From what I can tell, one of man’s God-given instincts is to protect his family and property. That instinct doesn’t change just because you are in a wheelchair and can’t use your hands very well.
Note: If you’re a member of PETA, do not read any further. Okay, now you’ve been warned…
Lynn and I live in a rural county with many trees and animals around us, even though our house is in a subdivision. We regularly see rabbits, squirrels, deer, and an occasional skunk or snake but overall, wildlife sightings are pretty common. All those cute little animals are fun to watch and bring back sweet memories of Disney movies and cartoon characters who play and scamper around. Unless you live in the county, you might not know there is a destructive side to these cute creatures.
While deer and rabbits can destroy a garden, our nemesis is the squirrel. We have dozens of them living in the trees around us. Two years ago, we had beautiful heirloom tomatoes; that is…till the squirrels discovered them! The plants were right up against our deck, but the squirrels were not intimidated by the nearness of humans; no! They would pick the brightest fruit and sit on our porch rail, smiling at us through our bay window. If we came out, they would run away….about ten feet from us, and sit there eating that tomato, all the while grinning at us. We lost all our tomatoes that year; nothing worked to dissuade them.
Also, around that time, they attached our trucks, chewing through wires and plastic pipes. One especially destructive group chewed through our gas lines! Yes, I said gas lines. Gas poured out from under the truck as we drove it to the mechanic to replace the entire gas line, from where you insert the gas nozzle to fill it up to the actual gas tank and the engine. We spent several hundred on repairs that year.
Last year was better. The land beside ours had timber cut, and many squirrel homes disappeared. This year, they seem to be back and are under attack again.
We had a doctor’s appointment the other day, and the van would not start. I thought it was just the battery, so a neighbor helped me charge it. As I was driving it, I noticed three warning lights were on. I took it to the mechanic this past week, and those little rascals have eaten up the wiring in our motor. We had to have $600 in repairs!
That was the last straw. Lynn got off the phone with the mechanic and said, “I’m ordering a killing stick!” He immediately went online to find the best air rifle he could get that he could use. It came in at the end of the week, and today, he had our boys put the scope on the rifle and “break it in.” He needs it to be shot enough times to make it easy for him to pull the trigger, but he plans to sit on our back deck and shoot the little rascals till they learn to leave our vehicles alone.
In Lynn’s mind, he needs to protect our home. He’s determined not to let those little creatures destroy any more of our property. He sees himself sitting on the back deck and shooting them while he balances his rifle on the rail. I’m waiting to see how it works because the gun is heavy to me. Plus I saw our son-in-law cock it and it took two hands so, maybe I’m wrong, but I expect that I’ll be called up to be his weapon assistant. Ugh… I know almost nothing about guns. I’ve shot a few, but only a few times.
So once again, in my role as caregiver, I find a new “thing” to add to my storehouse of knowledge. Lynn’s son laughed and said, “Donna, I can see it now…you cocking the gun, sitting it on the deck, him looking through the scope, and you pulling the trigger so “he” can shoot the d— squirrels.” That’s about what I expect, too. Lord, give me strength…
