The Cat Came Back

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.