The Great Squirrel Dilemma Spring is heralded in the Karstens household by muddy pawprints, vases of Tulips, and a marked increase in email from my WWW site. Usually there is a tone of optimism to these questions, a sense that the sap is flowing, the birds are chirping and the view is green. There is one exception. I think of it as The Great Squirrel Dilemma . There is a distinct undercurrent of antagonism in these letters.
Squirrels are pests, vermin, and other descriptions too graphic for publication.
The battle lines are drawn. I am asked to give my educated opinion on solutions that range from the mildly amusing to the absolutely terrifying. Gardener' skirmish are ideas like covering gardens with chicken wire, spreading dog hair, driving them off with a high pressure water hose, and live trapping to capture the errant beasties. These involve large and generally illegal appliances such as Uzi's, flame-throwers, and thermonuclear devices. Which side the Human is defending appears to be a moot issue.