what?!?

[whispercricket]

I think I just saw a groundhog / woodchuck in our back yard, sitting on the wall that's about three feet from the kitchen window. I ran to get a camera, but by the time I got back, it was running away. These pictures seem to be about right, but I'm not really sure - it could have been another largish rodent. It wasn't a raccoon, it wasn't a beaver (the tail didn't seem fuzzy and was fairly wide, but wasn't big enough for a beaver), and if it was a squirrel, then overnight our squirrels have doubled in size and mutated wildly.

So, um...is this bad? Good? Normal?

Edit: I have found more information about groundhogs. Hole digging mammals of the eastern U.S., eh? If only we could harness that power for good...keshwyn? Want to try and transplant the groundhog to dig that trench you need? :)

Comments

[jehanna.livejournal.com]

Heh. Nothing could be more normal than to find a groundhog or woodchuck in a New England backyard. :) Expect to engage in a war of nerves with him if you plan to garden. ;)

[kviri.livejournal.com]

Expect to engage in a war of nerves with him if you plan to garden. ;)

...thank you for the mental image of the_mysterons digging holes in Elyse's backyard.

THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS. WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR US, EARTHWOMAN. WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOUR DELIBERATE AND UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON OUR UNDERGROUND COMPLEX IN WOBURN. FOR OUR NEXT ACT OF RETALIATION, WE WILL PERFORM SUBTLE ACTS OF SABOTAGE TO A VITAL HOUSEHOLD SUBSYSTEM -- AS SOON AS WE CAN IDENTIFY ONE WHICH IS NOT ALREADY IN NEED OF MINOR REPAIR.

(WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO WRAP OUR RINGS AROUND THE STRANGE EARTH CONCEPT KNOWN AS THE "FIXER-UPPER." IT IS AS THOUGH YOU WISH YOUR OWN DWELLINGS TO ENGAGE IN A WAR OF NERVES WITH YOU.)

THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS.

[whispercricket]

!!!!!

:)

[keshwyn]

Keshwyn shatters hard enough to have her coworkers coming in and demanding an explanation...

[artan]

If I see it I should be able to identify it. Groundhogs are common in the area whenever you have some degree of undeveloped land. It also means that the neighborhood dogs are lazy/confined most of the time. In his prime Rambo probalby caught one every week or two during the summer.

Since we're not gardening yet I see no reason to fight with it. Unfortunately I don't think they're particularly trainable.

[keshwyn]

Having just put my herbs and veggies in the ground, I think I'd rather not have any groundhogs anywhere near my garden. :) Thanks anyway.

The cats and skunks and feral dogs are bad enough...