Gardens & Groundhogs

Yesterday I laughed hysterically when I shared my groundhog story on Facebook. Erin felt sorry for the groundhog. Josh Masquelier said, "Yes!" He must have had a groundhog experience too. Sandy wondered if I had time to replant my cucumbers.

So here is the story about my dad's garden and a groundhog. Last year I tried to bring our extended family together and provide company for dad by having a big garden in his backyard. AJ tilled, Erin planted pumpkin hills, Dustin and Tommy hoed, Adam & Darlene helped, Celena planted. Michael helped AJ get the tiller started. It was family team work. However due to the drought last summer and the weeds taking over, the garden didn't produce much.

I asked dad if he would like a garden this year. He said no. Probably because we spent alot of time and money without much results. So I said how about a little garden? He thought that was a good idea. I planted tomatoes in the little round flower bed with the help of Ari and Dad digging holes for me. Ari was such a trooper he helped carry water to get them off to a good start. I told him Mr. Tomato needed a drink.

Then we planted cumcumbers and peppers behind the shed. This is an area that used to be covered by a camper shell and many old things were stored under it. As I was digging there I felt like an archaeologist. First I discovered a little pitcher, then a glass dish, an ax head,and roofing shingles.

These two little gardens will probably produce more than the big, big garden last year. Why? Because of tender loving care. I go over weekly to weed and water. Dad comes out to the backyard either on his scooter or with his walker. He sits and talks with me while I garden. It's nice. Last week I put a little white fence around both gardens mainly to make them pretty. They didn't quite reach all the way around.

Aha! thought the groundhog there is an opening that I can go through to eat those yummy cucumber plants. And so he did. Groundhogs have no self-control. He left the pepper plants, the tomato plants, the sunflowers, the marigolds and a few weeds. So obviously he was a picky eater. Just the cucumber plants.

Well when dad went out in the backyard on Monday with his little dog Mollie, they caught the groundhog in the midst of his eating frenzy. Mollie chased the groundhog to his hole. She then proceeded to go into the hole. Dad was talking to me on his cell phone at the time. He kept calling her to come out of the hole. She was stuck. I told dad we should get off the phone so he could get Mollie out of the hole. In retrospect, I wish that I had gone over to help him.

Mollie was truly stuck. Dad had to get down on his knees (which is very hard at 79) crawl under brush and pull Molly out. He said she would have died if he hadn't. In West Virginia he actually had a dog die from getting stuck in a groundhog hole. Poor Molly, poor dad.

Dad decided to get even with the groundhog for eating his garden and having a hole that his dog got stuck in. He set a trap near the garden. On Wednesday the groundhog went into the trap and was stuck. Molly barked and barked at the groundhog in the cage. She would get close and then the groundhog would lunge at her and hit the side of the cage. Good thing Molly had quick reflexes and would jump back when that happened.

When Jim and I arrived at 5:00 that evening to water the garden. The groundhog was dead. Dad said he couldn't take the stress of having Mollie bark at him while caged. I think it was a heat stroke in 95 degree temperatures. Afterall he had on a thick fur coat that he couldn't take off.

Well poor Mollie for getting stuck, poor dad for crawling through brush and briers to pull her out and poor Jim who had to dug a hole to bury the groundhog. But I don't feel sorry for the poor groundhog. He ate my cucumber plants!