I have been watching my apricots for a few days now. I am waiting for them to turn just the right shade of orange so I can pick them like crazy, and turn them into jam.
The battle for apricot pineapple jam began early this year. Long before the apricots even showed a hint of their true color. A couple of weeks ago squirrels invaded the Smith yard. I was alarmed by this, because two years ago they stole my entire crop literally in one night. I was watching the fruit ripen, like I am now, and one morning I woke up and it was all gone. Gone! I knew why. I had seen the squirrels, but thought I could share. Unfortunately, the squirrels didn’t understand that whole sharing thing.
So, when they came back for more, we were ready. We bought a squirrel trap at the local farm store and baited it with peanut butter. It’s the one thing they seem to like better than apricots. Well, we caught one in the first ten minutes. Then there was the dilemma of what to do with it. Six other squirrels sat on a boulder under a nearby tree watching the fate of the first.
No, stealing does not warrant the death penalty at our house. Instead I got on the DWR website to see if relocation was illegal in the state. It turns out you can move them to a suitable location within your county within a certain time period.
I cleaned out the back of the car, and put down plastic. In went Mr. Squirrel. My son and I studied the trap instructions so we could set it free without complications and we found a nice new home for the squirrel, complete with grassland and lots of trees. I stood by the car as my son opened the trap. I expected it to run directly for a tree. What I did not expect, was what actually happened.
As the cage door opened the squirrel, who was apparently very confused, headed directly for me! I must have looked like some human tree, until that is, I started jumping up and down emitting panicked screams.
It veered to the left, ran under the car, and then darted the opposite direction toward a “real” tree.
We only caught one more of the six present. The furry tailed witnesses seem to have moved on to more calm territory. But I am keeping an eye on that apricot tree.
