Percival

We've encountered some wildlife since our move here.  Most we view at a distance.

The fox and the jack rabbits are content to cross our paths nightly as we drive home.  The coyotes serenade from a distance.  (thankfully!)  The antelope have moved to warmer pastures... (about 100 miles south), in their place the deer have come to play.  The gophers and badgers have vanished but I expect they'll make an appearance again in the spring.  The skunks still make their presence known and the hawks and eagles majestically soar for our viewing pleasure.

Percival is another story.

Percival has made himself right at home.  At OUR home.  He took up residence in the greenhouse.  I only noticed him when I looked out and saw an enormous creature climbing out of our newly constructed compost bin.  At first I wondered if it was a badger or a raccoon, but upon closer inspection we determined... a porcupine.

We came inside and researched what we needed to know about porcupines.

1. They are nocturnal
2. There are only a few species in North America
3. They like to eat grasses, vegetables, grainsand salty things.
4. They can be a nuisance because they tend to gnaw on gardeners wooden tool handles.  
5. They do NOT actually shoot their quills, but they are very adept at protecting themselves.
6. They don't move very quickly
7. They are the largest member of the rodent family. 

Hmmm, well now what?  gnaw on wooden tool handles..  He has taken up residence in the greenhouse.  A regular smorgasbord of tool handles there.  He makes daily visits to the compost bin.  We'll never create beautiful soil at the rate he's eating all our vegetable waste.  

He's content to hide in the corner of the green house and ignore us.  The neighbourhood cats don't appear to be frightened of him.  

We decided we could all just go on ignoring each other... until this evening.  We arrived home from town around 8:30pm.  All was quiet and dark.  As I pulled down the driveway I noticed movement ahead and saw Percival in all his waddling glory.  He paused for just a moment and turned his head into the headlights.   Then just as quickly he turned and did what he considers running toward the porch!!!  "Wrong way Percival", I said.  

I gave a quick toot to frighten him into continuing on his way.  He appeared to be going under the porch, until the neighbours cat came out from under the deck.  Percival turned to leave.  

"Point for the cats, I suppose."  I muttered as I continued to pull up to the house.  Only then did I see the other neighbourhood cat sauntering toward Percival.  Percival froze.  Feeling surrounded by the car and two cats, he escaped in the only direction left available to him. 

Up the stairs, onto the porch and parked himself smack in front of the door!

The two cats took up sentinel posts on either side of him.  

For the next thirty minutes the boys and I sat in the car unsure how to proceed.  We tried playing music, honking the horn, driving away and then returning, whistling, growling, and begging.  Percival didn't so much as flinch!  Our toes were beginning to freeze even with the heater going.

At long last, Patrick pulled in with the older boys. They noticed us parked askew and still in the car and then they saw Percival and started to laugh.  

Our knight in tarnished armor continued to laugh as he took on the mighty beast.  We may have also been laughing.

We came off conquerors this time.  There are quite a few quills on the porch.  

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.