Monday May 16 2016  UNWANTED GUESTS 

Fortunately the “unwanted guests” I speak about do not know I have a blog.  That’s a good thing.  We are currently sharing our premises with a couple of picky, uninvited (and as I am finding out daily), destructive guests.  They are up very early in the morning, sometimes even before daybreak.  Though I give them credit, they are extremely quiet to be making such a big mess of things.   They only like to eat what they want to eat, which are things I don’t necessarily want to give them.  They make messes where I least expect it and are undermining more than just my hospitality.

We even resorted to consulting with someone today (behind their back) to figure out a way we could best be rid of them before they do more damage than they already have.  So what to do?  In order to be politically correct I will refrain from mentioning what I would like to do to them.

We don’t confront them often and I think they know they have a good thing going here and don’t want to upset the apple cart.  Well, what they don’t know is that my patience and tolerance is about up.  They have done enough damage, eaten more than I can even imagine, and do absolutely nothing to clean up after themselves.

So, who are these guests?  They are generations of groundhogs.  GREAT BIG GROUNDHOGS!  And did you know that one groundhog can undermine and cause an entire barn to collapse?  These buggers are living under our playhouse in the back yard and have an underground highway system that leads directly to our terrace.  We have a terrace out back that was once an in ground pool.  From our back door we walk down a shallow flight of steps to get to it.  Then the fenced in area is surrounded by huge slabs of cement.  Years ago after our children outgrew using the pool we had it filled in.  It had to be filled in with the same dynamics as a septic system, with drains so that the water would drain out of the grassy area.  On the left end as you look at the terrace from the house, is an embankment with a sloping rock wall from the grass below to the cement height. 

Mr. and Mrs. Groundhog has a direct access to our rock wall and have dug under the rocks to set up their condominium under the cement slabs above.  They are undermining one end of our yard.  The cement slab is beginning to sink.  We discovered in our consultation this afternoon with a landscaper that he would not even begin to work on the damage done until we have confirmation that our guests have been expunged once and for all.  We will even have our old play house razed and hauled away to make it happen.  This play house is constructed just like a solidly built house on cement foundation and is very heavy and large for a playhouse.  It was already built here when we bought our place.

So…how do we go about eviction!  That is our dilemma today.  It seems that there is always a new twist in life when we least expect it.  I will say that I will be happy to see them go and hopefully will enjoy viewing all the flowers and shrubbery they will no longer eat.   And so…the saga continues.

 

GOODBYE LITTLE HOUSE

By Kathleen Martens

May 16, 2016

 

Our little red house

Knows not its demise.

I hope when it goes

I will not cry.

 

Under its roof

Memories abound.

Where spray painted walls

May be found.

 

And real glass windows

Created much fun

As target practice

For our boy’s BB-gun.

 

Now unbreakable glass resides,

And never again broken!

Because stern measures

Were severely spoken!

 

And for senior portraits

The red enhanced,

A part of the background,

And not by chance.

 

And little wreaths

Graced the door,

And I always thought

There would be more.

 

But the groundhog family,

As fancy squatters abound,

Created an environment

That is now unsound.

 

So out they go

Quicker than a flash!

And I hope it is swiftly

So my hopes aren’t dashed!

 

Goodbye little house

I will miss you I’m sure.

You’ve been a great friend

Who has long endured.

 

 

Lord, thank You for all the animals you have created. 

And thank You that we had the opportunity to enjoy our little squatters.

Thank You God for the beauty of your creation and all I see when I look out my windows.

Thank You too that I have been privileged to live among your beautiful designs.

Thank You for the knowledge of others who know so much more than I could even think of knowing.

Thank You for keys.

Thank You for mangoes.

Good night and God bless all of you. 

P.S.  I  suppose Mr. and Mrs. Groundhog thought our” flowers were the smiles of God’s goodness too!”  Those little buggers sure did like them (still do as they are not yet gone).