For Gardeners Only - or those that wish the world were rid of groundhogs

It was like Christmas morning today for Andy and I.  We literally both ran to the backyard window to see what we got. 

In the Hav-a-Hart trap, that is.

Please do not read anymore if you have a bleeding heart.  I don't want nasty messages.  I did nothing wrong. 
You see, I believe that the groundhog population should be controlled just as the deer population is controlled with yearly hunts.  These hunts are very important to the environment.  When an animal population grows uncontrollably it can radically harm the entire ecosystem.  (I learned this from my environmental science Yale graduate friend so don't raise your eyebrow at me) 

Here's the thing - I start growing plants from seed in my basement in March each year.  It is a labor (and I mean labor) of love and nurturing.  It takes months to get results people.  Think about it - you plant a seed in March aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand in July you get one head of broccoli from that seed. Well - you would get a head of broccoli - IF YOU DON'T HAVE GROUNDHOGS.

calm. inner peace.

I STARTED FROM SEED 4 types of tomatoes, green peppers (they were supposed to be pepperoncini?? huh??) butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, sugar snap peas, honeydew melon and sugar baby watermelon.  phew.  I even grew decorative gourds.  Yeah, that's right.  I am doing my part to help this earth.  To teach my children about gardening and eating fresh veggies.

So, when your garden is lush and green and flowering and fruiting, you feel like thumping your chest.
(insert Tarzan call here)

Well, lovely - I took the care to set up an automatic sprinkler while our family took a beach vacation for a week.  When I returned, I checked on my garden babies only to find that my broccoli and cauliflower were completely eaten and only stems left behind.  It was like a bunch of middles fingers standing up and staring at me.  So, there go all the veggies I grow that my daughter will eat.

Since then, the little rascal has stolen (seriously - stolen!) 3 butternut squashes.  They are my fave, so this needed to end.  In our last home out in Western NY we would just use a .22 to take care of the nuisance.  Can't do that in Connecticut (can do much of anything here - and I am no redneck)  So, we borrowed a trap. 

Do we have a heart? nope. When my husband and I ran to the window this morning like kids looking for full stockings, our faces lit up like aspen glow.

I went through it in my head right before I got up - what I was going to say to the little critter when I saw it in the trap munching away at my last spaghetti squash, "you ate all my broccoli, all my cauliflower and all of my butternut squash! You are a bad animal."  Yep, I was really gonna reprimand him. 
Instead, when I saw him in that trap I immediately started laughing.  6:30 am is when I (just yesterday)set my sprinkler to start watering the garden and guess where my husband put the trap? HAHHAHHAHHAHHHAHHAAHHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHA
well, I guess the little bugger doesn't need to get reprimanded.  He just got trapped and now is getting a shower and soon after a very, very, very deep bath.  hint hint.

So, have I learned anything?  Yes - groundhogs eat everything and make lots of babies - so my trap is out again tonight.  This is not over.  Oh, and I also learned that I need to fence in my garden next year. uh yeah.