CUTE LITTLE BASTARDS

I love animals!

Though I don’t own any at the moment, for fear they’d be neglected with my busy schedule, I really do enjoy them.  I’m not even sure I could hunt animals, though I’m a strangely talented markswoman.  So it made me very happy to discover that my yard is a virtual wild kingdom.  Huge brown squirrels are everywhere, dining on our overly abundant avocado tree.  We have possums, very common all over Southern California. 

A skunk almost sprayed my roommate when Malinda startled it walking out to her car.  And we have a family of raccoons, FIVE babies and a momma, that love to hang out in our trees. 

I was so excited when I saw my first neighborhood raccoon!  I was washing dishes when I looked out the window and Momma Raccoon climb out of the tree and onto our trellis four yards away.  Weeks later I squealed when I went outside to investigate a commotion on our roof, and a little baby raccoon head peaked over the edge of the roof to look at me.

Then, the other night I came home to this……

Apparently these adorable little creatures like to dig, and rather love to attack my succulents.  I had noticed one day that a single plant was taken out of it’s pot and was nowhere to be found, dirt and all.  I was annoyed.  But to come home to this? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  It’s not for lack of food.  They’ve been eating heartily on avocados, I’m sure. 

I cursed those little buggers up and down, then looked up ways to deter them.  I sprinkled Critter Ridder around all of the succulents, with no luck.  I can’t cut down the food source that may be encouraging them to hang around, since I’m renting.  Do I really need to buy coyote urine to spray around?  Gross!  Hell, if that’s going to smell to high heaven I’ll most likely sacrifice the succulents.  Any suggestions?