I Was Bad

I looked out my window at work this morning, as I do most mornings to see how pretty the petunias are, only to find a hole in the midst of them. Something’s been burrowing in my flowers.

The hole is currently about six inches across so it’s most likely a baby groundhog. Either that or perhaps a meerkat. I glanced out occasionally but didn’t catch any critters peeking back at me. Probably busy settling in since the hole wasn’t there yesterday. Prairie dogs would be nice. They’re fun to watch so I wouldn’t mind sharing the yard with a family of them.

Years ago I separated my yucca plants and passed a few on to a coworker. (It’s time again. Want some?) Anyway, they grew and holes started appearing around the base of the plants. The girl I gave them to asked if I had a guess as to what they were from and I instantly declared prairie dogs, followed with the logic that yuccas originate in the dessert so they attract them even in regions where prairie dogs don’t naturally live.

A few weeks later she came back and informed me that she’d been watching diligently but had yet to spy one. Unfortunately someone overheard her and questioned her as to why she would ever think she’d find prairie dogs in her yard. Yeah, you can imagine what happened next. Some people just love to spoil my fun.

Happy weekend!

Speak Clearly and Confidently

I have yucca plants growing in my yard that on occasion I separate and share. Years after I gave some to a coworker the woman stopped by my desk to tell me how nicely they were growing and spreading. She followed it up by asking what was causing the holes in her yard surrounding the plants.Without batting an eye and in all seriousness I replied, “Prairie dogs.” I went on to explain how yucca plants are known to attract them and therefore, any in the immediate area were being drawn to her yard. I expressed my surprise that she hadn’t seen any in person and told her that if she watched closely I was sure she would.

Naturally, she wanted to know if there was anyway to rid her yard of the prairie dogs because the ridges from the tunnels they were digging were becoming a nuisance. I informed her that her only hope was if someone else in the neighborhood planted yuccas and suggested she may want to pass some on.

What you need to keep in mind is that we live in eastern Pennsylvania. The only prairie dogs in this region are in zoos. But I sounded so knowledgeable and reasonable as we were speaking that she believed me. For days, I sat back and listened to the story of what a nuisance prairie dogs were as it circulated throughout the office until someone finally explained to her that I was teasing. Even then, she still returned to me to verify that with me before accepting the other individual’s word on it.

Just goes to show you shouldn’t always believe everything everyone tells you no matter how convincing they may sound.