Earl & Pearl

I have named the two squirrels that eat the bird food in the backyard. They are Earl and Pearl the squirrels. To give you an update, a shepherd’s hook has not taken care of the problem. They climb up the hook and sit on top of the feeder and eat. The dogs (OK, one dog, Gracie) has been trying to do her part; however, she will be going into surgery on July 6 to have her ACL repaired. So I was working with the cat the other day. I know, you’re asking, “How do you work with a cat, let alone Yazi?” My answer is, I let him outside and says "Go get Earl and Pearl!" Not that this really works, but he does lie in the yard by the tree and watch. I believe it was Earl that started headfirst down the tree toward Yazi, to see if he was an overweight squirrel, when Yazi sat up and started chanting and barking at him like he could speak squirrel-ese. Earl decided it was not a squirrel and stayed in the tree to live to eat another day. So I am thinking of oiling the hook to see what that does. Mom suggested Vaseline, which beats Alex’s idea to use motor oil. I could just see Earl and Pearl getting sick from licking their paws covered with motor oil. I am also thinking of the BB gun but don't really want the neighbors to think we are trying to kill dinner. Alex is going to hit some golf balls today, so maybe we can have him practice some sand shots on the squirrel family. I will keep you posted on Earl and Pearl.