Garden Varmints!

It has occurred to me that the battle of the varmint is ever changing. It has been a challenge to every gardener, farmer and plants-man since their first planting. The source of the trouble varies not only according to season but also according to the type of animal. The customary squirrel can be outsmarted by a child's pinwheel, an owl decoy or a quiet pellet rifle. Raccoons and bunnies can be trapped with a cage or completely kept outside the garden with an electrical fence around its perimeter. But what do you do with the two legged garden varmint? Yes, the child is cute as she is walking down the street but somehow as she leans and stretches over the fence that harbors the "Danger, don't play here" sign to reach the last of your small berry patch she looses her innocent appeal! Caught in the act of helping herself and briskly asked not to pick the berries the little girl exclaims, "They taste good and the other little boy has jumped over the fence to get them before too."

Of course, this would probably not present a problem if the berry patch was larger or if we were not attempting to grow as much of our food on our micro plot as possible for personal consumption. Dissuading and admonishment did not seem to have much of a discernible impact on the little girl. In fact, she continue to try to reach the berries for a few more minutes. She will surely return when no cars are in the drive way. Perhaps George Orwell correctly wrote "four legs are better than two."