Chippie needs to go away

I had assumed that after Gracie died, the chipmunk would stay away. After all, it seemed to like dry cat food and I gave the leftover cat food to the neighbor. We had set up a live trap a while back to no avail. 

I opened a small can of Fancy Feast and slipped it into the trap. This morning I found a used coffee filter along with wet coffee grounds strewn over the kitchen floor. Apparently Chippie, as I call him, needed a caffeine fix. The Fancy Feast hadn’t been touched.

We cleaned up the mess and tried to figure out what to do about our nocturnal visitor. I think I need to check out the foundation although I’m not sure how small a hole I’m looking for. If past years are any indication then it won’t be long before the local mice decide that our house is a good winter home. The difference is that the mice tend to get caught in a trap. Once the first couple are dispatched they figure out that they are better off outside.

In addition to playing hotel manager and Chef for Chippie and his friends, it is time for the fall migration. I have most of the houseplants gathered on the porch. No matter how beautiful today was, we are almost into October. 

I have decided to sacrifice one of my big plants. It began as a perfectly nice plant. It has a bad case of scale. Scale manifests itself as little brown bumps. They are a type of insect and they will suck the sap from plants. It is satisfying to squash the bumps but doesn’t actually make a difference in the infestation.

I have tried several common remedies with limited success. The plant it is on now is covered with it. The plant itself looks like some kind of palm tree and has outgrown its pot. I have resigned myself to  the fact that it will never give up its little scale friends and therefore will be stuck outside for the duration.

Speaking of plants, I have an aloe that is trying its best to escape its pot. It had babies a few years ago and now the original plant looks like its roots are in the pot and the rest of it is trying its best to get away from the babies. Maybe I could sic it on Chippie?

I would have thought that Gracie, the cat, would have gone after Chippie but she never did. By the time the critter came around her days of chasing anything were past. 

I have a cousin in Dayton, Ohio, that has offered to let his dog, Thor, go after the chipmunk. I don’t think he is serious. The fact that Thor isn’t much bigger than the chipmunk seems irrelevant. 

Messing around with an elusive chipmunk takes me away from remembering that Gracie is gone. I automatically took the top blanket off the bed this morning and wadded it up so that Gracie could tunnel into it and nap to her heart’s content. 

We heard Chippie again last evening. It was scratching something and I headed to the kitchen armed with a flashlight and a broom. Chippie wisely stayed quiet and hidden. I warned it that its time in the house was coming to an end. I think I heard a tiny Chippie snicker. Several hours later I heard it again. My mission is clear. Chippie must go. 

Maybe tomorrow we will convince him to stay away. Then again, maybe not.