Charlie Strikes Again (And Wins)

I'm leaving Saturday morning for Florida; spending a week at Disney World with my sister, niece, great-niece and great-nephew.  But before I go, I wanted to share with all of you, who I know will NOT be laughing at the latest shenanigans going on here between me and Charlie.

Most of you know I have a bird feeder and enjoy watching the birds.  You also know I like squirrels, all of them being named Charlie, and because they like to eat the birdseed I keep peanuts in stock to feed them.  All in the hopes of allowing the birds to have the seed.  Also, when the weather is nice I will leave my sliding door to my balcony open partially during the day when I am off at work.  Since I live on the second floor, I have little (some might say stupid) worry about someone breaking in.

So, here is my little tale, but you must promise not to laugh.  Well, ok...maybe just a little giggle will be understandable.

Tuesday after work, I stopped by the store where I purchase my birdseed to pick up a new 20 pound bag.  Once home, I lugged it up the flight of stairs to my apartment, with the intention of emptying it into the orange bucket I have (already partially chewed thanks to Charlie).  The bag was placed right in front of my sliding door (inside my apt), next to the bucket, so they could be easily moved outside for the transfer.

I got busy with stuff, and before I knew it, it was too late to empty the bag that night.  I decided to do it the next night instead.  The next morning, before I left for work, I saw the bag sitting there in front of the sliding door, with the blinds partially open, and thought, "I need to move that bag so Charlie doesn't see it and try to get to it."  I moved the bag over behind my recliner where the blinds were closed, where it would be out of sight from Charlie, and went to work convinced it was safe.

Nope.

I was outwitted and outsmarted by a darned squirrel!  A member of the rodent family!

Entering my apartment Wednesday evening, I immediately noticed the bag was laying on it's side.  I naturally assumed it tipped over during the day.  I did what I normally do when I get home.  I set my purse down.  I started going through the mail.  I walked over to the sliding door to see if the kids were outside playing.  That's when I noticed it.

Next to the bottom of the bag of seed was a pile of empty shells.

I quickly glanced back at the screen door and noticed a hole chewed through the screen.

I can almost hear every one of you gasping, and tsk tsk'ing me.

I did a brief search of the apartment, and it appears nothing else was touched.  Not my open bag of garbage waiting to go out to the dumpster.  Not the open bag of peanuts on the counter in the kitchen.  Just the bag of birdseed.

So here's what I figure must have happened.  The bag probably did tip over, which moved the vertical blinds just enough so Charlie could see the bag of birdseed.  He then chewed through the screen at that spot, but encountered the glass door between him and the bag of seed.  At that point, he probably tried to get to it from a different angle, and discovered the glass was not blocking his way at that spot.  He came in, chewed a small hole in the bag of seed, ate his fill, and left.

Of course, now I have to keep the door closed until I can get the screen replaced/fixed.  And Charlie is on my NAUGHTY list!  Today I come home, after leaving the door closed all day (not just because of the hole, but also because it never reached 50F today) to discover that Charlie wanted more of that yummy seed and made that hole bigger.

So go ahead and say it.  I know you're dying to.  I got what I deserved? That's what I get for feeding the squirrels?

All I can say is, I'm dumber than a squirrel.