Fruit of our Labor----AHS

People are always wonderin' why we had to start our own security firm (AHS), an' why we're always so busy. Well, I'll tell you.....there used to be a huge huge field an' woods behind our house an' on the other side a huge field. All kinds of varmits lived there...you can imagine.

They first took away the huge field an' built a retention pond (that's behind us) an' apartment houses on the rest. That drove all the critters to the woods an' any other place they could find....the coyotes, opossums, squirrels, rabbits, rats, mice, an' even the raccoons....an' everythin' else.

Then they cleared the woods...not even leavin' a single tree. The coyotes left to go to a lil' patch of woods a few blocks from us (they still roam 'cause they're surrounded by houses). The raccoons moved to some drainage ditch areas between neighborhoods Ithey still manage to get into yards an' house attics when the mood suits 'em an' when they're lookin' for a warm place or food).

That left the field on the side of our yard.....it's pretty barren. Where did the rest of the critters an' varmits go? Well, they moved into the neighborhood, of course. Mostly...our yard.

We've got trees....pecan, citrus, fig...bunch of other kind that make great places to nest or hide...or escape us...we've even got grape vines. The grapes disappear as fast as they grow. There's even got a pond for drinkin'. Mom's had to just about give up tryin' to grow vegetables....the varmits wipe 'em out overnight just as stuff gets ripe. My M'shelle has called our yard a virtual smorgasbord for wildlife.

Right now....it's gettin' cold "er"......we've got our paws full. Mom just went out to check her citrus trees......she's appalled at the hundreds of fruit that's on the ground, picked an' eaten by varmits durin' the nights. One lil' orange tree mom was lookin' forward to tastin' it's fruit, since this was it's first year to have any...was picked clean last nite....she was only able to pick one lil' orange. She was not happy. The rest of the citrus trees are huge an' have a lot...but she's still not happy about the thievery.

We do our best..but since mom won't let us stay out all nite....well, AHS cannot be held responsible.

Here's an example of what we've got to protect.....Meyer lemons, Ponderosa lemons, three different kind of oranges (there's a fourth, but those are still green) an' two different types of Ruby red grapefruit.