Going to Battle

Last year we were invaded by groundhogs. They burrowed under our mudroom making it their home. And, if that weren't bad enough, they paved the way for the skunks to move in. That was the real problem - waking up in the middle of the night last summer to the distinctive scent of one mad skunk - yuck! The problem is that there isn't much we could do about it last year because if we blocked of the holes, we were risking that we were barricading some animal beneath our mudroom - not pretty. So the fall and winter came and went and after the thaw, Joe went out armed with supplies to do battle with the groundhog. The whole thing has just become rather humorous around the house. He reminds me of Bill Murray in Caddy Shack (just a little less violent). Laina keeps saying to him, "Daddy, the groundhogs are NOT going to be happy with you"! and she tells him that the groundhogs are her friends. So for two weekends Joe has worked to build barricades on either side of the mudroom so that they do not come back this Spring. Through internet research he has learned that you have to dig your fence very deep because they will burrow so you have to make it hard for them. Laina has helped him do the digging, despite her new found love of the groundhog. For some reason I don't have even one picture of Joe digging his battle trenches, but I do have a couple of cute pictures of Laina decked out in her gardener's gear as Daddy's "first mate". I also bought her this adorable shovel and need to take a picture of her with that. From this past winter, with the snow - - - Laina loves to dig so she's been in her glory with this project! Here she is out front taking a break from the digging and stopping to smell the flowers.



And, for a look back - - - here's a picture of Laina from last May in front of the same bush in our front yard. My girl is growing up! *sigh*