Trapping vermin, mowing grass and freezing blueberries

Vermin

I went out to the lake and set some rat traps in Dad's barns.  Red squirrels got in and tore the place up last winter.  Dad felt violated.

I really wanted to screw the traps to the bottom 2X4 of the rafters.  You don't even need bait if you align the trigger with the centerline of the 2X4.  The squirrels like to stay well above the floor and use the bottom stringers of the rafters as highways.

But I deferred to the need to maintain the traps (pull out the catch before they get too stinky) and screwed them to the tops of the purlins about 5' above the floor.  I used a peanut, in-shell, for bait.  Peanuts are easy to attach as they are hourglass shaped.  You just need to remember to bend the tang of the trigger up.  I used a twist-tie to attach them.

While I was at the Lake I cruised the woods.  I looked at about fifty hawthorn trees.  About 60% were C. succulenta.  None of the small trees had any fruit.  Most of the trees had some fireblight strikes.  One tree had nice form, was impressively thorny and no fireblight strikes.  It will be a pisser to dig up as it is growing up through an abandoned farm implement near the old dump.

One interesting factoid about C. succulenta is that it appears to like growing beneath black walnuts.  Very few plants can make that claim.  As always, your mileage may vary.

Mowing Grass

It is summer.  Little more can be said.  I mowed for forty minutes and came in to have an adult beverage. 

Freezing blueberries

I stopped into a big-box store on the way to the Lake to buy some additional rat traps.  They have a "sale" island as you walk into the body of the store.  They had Michigan blueberries for $1 a pound.  I called Mrs ERJ and a family friend.  I bought 50 pounds.

And no, they did not have any rat traps but the TSC across the parking lot did.