CityView Magazine

6 | May/June 2017 I I recently found out some people, mostly females, have an affinity to squirrels. I was talking with some ladies and I told them I had to kill two squirrels in my yard and you would have thought I had killed a dog. "ose poor little creatures." When I explained the squirrels were not so innocent, the ladies understood. It all started about a month ago. We were having our house pressure washed and touched-up with paint. e painters pointed out that squirrels had eaten through the eaves of our roof and built a nest in our attic. at explained the 5:30 a.m. noise we have heard in the ceiling for months. We repaired the holes and we moved on. What I didn't know is they had chewed though wiring in the attic that operated our flood lights. I found out that piece of news when I had to call the electricians because a breaker in the fuse box continued to trip. An investigation led to the flood lights. So up in the attic the electricians went. ey fixed the damage and explained I should do something about the squirrels because the squirrels could cause a fire chewing on wires. I started speaking with friends. One suggested purchasing a squirrel trap, but aer you catch them, you have to drown them. I didn't like that option so off to Dick's Sporting Goods I went to purchase a pellet rifle. e salesmen told me his father's cabin in the mountains of Virginia had burned down when squirrels chewed wires in their attic. at got my attention. So, I purchased the rifle, made a rudimentary target and set the scope to practice. We have dozens of squirrels in our yard, but there were two that were the most brazen, always worrying the birds at our bird feeders and digging in my wife's plants. erefore, they were the first to go. When I shot the first one, my grandson in Wilmington thought I was pulling his leg, so I sent him a picture. For years, squirrels have been a big annoyance to us. ey try to get the seeds in the bird feeder and cause the birds to flee. Until now I was not motivated to do anything about them, but when I found out the chewing of wires could cause a fire, I had to act. I had the opportunity to meet Terry Jung of Houston and John Foley of Linden, who are involved with bringing the Lone Survivor Foundation to Cumberland County. e project is going to have a major impact on soldiers suffering from PTSD. It was moving to speak with these men and see what they are doing for America's veterans. ey most definitely are doing the Lord's work. Enjoy the spring weather and may the Lord continue to bless your life. P U B L I S H E R ' S N O T E Photo by Matthew Wonderly Squirrel Havoc

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