World's Worst Gardener

[akirlu]

Summer in our house is a bit of a trial -- once things get warm, we tend to leave the windows open a lot. We have awning-style windows all over the house -- hinged at the top, and closing with a latch against the frame at the bottom. Perhaps there were screens for this type of window made when the windows were new, 60-odd years ago -- maybe there still are -- but if any came with our house originally, they were long gone by the time we bought it. So, there are annoyances. Flies and mosquitoes do vex us. But perhaps worst pest is the cat. With the windows open the house becomes fully permeable to cats; they move in and out at will. And one in particular is a darkling beast, red in tooth and claw. Which I don't mind in principle -- controlling the rodent population is a good thing -- but I am a bit more squeamish about getting a personal introduction to the quarry. Particularly when it is either a) several weeks dead or b) on my window sill, still alive.

Just this evening there was a rustling under the blinds next to my computer. Hal took a peek and suggested it might be time to close the window. I'm not sure what good he thought that would do, since when I looked it was clear that our own personal doom beast, Tinka, and her 'kill' du jour -- a live mole -- were already inside on the window sill. Tinka just sat quietly, waiting for us to admire her skill and beneficence. The mole waved one of it's digger-clawed forepaws vaguely. At first it wasn't clear to me if the poor creature was near death or just stunned, but it seemed increasingly to be reviving. Sfter some initial disorganized flapping and milling about I put on my gardening gloves and took the squirmy thing back outside, and set it down. In my vegetable bed by the front steps. The bed is admittedly mostly fallow just now. But any woman who puts a live mole in her own vegetable garden and watches it dig itself in has got to be in the running for World's Worst Gardener.

On the other hand, it looks like the mole may live. And I'm here to tell you they're surprisingly powerful little guys. I could really feel some serious muscle torque behind the squirming in my hand as I carried it out. I guess it's not that surprising once I consider it though -- takes a lot to move earth out of the way that fast, even if it was mostly mulch.

Comments

[frostfox.livejournal.com]

Aw, bless (the mole, Tinka and you). I rescue little things when I can (and return Max's beanie babies to their rightful owners) but Tinka is really just showing you what a mighty hunter she is in an attempt to improve your own hunting skills.

FF

[cschells.livejournal.com]

We've been experimenting with leaving a window open without a screen so the cat can let herself in and out at night, but J is getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, so I'm back to getting up to let her in and out... And I've been very worried that she would come and drop a mauled mouse on my pillow. I sleep better when I don't have to worry about that!

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yes, well, Tinka's been trying to teach me to hunt for years. To little effect, since I am a sad excuse for a pupil. So I've been disposing of dead rats, squirrels, rabbits, and opossums periodically since forever, but I really do prefer it when she leaves them on the doormat instead of in my den.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Early one morning, some years back, I blearily got up to answer Tinka's pleading cries to be let in and then stumbled back to bed, all without putting my glasses on or paying much attention to the cat. Woke up for good some hours later to find tiny little black and white feathers All Over the floor of my closet, the bedroom, and the dining room, plus the headless remains of a deceased bushtit on the dining room floor. The biggest surprise to me was that the tiny corpse had shed quite so many feathers considering thre remains of the tit seemed well-fletched still. The lesser surprise was that there was any bird left -- Tinka's pattern is that when she brings home a mammal, it's a present, when she brings home a bird, it's food.

[quirky-teal.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear that Tinka is still doing well. I miss her settling down for the night on my chest...occasionally. :-)

Sounds like you need to research one of the retractable screen solutions for future (budgetary) consideration. Check out http://www.geniusscreens.com/products/windows.php or http://www.phantomscreens.com/products/window/product-details/ as examples. I can't remember the specifics of your interior window frames, but this kind of design is perfect for awning style windows. Have no idea what they might cost, though. Probably not cheap. The Genius screen site lists several venders in the Seattle area for you to take an eyes/hands on look at them.

Love, Beth

[cschells.livejournal.com]

Ew ew ew! We reacted... very negatively to the one mouse our cat wanted to share with us, and she hasn't brought anything back since. I like to believe that this is because we have An Understanding... Yes, I'm probably delusional!