intelligent

What's the name of the Bill Murray character in Caddyshack? I fear I am approaching his obsession level with what I still think is a raccoon that thinks my coop is the local Swiss Chalet.

It's annoying to be outsmarted by a critter. But this one seems to be of the wily variety.

For the second night the Havahart (which I think should be renamed Havasnack, since that's what the animals seem to be getting from it) has been robbed of its bait with no animal to show for it. The first night the chicken drumstick (taken from the freezer; I didn't go into the coop and say, "Ok, girls, I need a volunteer!") was gone, so I decided that tying it in would mean the animal couldn't simply step gingerly over the trap trigger, daintily pick up the food in its mouth, then back up. Oh no, this would be something to keep it there. Think again.

This morning: trap upside down and sprung, empty, the twine tied nicely to the cage but the end that had tied the chicken leg just a frayed little end. How does he/she do it? *sigh* D is making plans that seem to be of the stakeout variety, luring the animal into the demilitarized zone around the coop and shooting from the grassy knoll.

On the non-chicken front (yes, there is one) the weekend was one of setting things to right in my house after a week of minimal housecleaning, enjoying the pool with the girls, movies with the kids Saturday night (Charlotte's Web with all three, and the first Pirates of the Caribbean with R, which she greatly enjoyed. Sunday was church, taking some borrowed sound equipment back, then having Serendipity and Bee over while we waited for our hubbies to return from a weekend canoe/camping trip, and making a yummy chickpea-couscous-veggie salad that even D liked.