The skills of a Sugar Glider

Ugly but effective cat barrier 

I have spent and extraordinary amount of time over the last few days on the problem of cat containment. The pigeon spikes failed spectacularly – I then tried wooden baffles which did not live up to their name and did not baffle the cats at all.

Well – they did baffle Sissi - but Monika has proved herself to be the Vasco da Gama of the household and simply dug her little claws in and climbed over the top of them.

After much thought I decided to use wire shelving – on the basis that Monika would not have anything to hang on to and thus would be unable to penetrate this cunning barrier.

This proved to be true and the new fence totally bamboozled her.

So she did the only other thing she could do – and leapt into space from what I thought were parts of the deck that were simply too high for this sort of exercise.

Well they certainly are for Sissi – but Monika possesses the skills of a Sugar Glider and sailed to earth. This caused great panic and I had to chase her around the garden for a while to try to capture her.

Eventually she panicked and tried to get back in over the gate – but of course my impenetrable barriers prevented this and even greater panic ensued.  

My options now are:

Put wire shelving all round the deck. It would look ghastly.

Build up the deck all around to the same height. This would look stupid.

Put netting around the deck. This would look even more ghastly.

Strangle the cats – not out of the question.

Come up with something completely different.

I am now investigating electric fencing – they make special ones for cats. The cats wear collars and get a warning noise and then a very mild shock if they venture too far.

I am investigating and will report.

Bring a brush

OK so I tried pigeon spikes – you thought I was kidding didn’t you – and we had success for about three hours.

Then Sissi worked  out that – using movements perfected by Blondin – that she could delicately mince around the pigeon spikes and jump down from the gate onto the steps.

Monika noted this carefully and followed suit.

Monika surprised us all later in the evening when she spotted a neighborhood cat in our yard. She hurdled the fence and gave chase – this is Monika who would be terrified by a white mouse – and pursued it almost to the street.

So today I installed another row of pigeon spikes. There are now two parallel rows – leaving no room for mincing cats.

I am sure this will get the job done. But I am still thinking of other things just in case.

Garden lady is planting the last of our new trees today. Our garden will the be as good as it gets until we have another burst of activity next year.

The new deck is busy drying and is almost ready for painting. If anyone would like to visit in the next few weeks you will be most welcome. Bring a brush.

We feel like old timers

Adirondack chairs

My son Lenny and his wife Carmenchita have produced a son and heir – Yossarian – who weighed 3.1 kilos and was 55 centimeters long. 

He is my fourth grandchild and the only one my surname – so a lot is riding on him if the line is to survive.

Our roots do after all go back to England in the 16^th century and it would a shame for a family which produced outstanding miners, barbers and tram drivers to disappear.

We had a particularly gruesome trip to Albany - even by American standards -  but recovered after an infusion of New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

For some reason on the trip to Albany I was tagged as ‘TSA pre’ which means that I went through a special security lane and did not have to take off my shoes and belt – and could leave my computer in my bag.

Cate did not receive this special designation and was not happy.

We quite liked New York state – and Lake Placid in particular. Lake Placid does not contain a giant crocodile – that was just a story. 

But it does have lots of very large homes – which are called camps - on the lake. We took a boat tour and saw some of these.

 

Cate bought a ‘go away’ bear for reasons I have yet to fathom. It looks nothing like the bear in the photo. 

On 4 July we went to Plattsburg and watched fireworks. This is our second 4 July – we feel like old timers.

We stayed in Albany on our last night and the hotel was stuffed to the gunwales with Paul McCartney fans who were going to his concert. 

I really think it’s time he retired – after all I bought my first Beatles album in 1963. The fans in the hotel had walking sticks and Zimmer frames.