Back to Your Roots

   All my children have a vagabond soul, I should know, I helped create it. When they were small I moved them frequently to new homes and new schools, sometimes more than once in a year. I experienced the same as a child, moving four times and attending four elementary schools over a twelve month span between the 4th and 5th grades. I think it has become the 'norm' though not necessarily the ideal custom  in America. Surely, it was the vagabond spirit that settled this great country, my family roots originated from England and immigrated to 17th century Virginia, spread down to North Carolina in the 18th century, traveled west through the Appalachians to Kentucky, then north to Indiana  and then west again to The Nebraska territory just before the Civil War, and then south to eastern Texas where my Dad was born in the early 20th century. Maybe we just naturally have the urge to search out new lands and opportunities and solutions to the perplexing problems that assail us. I have come almost full circle back to North Carolina and my son David and his family are completing the family circle by settling back in Virginia where it all started. Interesting, that after over 300 years of migration, through many generations, we are back where we started.
   Dave's family is a combination of three sweet children from a dad who left this world much too early, and a  four year-old child of his marriage to Kodi. God intervened in their lives and blessed them as he united them all in spirit as a family. I am thankful that they found each other and they are on their journey together. I am most thankful that they cared to spend a week with Cheryl and I on their sojourn to Candlers Mountain in Virginia. The kids are precious, and in between viewings of all the classic Star Wars episodes and Lord of the Rings Trilogy (plus a few others), we all finally got acquainted.
   We even got to know a special companion of Tyler who is travelling with them from California. Sweet Emilie was a delight to meet and we wish her and Tyler the best in the future. We can all agree that we like Nana's cooking and we enjoy a good movie. We are excited that we will have the opportunity to see them often and get to know them even better.



Chase, Kodi, Joshua, Dave, Maci, Poppy, Tyler



Dave and Kodi and the little man of a thousand faces



Chaser, Texi-Cali-Maci-Inia, Emilie de la Viola, and Ty



Emiliana (La dulce nino') and Ty with the west Texas drawl



"Poppy, what is that tree with the big leaves?"



"Now remember not to shoot Poppy"

"There's nothin' in there"

"That looks like the picture you showed me"
"It is, that's Bennett's birdhouse"



The many faces of the little guy, never the same twice.





Ardilla guerra Episode II

In a back yard far, far away in the North of the Carolinas,
 

One man struggled to defeat the relentless squirrel army.
 

Every defense was defeated by the squirrels shortly after it was introduced,
The ingenius ardillas always found a way to overcome his ever changing strategy,
 

 Then finally one day, one-day he created a new concept and perfected it. Would the war finally be over?

 

 Rex de la Ardilla  a.k.a. 'King of the tree rats' (Conivum pestemus supremus) 

 

At the end of the last episode, I discovered that the baffle on the deck hanger was not only ineffective, it was aiding and abetting the squirrels in reaching the bird feeder. They simply crawled over it (or jumped over it) and then used it for a platform to reach the bird feeder. The problem was that it was stable and needed to be free-wheeling on the rod. I couldn't fix that so I removed it and tried a new concept. I found a cardboard tube like you pull from the center of wrapping paper and slipped it over the rod to prevent them from being able to climb out on the hanger. The concept worked at first as the tube started to spin as they put their weight on the tube. After a few hilarious attempts, they found a work around. I got a couple of great laughs as I watched one master the first tube and then lose control as he moved to the second tube. He literally hung on to the cardboard for two full turns, like clinging on to a giant pinwheel spinning, before he was unceremoniously ejected for a twelve feet drop to the ground. His flight resembled someone being pushed from an airplane without a parachute, but they always land on their feet. For you animal rights lovers, twelve feet drops don't bother squirrels, they land on their feet and scamper to the nearest tree. They are truly intrepid little rodents.

 

The quest begins.

.                        

Checking out the two cardboard rollers

 

Whoa, those things are not stable

Safe back on solid footing



There must be a way, I'll try again

Why won't that thing hold still?

Oh Man here I go again

Third time has to 'the charm'

"Oh I see, if I put all my weight on it and push my claws into it, it won't spin"

Dang, there is another tube above the first one



Whoa! that one spins too- better bail out while I can

Well OK I can do this- almost made it last time

 

Clamp hard and get a good grip

"Piece of cake" just scootch up to the next one and I'm home free

Help! I'm spinning and I can't stay on. 3 complete revolutions before he was spun to the ground 12' below. I laughed till I cried.

 

   It was obvious to me that the cardboard was not adequate for an all weather defense, so I went to Lowe's and Home Depot and finally decided to replace the cardboard with two sections of 4" PVC pipe. Once they were there they provided the same protection and the ardillas were not able to climb out on the deck hook. Then it became apparent to the squirrels that they could just leap from the top rail of the deck and land directly on the feeder. I caught a few in the act and burst out on the deck just as they landed on the feeder. They had nowhere to go, so they dropped to the ground 12' below. 

 

I put up a section of wire closet hanger shelving upright on the back edge of the deck, so they could not use the top rail as a launching pad. Their next move was to climb onto a nearby hanging basket, get down inside the plants and leap to the feeder. I know that they have plenty of natural food, but they seem obsessed with having to get on the feeder. I moved the hanging plant hooks so they would be too far to leap onto the feeder. Then they started leaping from the top rail beyond the closet shelving. Their obsession drives them to extreme attempts that are hazardous to their health. I found additional shelving sections and extended the wings to a point that the intrepid little beggars won't attempt a leap.

 

Cheryl didn't like the looks of the big 4" pipe so we went back to Home Depot and she bought a dozen 3" PVC couplers that are 3" long. This creates an even more difficult environment for the enemy to overcome. Every 3" they have a new joint that spins differently than the previous one. This has proved highly effective (along with the other methods described) for the past three weeks. No invaders have made it to the promised land since then. It is not pretty and it obscures our view of the birds,  but it is effective.

 

And the war was finally over, the tree rats defeated, victory at last, I thought.. 

 

 

 

4" diameter PVC with original closet shelve

 

 

I can do it

Oops



Past the first one

Started losing it as he put the back feet onto the top one

Replaced the big PVC with smaller diameter and length. None have used this route .



   This was effective for about two weeks and then they learned to balance on top of the wire and leap directly onto the feeder. Alas, I fear I must resort to the ultimate weapon that could run them away. Since the conniving, ingenious little tree rats always discover a way to overcome my clever defense of the bird feeders, I shall have to resort to DEFCON-4 as a final act of war. (Of course this will require the approval of the animal rights champion in my home who currently does not approve of this cruel and unusual punishment) But thanks for the explosives Darren.

 

DEFCON 4

 

 Stay tuned for episode III.