RAT RACE

 It seemed simple...a small plot of strawberries...just enough for cereal or the occasional shortcake extravaganza. But we soon found out that even the hint of ripe strawberries draws country rats! We have tried traps, as you know, with some success but the berries still keep disappearing. So we had to be "smarter than the average rat" and that meant construction!

We used some leftover 1/2" wire mesh and spent a couple of hours constructing this rat proof cage. A leftover wire cover from something is the top hatch that allows picking and fertilizing without removing the whole cage. Now when I come out in the morning to pick berries for cereal, I actually get some! Take that you pesky rat finks! 

RAT FINK!

We've made an annoying discovery that we have a rat in our midst!
Luckily he's outside in the garden and not inside! Chase cornered him up in the BBQ last night. It appears that he had eaten all the foil off the grease encrusted drip pan. He escaped and ran toward the storage building.
I also found supersize mouse turds in my covered up outside workbench. That would explain why many things were eaten off in the garden last year...things like pea pods up the trellis and tomatoes still on the vine...he could climb up there on the plant supports. So we may have been blaming the wrong critters (raccoons)!
He is probably living under the storage building with his mate and babies! So the next available nice day will be spent putting wire mesh around the base of the storage building in the gaps between the concrete blocks that support it. Could get smelly if they are trapped under there and die but I'm willing to chance it!
Seems like it's always something when you live in the country!