I went outside yesterday and walked around the garden, looking for signs of heaving and signs of squirrels. Remarkably, I found neither.
Last year at this time, many of my bulbs had been pillaged by squirrels. They left little messy holes all over the border. Surely, these were the lazy squirrels -- the ones that didn't collect acorns before the winter. Needless to say, my spring garden was nothing to write home about last year.
This year, I tried an all-natural product called Squirrel Stopper, about which I had heard good things. It had a nice, mentholated scent and promised to keep the critters away. Somewhat skeptical, but ever hopeful, I diligently applied it to each tuber and bulb and in each hole -- and over the covered holes for good measure. And so far, so good. But there's another critter that's causing somewhat of a ruckus today.
The groundhog in our neck of the woods is a cute little critter named Punxsutawney Phil. He's been around all my life, all of my mother's life and probably longer than your grandma. Today marked the 117th time the old guy has been popping out to look for his shadow.
Every February 2nd, the little rodent tells us how long it will be before we can get out in the garden and do some serious planting. Legend has it that if he sees it and is scared back into his hole, we'll have to wait 6 more weeks for spring. If he hangs out, spring is on the way. No matter that he's often wrong. And no matter that chances are he'll get freaked out by the tens of thousands of onlookers and TV camers and run and hide regardless of his weather prediction. I know I would.
And while he doesn't bother me any, certainly not in my garden, I know a lot of gardeners have a grudge against him, having suffered experiences similar to my squirrel woes in their vegetable patches.
Well, this year, new hope will spring forth from the festivities in Phil's hometown of Punxsutawney, Pa. Tens of thousands of people descended upon the place for a little midwinter revelry and celebration while awaiting Phil's prediction. And Phil has spoken: There will be 6 more weeks of 40 degree weather.
The day's events in Punxsutawney, like everything else in our wonderfully capitalistic society, are sponsored by various companies. This year, “Groundhog Stopper”, an OMRI certified, fully organic groundhog repellent made by Messina Wildlife, the same company that produces my Squirrel Stopper, is among them.
Maybe Phil was chased away by all those product samples.
