Wildlife

In recent weeks, we have been visited by numerous wildlife in our Providence backyard. We have a bunny, a skunk who seems to have taken up residence behind our shed, and more squirrels than we can count. On any given night, we can see one or all of them. Throw a naked Vivi into the mix and it's quite a show.

The squirrels are particularly bothersome and my husband is engaged in an ongoing war with them. In the last year, they have managed to eat through the thick plastic of our compost bin in order to feast themselves on our banana peels and apple cores. They then leave the debris all over our yard and on our back porch. They also have built a home in our roof. The squirrels are bold, to say the least. One morning I walked into the kitchen to see one spread eagle on the screen of our back door. My scream was enough to scare it away but I frequently hear them scurrying along our kitchen window (which happens to look out on our garden and compost.)

In the last month or so, my husband got it in his head that it was time to rid ourselves of the squirrels once and for all. (Yes, with newborn twin babies, THIS is what he puts on his to-do list.) He started off by purchasing a metal compost bin and dismantling the pathetic remnants of the plastic one. He then removed their home on our roof and fixed up the hole in the rafters. Then, in the most delightful move of all, he purchased an owl.

Stunning, isn't it? Every morning I look out our kitchen window and I laugh at that pathetic plastic daytime owl. Haven't seen a squirrel in days though...