Friday, July 15, 2011

Grandma and the Possum

Before I get into this subject, I would like the reader to know that I have been greatly amused at the squirrels that are able to get by just about any obsticle to get to a back yard bird feeder. It didn't matter how smart the plan, eventually the squirrels were able to make it past the ingenuous ideas that had been set out. Having said that, I will advance into 'my story'!
I buy all four types of Friskies Cat Food in the large bags and then mix them together for my 'spoiled cat' MIA. As you may well imagine the end result is I need a large container in which to store that much cat food. I have saved one of the large ice chests from Omaha Steaks which is capable of storing in a covered and odorless container a little over 1/3 of the food. What then to do with the rest? Well, Paul had a white waste basket in his room, that I took, lined with a white storage bag and put the remainder in it. The lid for the can was one that had a swing over, so it was not good enough. I decided to put a large glass lid from a pot I had broken some time ago. The lid was good, so I have held on to it.
Now you have to understand that I mixed this food some time around March it is now July. About the last week in June, I awoke during the night with that container sharp in mind, but I did not get up at that time and check it. I had put it under a table next to the freezer, and felt it was quite safe. About a week later at around midnight, I went to the back door to see if MIA wanted to come in and go to bed. As I looked out, I saw the pointed snout and beady eyes of a very small possum staring at me from within the white container. I made noise, I hit the table, but it was of no avail, the little critter just stared at me and didn't move. They can be mean, so I didn't try to do anything else, just let MIA in and closed the door. In the morning, I got the container out and noticed that the little critter had chewed one or two very small openings in the white plastic bag, around the glass lid that didn't quite cover the inside of the container, and had eaten some of the cashe it had found.
Now I put on my 'thinking cap' and devised a dastardly plan to keep that small critter from invading my cat food again. I had an old ice cream tub filled with beads I had decorated my Christmas Trees with. I put that on top of the cat food, lid down. As it was not as big around as the container, I took empty water bottles and stuffed them all around the ice cream container. On top of that I again placed the large glass lid. A Hah! I was a genius.
A few nights later I saw the little critter scurry out of the garage as I opened the back door. Foiled! Hurray. I was so pleased with myself, I could hardly stand it.
About a week later I discovered that little critter had a 'thinking cap' of it's own. The glass lid was on the floor next to the container. (Unbroken mind you.) I pulled out the container and guess what? That little 'stink' had dumped the lid and pulled a number of the water bottles out of the container and made room for it's snout to get into one of the holes it had chewed previously in the plastic bag. Ye gads, what a discovery! I had been outsmarted by a small vermen, whoes tail was longer that it's body.
NOW! What could 'I' devise to keep my cashe of cat food safe, and my garage vermin free? (You would have been proud of me!)
I took the container out from under the table. I put a box over the top and then put a folding chair on top of that and secured it for safety with a bungee (sp) cord around it to secure it to the wall. I then wedged a swiffer (sp) mop that was hanging on the wall on top of the box, for a stonger hold. To that I added the heavy fire extinguisher on the top of the box, and one of the rolls of plastic bags I use to line my 'in house' trash containers. NOW LETS SEE THAT LITTLE CRITTER GET
INTO THE CAT FOOD!?
I have to admit that I am not all that secure in the thought that it won't find a way, but at least the container is in plain sight everytime I go in and out of the kitchen door to the garage, and I can detect any activity that might be the least bit telling. Never under estimate an 82 year old when they get taken advantage of. I noticed this morning there had been some activity. The paper bags I had by the back door were moved about, but I am going to pit my cunning and ingenuous mind in everyway possible to beat this 'little critter' any way that I can.
There may be additional notes on this "Saga of Grandma and the Possum" I advise you to keep tuned in case I have to do some thing more drastic. Should I add - "to be continued"? We shall see!

Written this 15th day of July 2011
by: Eileen Rosenberg