, here. Very calculated! Yep, we are dealing with crazy gourmet rodents, folks!!!

You all missed a great haunted house and party

Lady Fingers, anyone?

OUCH, Amy!!! Maggie was decked out in a formal (she was a debutante) passing candy to 112 trick-or-treaters:) Merry dressed as a flapper and went haunting with her friends. We're homebodies who enjoy the visitors; must be that age thing creaping up on us.

It looks like you guys had a fright-fest fit for friends AND fiends! :)
D.

Thank goodness for people like you. 112 trick-or-treaters? Oh my!! That makes this a pretty expensive holiday. I live at the end of a dirt road, so no treaters for me. Probably good because I should not have candy around the house. LOL

We never know how many to plan for, here. We figure it'll be between 100 and 150 if the weather is nice--MUCH less if it isn't . (We're on a corner). There were none in 2001 (9/11 scared them all). Anyway, we make sure there are two fun-sized candy items and several other small things in each treat bag...and this yr. we gave Halloween pencils, too. It's fun for our Maggie to be able to give the bags to the kids--well worth the investment ;)

Treat bags? You guys are too much. That's awesome. I hope that people (and I'm sure that most do) appreciate all the hard work you put in to making it such a fun and old-fashioned experience for the wee ones.

That looks like a good Halloween party! How nice for the kids.

The kids enjoyed it very much. Their parents were a bit freaked out, but that makes me wonder REALLY how well do they know what their little darlings enjoy? These are the same hellions that "help" in the garden every weekend, and I know for a fact that gross out compost with worms the size of a blacksnake is much more interesting to them than pretty flowers.

GJ, you guys are creative and fun (a little wacky but we all NEED a little wackiness in our lives). The parents will live and learn--the kids know what's fun;) The complex is lucky to have you.

Katie59, I think the high schoolers (who were all in 2nd or 3rd grade when we first moved here) are our biggest fans. We had 17 of them come to the door at once--knowing that we would not turn them away (some folks think the holiday should only be for the little ones, so they split up and trickle to the other houses and meet on the corners). The boys in that group must have been on the cheer squad. They got their treats and said, "Now, for your tricks!" They did backflips, walked across the lawn on their hands and did all sorts of great gymnastics:) Maggie (in her wheelchair) sat and clapped, big smile across her face. It was the highlight of the holiday:) Guess you'd have to say that the appreciation goes both ways:) I hope that we continue to have great kids visit us.

Pluto, I told my DH about the squirrels and your pumpkin. He'd just come in with the suet feeder that needed repair and had no trouble believing that the culprits got your pumpkin. They are really getting aggressive.

Oops, missed this thread. :)

It sounds like everyone had a great holiday. Ours was a bit crazy, but the kids all had a great time. My barely walking 16month old protested about being brought home early and to think he was trying to rip his costume off at the beginning of the evening. I'm looking forward to their candy buckets finally being empty, it's been madness with all this sugar in the house.

I can't believe the stories of these squirrels! We have very few large trees in our neighborhood so I haven't seen any squirrels here. I'm starting to hope I don't see them for awhile longer. The rabbits however are out in force in our area and it doesn't seem there are many predators controlling them.

We had a neighbor whose cat ate rabbits. Any cats in your neighborhood? Would your kids like a kitty?

the owls take care of rabbits here. And coyotes. Although I don't recommend either for a pet.

You have owls in Centennial? They tend to be very shy. Coyotes, I believe, they are everywhere.

owls are much more common here than most people realize. We do find the remains of their "dinner" on occasion, and I have heard the coyotes howling in the early a.m.

I understand there are coyotes in New York City. They are true survivors. We have lots of them here. I hear the howling on many summer evenings and often see them running across the road. I hear people report seeing owls here, and I am sure they exist in the woods, but I have never seen an owl in town. I guess Centennial is wilder and more wooly than I realized!
In Mississippi, we have owls. Great big ones. Barred owls, and Great Horned owls that I have seen. Probably a lot more.

I've seen owls here in Aurora. We also have hawks (one in particular has been pissing off the neighborhood birds), and on the outer edge of town around E-470, there are even blad eagles. I guess with all the surrounding prarie land, parks, open space trails and such, they have enough habitat. And certainly enough food, with all the mice and snakes that are around.

We have hawks on the outskirts of town and I used to see a huge one at the community garden when I gardened there, but I have never seen an owl or hawk in town. Perhaps they are here, I don't know. We do have plenty of bobcats, mountain lions, and coyotes though, but there always seems to be a good supply of gophers and rabbits to mess up the garden. I can't figure out why our squirrels don't mess with our gardens though. They are here and so are quantities of chipmunks.

Who was asking about owls? Who? Who?

Just got in from walking Sweetie, and guess who *we* saw? Who? Who?

2 Barred Owls in the top of a tree just at the edge of the forest garden, hooting their heads off. I got a chance to show Herb how to call them, and they responded beautifully for a good 10 minutes. Then the pair flew overhead very low, and across the middle area of the grounds toward the rose garden. Watched one of them sitting on the tennis court fence for quite a while, the whole time I was calling Jackie and getting the recorded sound of the owls on her answering machine. She didn't even stop to answer the phone, just came running out in the snow with no coat in time to see one of them for a few minutes, and then he flew across the road.

Too. Cool.

I am so jealous! I would love to see even one owl, not to mention two! All those squirrels and rabbits are luring them I bet. Congratulations on getting Jackie to see them. Maybe I don't know how to look for them, but I never see any here in New Mexico. I know they are here and I do see hawks, but no owls and here you are right in the middle of the Denver Metro Area with two! I want owls!

Recipe for owls:

1) build habitat for their preferred food items, like bunnies.
2) stir and wait for them to show up

Too funny GJ. Thanks for the laugh.

They will be able to have an excellent Thanksgiving with the critters at your place. With any luck squirrel stew will be their favorite dish.

I'm not so sure you want the owls to eat the squirrels here. Like vadap said they might be sick. I found one dead in my yard the other day. I couldn't tell if it just fell out of the tree on its head or had a sickness. I remember back in Chicago there would be outbreaks of whatever amongst certain squirrel species from time to time.