I had a neighbor who was putting out peanuts for the squirrels, who were burying them in my planters and orchids! I found out that if the peanut shells are cracked they won't bury them. I did use the hot cayenne pepper, also the flakes, and got that from the dollar store. I found out which neighbor was feeding them. Went to her house, and nicely asked if she could just crack the shells first. I suggested she put them in a bag and hit them with a mallet (the peanuts not the squirrels!). When I explained they were messing with my orchids, she was very nice about it. I have bird feeders, but don't put out peanuts. I haven't had any problems with the squirrels in the past few years. They do go to the bird feeders, but I can't do anying about that unless I stop feeding the birds.
The visual picture of a squirrel pool party is funny. But no animal in your pool is good. Some years back I had a mother Racoon and her baby in my pool. Don't know whether this was the tail end of a pool party or whether baby had fallen in. This was early in the morning when husband usually checks the pool for leaves (or frogs). We didn't need to intervene, she got the young one out and then they took off. They don't have salivary glands so will look for water to "wash" their food in sometimes. But not in my pool please. Yuck.

Thank God the squirrels near my garden stay in the trees at the top of the slope.

The only problem I had with them was the first year I planted daffodil bulbs up on the slope. They ate every bulb and then barfed all over the stairs up to the slope.

Since then, I've covered the bulbs with chicken wire and pine needles. That seemed to work.

Smiles,
Lyn

We Gardeners certainly are made of strong stuff to put up with all the critter crap we encounter periodically!

orchidgal, you made me laugh. I always wanted to be a cartoonist. I tend to 'see' things as cartoons when I read them.

Your words 'put up with all the critter crap' made me see two gardeners; one who was tired of all the critter crap was furiously chasing squirrels, moles, crows, groundhogs, cats, dogs, rabbits out of their garden to get rid of the critters; the other gardener was carrying a bucket chasing after a cow, a goat, a rabbit and a bat trying to collect the critter crap.

Very visual, to me -- and funny. Thanks for the laugh.:thankyou:

greene ....

You forgot the deer. They do take off when I make the sound that I have named the call of a rabid goose ...

Smiles,
Lyn

RoseBlush 1, I did not forget the deer. I am one who would neither chase then out of the yard nor gather their poop so I left them off the list. Also left of the fox, owls, and tons of other critters as they would not have fit into my little imaginary cartoon panel. Unlike so many gardeners, I love deer and find them a peaceful addition to a garden. Ah, early morning, mist, hot coffee, sit quietly watching deer. Planning carefully, there will be plants the deer can eat and plants they don't care to eat. Of course, I live in the city-type environment and not it the wilds of northern California, so I might have a different opinion if I were overrun with a huge deer population. Now, where did I put my 'rabid goose call device'?

Greene ... I am so glad someone loves them. I used to like them as long as they weren't in my garden ... This year, I changed my mind. Due to the drought, they have eaten every single deer resistant plant in my garden

You are right about it being different when your town is located in the midst of a forest. They are the only critter I chase off because they cause so much destruction.

I am grateful the squirrels stay away from the garden, so I don't have to worry about them. I've learned how to manage my garbage so that I don't have to worry about bears any more. Having a compost pile that isn't protected draws skunks, racoons and other critters, too.

It's always something.

Smiles,
Lyn

Lyn, if there is a drought the deer are hungry. You might consider providing them some of their preferred plants they can eat so they can stay healthy. Don't know what is available in your area, but in Savannah I go to the hunting store where they sell bags of seed mixtures for deer plots. Or you could purchase packages/bulk amounts of individual types of seed that will help to feed the deer. This link talks about some of the foods that deer would prefer to be eating if available. http://deerbuilder.com/db/feat...

Sorry, I apologize that this is a loooong way from squirrels imitating Esther Williams doing the backstroke.

Greene ...

>>>if there is a drought the deer are hungry

That's true. I won't feed the deer because along with more deer coming to town, we are also getting more of the big cats that view the deer as prey. I don't want to invite a cougar to come visiting ... The cats are now as big of a problem as the deer. It's nature's cycle.

>>>Sorry, I apologize that this is a loooong way from squirrels imitating Esther Williams doing the backstroke. Rolling on the floor

So true.

Smiles,
Lyn

So right, Lyn. Can't feed the deer to keep 'em going, it just compounds the problem. Cat population will increase, they will reduce the deer population and then go after other animals like pets in town. My brother lives in a rather rural area of Vancouver Island, and just that cycle is in the later stage now. His neighbor recently lost a beloved dog. Bro comes down here for 2 months in the fall, and he is worried about his dog and cat, with just a daughter coming to visit them while he is away.

When we lived in a VERY rural area in Oregon, the darn deer would go *through* the alfalfa fields, jump over the fence and stomp all over my rose bushes, which were right up against the foundation of the house. They would also weasel through the garden fence and take a bite out of every tomato that looked even slightly reddish. "Nope, that one's not an apple....maybe this one?" Somehow, I don't think they were starving.

(Squirrels, swimming or otherwise, were NOT our problem!) LOL.