Speaking of nesting...

that is what I have been doing lately, in my "forever" home, as a former teaching colleague so aptly called it.  After almost three months, I am still unpacking, sorting, pitching, donating, filing, placing, organizing and remembering, as I find things buried that I haven't seen in almost two years.  There is no future in nostalgia, but objects can evoke memories of a certain time and place.  These memories can sometimes be bittersweet, but more often ...j-u-s-t sweeeeeeet!!!

I digress. Nesting is the subject here.  I soon figured out after I moved in, that there was a previous tenant, not paying rent, who had stayed behind when the previous owners left. Aren't I lucky?

I couldn't see him, but I knew he was around. There is a big hole under my shed, the latter of which backs onto a wire fence. There isn't much room there, to squeeze in between the fence and the shed.  I managed to pitch a handful of mothballs in and around the hole.  The heavy rains soon after melted those at the entrance, and as for the ones in the hole, I couldn't see them, but I soon found out the "varmint" had not been deterred IN THE LEAST. I had placed a BIG rock to block the entrance, and that darn nuisance MOVED it aside. I couldn't believe it.  A bunny couldn't do that, so I crossed "rabbit" off my list.

Then, I noticed that my ONE, lovely head of lettuce and my ONE tomato plant my thoughtful sis had given me, which I had transplanted, were suddenly looking rather pathetic.  The next morning, the ENTIRE lettuce was GONE! There was not one shred of evidence that a lettuce had been there.  Not even any roots!!! As for the tomato, the stem had been chewed so much that it keeled right over. There went my garden for this year!!! Geez!  I only have a small mint plant left.  He doesn't like mint, obviously.

I had planted sunflower seeds, which had started to grow.  I was so PROUD! I had maybe five plants, eight inches high, when I returned from my relaxing weekend (LOL) at the beach.  The next morning, this is what they looked like.  ALL the leaves had been almost completely chewed off.   NOW I AM GETTING TICKED OFF! 

My problem is though, I don't know my opponent.  Is it a raccoon, a skunk, a groundhog?

The mystery was solved last night. One of my dinner guests identified my adversary. Roger had gone up to use the bathroom, and spied the critter sitting up on the platform in front of my shed.  A BIG, FAT groundhog.  Une marmotte... maudit.  I guess I should be grateful.  Better - that - than - a - skunk!

So, now that Natural Resources doesn't lend cages anymore, and you have to PAY someone, I have to get creative.  The nice lady at DNR suggested hot pepper flakes, so that is my next plan of attack.

Any suggestions out there?  I know I can also Google and get endless possibilities.  I don't want to kill the creature, I just want him to move away.  I paid for this place, and that GROUNDHOG wasn't included in my offer of purchase.