By Joan Whetzel
When
my kids were young, Nickelodeon (T) used
to play this short cartoon as a filler whenever their programming was too short
to fill out the half hour. It showed the numerous ways this family used to try
to get rid of their obnoxious, ornery, destructive cat. It didn't matter what lengths they went
to. The cat just kept coming back. The song's refrain, like the cat, is equally obnoxious and keeps popping back into my head at the drop of a hat.
The Song
The
cat came back the very next day
Oh
yes, the cat came back
They
thought he was a gonner
But the cat came back
He just wouldn’t stay away
Every
time I have problem that recurs, this stupid song starts banging around my head.
I’ve had two problems recently that I thought we'd taken care of, but those cats just won’t
stay away.
The Bees
We
had some bees that took up residence along the corner of our roof line. We
tried everything we could to get rid of them ourselves, to no avail. The only thing we got for our efforts were some "bleep"-ed off bees. So last
year we called an exterminator that took care of bees and hive removal.
At
the time, they found out the bees had built a honeycomb in the rafters right
where they were entering and leaving. They had to remove a small portion of the
roof and siding to clean out the hive, after which they replaced the insulation,
the roofing, and the siding. All was great with the world.
Except
the cat came back this year. And the original exterminator is ignoring us
completely. So, another year another exterminator. The new guy drilled some
holes in strategic locations – the key spots where the bees might be trying to
build another hive – and inserted a scope to see how much it was going to take
to get rid of them. The drones were definitely starting to collect again, but
so far, no honeycomb this time.
For
$250, he killed them off. If they still appear to be gone today or tomorrow, my
daughter and I are going to patch that one corner of the roofing and siding
with a cotton plug and some calking. The previous guys were supposed to have
caulked all the seams along the front and both sides of the house, to keep the
bees out. Apparently. they missed that one spot the bees love so much. With
any luck, this will do the trick and that cat will stay away.
The Grass
Earlier
this spring, my daughter and I dug up the thin strip of grass between our
driveway and the side of the house. We transplanted this grass out back of the
garage to fill in the bare patch. We’re glad to say that the grass transplants are particularly hearty and
have taken off well. We’ve got grass growing like crazy behind the
garage.
In
the bare strip we planted some juniper bushes and other flowering plants. The petunias
and bluebonnets have run their lifecycle, the bougainvillea have started climbing the trellis, and the juniper – while not filling out as
fast as I thought it would – has not died.
The
problem? The grass keeps coming back. We’ve pulled it out several times, but
within 2 weeks, the grass comes back. It just won’t stay away. The grass really
loves that strip of land; a testament to the heartiness of St. Augustine grass. It seems to be damned near impossible to get rid of. A few days ago, we got some
grass killer spray. We chose a brand that said you could spray it near plants
without killing them. We’ve sprayed a test section twice now. So far, it hasn’t
harmed the juniper, but it hasn’t harmed the grass either.
Anybody out there with a recipe for grass killer? I am open to suggestions.
