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stouffville suntribune thursday jan 22 2004 7 roaming around with jim thomas no longer squirrelly thanks to intervention squirrels you love em or you hate em for the first 10 of the past 43 years i enjoyed them even encouraged them spreading large quantities of peanuts over our backyard and the rodents responded only a few at first then dozens while neighbours questioned my generosity i paid them no heed youll be sorry they said but i wasnt at least not then with binoculars in hand id watch their treetop gymnastics with great interest even had young ones eating out of my hand lots of fun recently however this interest has waned ive taken more to attracting birds than squirrels the two are a bad mix squirrels par ticularly the black variety tend to dominate even bolder blue jays and grack- les cant compete it wasnt that i resented these rodents enormous appetites so much it was the waste what wasnt scat tered above ground was buried underground indeed had the weather been right i could have started a peanut farm but this was only part of the problem squirrels would tear stations down as fast as id put them up expensive ones too as a permanent deterrent i bought a 100 import described as squirrel proof and it was for two days but where theres a will theres a way they found a solution by placing only one paw on the counterbalanced perch rather than four dont ask me how they just did next i bought squirrelproof seed but it disappeared faster than regular seed protesting in pyjamas slippers as a last resort i elected to stand guard spending every waking hour looking out the kitchen window when the squir- rels approached i would gallop outside arms waving franti cally in violent protest often clad only in pyjamas and slip pers i presented a very scary sight youre going to have a heart attack my wife jean warned theyll be the death of me i agreed to say our place had become overrun would be an under statement wed been invaded word had undoubtedly spread to every squirrel colony in stouffville they descended on us from all directions you sure do treat your birds well said the woman at the seed centre i wish i replied havent seen one all winter nor had i none would dare come near on the verge of removing the feeders altogether i ventured one afternoon into the backyard of neighbour ray wideman to see if by chance he had come up with something new he had at least new to metie constructed two galvanized fun nels attaching one to each vertical support post without hesitation i was on the phone could you do the same for me i asked ill drop by and have a look he agreed that same after noon he was there sizing up the situation i see no problem he replied on what was the coldest day of the winter ray installed two squirrel deterrents one on the 15foot pole and the other on the fivefooter theyye working wonders wishing they hadnt abused it yes theyve tried being the wily rodents they are theyve attempted everything imaginable to reach our feed stations even to doing acrobatics on a nearby clothesline without suc cess now they merely sit in the snow and look up imagining the good life they once knewand perhaps wishing they hadnt abused it i wouldnt be honest however if i didnt admit my con tempt for these critters has waned somewhat particularly during our recent cold snap they appear dejected and reject ed woeful and unwanted this plus the fact the advice of neighbour ray keeps ringing in my ears squirrels must eat also so every morning a spread handfuls of peanuts on the ground just so theyll know they still hold a soft spot how ever small in my heart on the plus side our yard is now a feathered sanctuary sec ond to none on the street equally important i no longer need mortgage the farm to buy seed ive won the approval of my banker as well as my birds jim thomas is a stouffyille resident who has written for area newspapers for more than 50 years tired of being jumped on svipped at uz 3 being pulled on a leash ivippy starter 1218 weeks of age and beginner obedience classes evening weekend classes available maximum 5 dogs per class 6389 main st beside post office 905 6428289 registration j whitchurchstouffville soccer club for 2004 outdoor season for children born 1999 and earlier saturday february 7 2004 at the stouffville arena on ninth line 10 am to 2 pm register now prices increase after feb 15 sponsors referees and coaches are needed plus mens and womens leagues for players ages 18 to 55 wwwwsscinfo email adminwsscinfo over 100 exhibitors 5 fashion shows over 20000 in prizes free parking live entertainment york regions bridal show january 23 24 25 2004 le pare 8432 leslie st thornhill if youre planning the most cherished event of your life you wont want to miss this exquisite bridal showcase featuring over 1 00 professional weddirig specialists from the latest in bridal fashions to the most elegant floral designs venues and invitations we have what youll need to make your wedding day everything youve dreamed of 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