Usually spring doesn’t thrill me. The temperature is inconsistent, the weather is so-so, and my allergies cause my sinuses to inflame so much I want to rip my head off. But then there are times it’s refreshing. To get out of the house and be warm, to see the blossoming of flowers and trees, to feel the grass under my toes. That part is what I like.

Every spring I get flowers and plant them on my deck. I like the variety of colors decorating my house. Unfortunately my neighbors and I play host to a bunch of squirrels. I remember now writing about squirrels last spring and how I used to let the cats out to go chase them (cat vs. squirrel). But the other week my neighbor told me they got this owl for their deck that was supposed to keep the squirrels away.

I got really excited about this and went out to Home Depot to get me one. After filling the menacing plastic owl with rocks, I placed it on the deck railing. My other neighbors have done the same. So now three homes in a row (townhouses next to each other) all have plastic owls staring menacingly out the back. The people living across the common ground must think we are a bunch of trailer-park wannabees or part of some yard-sale-gone-mad cult.

All I know is that since Mr. Owl has been keeping a keen eye out, not one squirrel has been “spotted.” In fact, we’ve actually attracted a real owl. Yesterday my neighbor—who calls his Owl Greg—told me that “Greg got himself a real girlfriend.” Great for keeping squirrels away, but now my cat—who likes to dart out the door and then lounge on the next door neighbor’s deck—is potential dinner for Greg’s girlfriend.

Ahhh, the joys of spring. I wonder what I’ll learn next about plastic decoys and wildlife.

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