Bernie, your urban wildlife photos are delightful!!!

I know I've posted this picture before, but I wanted to put it here for squirrel comparison. The squirrels who frequent our backyard are Fox Squirrels. They seem to range in color from grayish brown (like this one) to deeply red to very light chestnut. Their bellies are lighter in color, but not white. Also, they do not have the tufts of hair on their little squirrel ears that Bernie's handsome red squirrels have.

The little fellow in this picture, taken over a year ago, is a young squirrel. I can tell he is young because he is still slender. The older squirrels in our yard become "portly" rather quickly, as there are always seeds and peanuts for them to enjoy.

Squirrels are so much fun! Eric calls them "a pound of hell", but I find squirrels to be absolutely charming.

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My dad one time had them in his attic and they tore up the place (before I was born) ,
The street was full of them back in those days.

Also I had a boss that had them also and this crazy guy was working in his back yard and seen the squirrel on a wire, he shot at it with a 45 , didn't hit the squirrel but a nice hole it the roof. LOL The thing chewed up my bosses coax for his ham antenna, guess who had to change it? LOL

I hope that is not a tv antenna on the wall? If so, did the tv survive the mayhem?

I don't want to sound mean or something. But there is a line that has been crossed. At least for me. I believe it is time to evict the tenants.

Yes, that is a TV antenna. The TV is slightly to the left of the mess you see. It remained unscathed. But I see cracks in the drywall above
the TV where the raccoons must have put some weight but not enough to break through.

I'm obviously upset by their destruction, but I understand and accept that they're animals doing instinctive things. They're not "out
to get me." (I hope.)

The plan was and is to evict them but I have to wait until I can afford to buy some plywood to cover the access hole they've made in my
chimney. I think covering it from the inside will be the easier job. (I can't afford to pay anyone to fix it for me.) I may have to cover it from
the outside, as well, just to prevent the weather from coming in uninvited.

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~Sue~

It was sooooo cute and soooo soft. It was still warm. It had no obvious injuries. I expected it to jump up and try to escape at any moment.
But it didn't. I put it outside with the feral cats. A little extra treat for them. Better that than to have Callie (one of my cats) chew it up
and discard the carcass somewhere in my house.

Poor little guy. Larger than the little house mice that I usually see around here.

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~Sue~

Susie Q, by the way what state you live in?, that's a pretty big hole in the floor with winter coming on.

Susie Q, by the way what state you live in?, that's a pretty big hole in the floor with winter coming on.

Hole in the floor? I haven't posted pix of my floor holes for some time. Do you mean the ceiling hole?

I live in central Texas. The winters are usually bearable with just a few actual cold spells. I will have no problem
getting through the winter once I get my heater fixed. (Yes, I have a lot of house/home problems.)

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~Sue~

Something I've said before and I'll say again:

Every morning when you wake up you should thank God that you're not me.

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~Sue~

On my way back from visiting mom on Friday I stopped at a place called Buc-ee's for gas. It's a huge place
that sells a lot of different things. I saw that they had "coonskin caps" and was tempted to buy one until I
noticed one horrible thing: the tails were real raccoon's tails. Ugh! I was so disappointed and I mourned
the deaths of all the raccoons that provided tails for these caps.

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~Sue~

I have a sister who lives near Fort Worth, she just moved back there after her husband died, she has one of her kids living close to her there also so she isn't alone.

I was looking at the floor (well I think it is anyway. LOL I don't think you have a vacuum anywhere else. LOL

Not seen that picture before Ang, but really lovely, plus the resident pussy cat. The exact same place that I fed the racoons in 2011. Never to be forgotten ever.

I included that picture of Spawnie in my New Year's post from last January, but you may have missed it.

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I have a sister who lives near Fort Worth, she just moved back there after her husband died, she has one of her kids living close to her there also so she isn't alone.

I was looking at the floor (well I think it is anyway. LOL I don't think you have a vacuum anywhere else. LOL

A vacuum? I haven't used a vacuum in years.

Please tell me what photo you were looking at. I'm completely confused.

Sue

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~Sue~

I see stairs and a white thing that looks like a vacuum, a hole in the floor just under the stairs.

I see stairs and a white thing that looks like a vacuum, a hole in the floor just under the stairs.

If you mean this picture



I see a roof at lower right. In the center is a wood casing around a chimney with a hole in it. The white thing to the left is the front end of a car.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Well I see your right, I was looking at it the wrong way. Since I can't see that good you just have to excuse me.

I won't comment anymore.

I'll comment that I see a lot of dry rot in those photos. Hopefully it is dry rot and not termite damage or fungus mold damage.

In any case several boards need replacing and being covered with paint. The more open and exposed, the faster the deterioration will spread.

Please get this looked at PDQ.

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I see stairs and a white thing that looks like a vacuum, a hole in the floor just under the stairs.

I have no stairs. What are you smoking and can I get some? ;-)

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~Sue~

I see stairs and a white thing that looks like a vacuum, a hole in the floor just under the stairs.

If you mean this picture



I see a roof at lower right. In the center is a wood casing around a chimney with a hole in it. The white thing to the left is the front end of a car.

Yes! David is correct. I believe I did mention that it was a photo of where the raccoons were coming into the attic.
Didn't I?

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~Sue~

Well I see your right, I was looking at it the wrong way. Since I can't see that good you just have to excuse me.

I won't comment anymore.

You are forgiven. I could happen to anyone!!!

Don't stop commenting.

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~Sue~

I'll comment that I see a lot of dry rot in those photos. Hopefully it is dry rot and not termite damage or fungus mold damage.

In any case several boards need replacing and being covered with paint. The more open and exposed, the faster the deterioration will spread.

Please get this looked at PDQ.

You haven't been paying attention. That is indeed termite damage, and I've posted other photos of the severe
damage the termites have done to my house. I tried to raise money (gofundme.com) to pay for termite
extermination and damage repair but only raised $250, iirc. But Terminix was cheaper than I thought it would
be, and is letting me make payments, so the termites are gone. As far as the damage, repairs will have to wait until
I win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes or one of the lotteries that I rarely enter. ;-)

Do you know of anyone who has a large, disposable income and who wants to help an old veteran?

<3

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~Sue~

I am waiting on Publisher's Clearing House to deliver the goods. $10,000 a week for the rest of my life. Taxes would take half probably. But it would go a long way to making me a happy cruncher.

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