Being another CA gardener, here is what I know about squirrels. They live for 3 or 4 years typically. The young ones are sometimes unaware of your vegetables. Older, craftier squirrels can be real pests. They take figs and young green apples from my fruit trees. They don't particularly like oranges but will sample a few. My dad protects the apples by putting plastic bags over the apples and stapling the bags shut. Figs are more difficult to guard. If it as a good crop, there's plenty for everybody. They like the blossoms of zukes, melons, pumpkins and will eat those. They may take the fruit of these plants later on. Tomatoes they will sample, but not too many (usually the biggest ones which they bite a few times then discard for you to find). Controlling them: a dog or cat can do it. If you have hawks or raptors around, they will nail squirrels for you. I've heard you can spray cayenne pepper around and it may repel them, but cayenne pepper is expensive and I'm not sure that works anyway. Scaring them is also good. They are naturally timid and maybe they will go elsewhere, but more likely they will come back, since they don't seem very smart and are likely not to remember where that person who yells and chases at them lives. Bottom line is: they are annoying, sometimes maddening. I would find it difficult to try to kill them by any method. Some years are better than others in terms of what they sample. Perhaps feeding them peanuts or the like in one section of your yard would decrease your losses. Pests are a part of gardening though.

OK, this is a wild-card solution, but it works for those with an appetite for homesteading and keeping chickens or ducks. IMO, putting up an 8 foot fence is MUCH harder/heavier work than putting up a 6 foot fence. If you're having pros do it - no problem. 6' isn't enough. BUT - deer are fearful of a double fence, it's hard to gauge the distance for jumping. So I did a double 6' fence around my garden, with the two fences 3' apart (and some white cotton 'flags' tied to both fences so they could see it). I used that enclosure for my chicken run. When working in the garden I tossed weeds etc. into the run, and the chickens loved scratching through it, eating part and shredding/turning it as they explored for bugs and turn it into compost. If you use ducks, they'll catch & eat every single slug trying to cross their run to get to your garden. At the end of the season, turn the chickens or ducks into the garden to give it a going over. They'll find most of the bugs that wanted to over-winter and eat them. After the chickens have had fun in the garden at the end of harvest, clean their run and coop, spreading all of that compost over the top of the garden to mulch it and finish breaking down over the winter. (If you use true deep bedding for your flock and keep layering in flakes of straw, you only need to clean it once a year. If it smells, you're not using enough straw. There should NEVER be an odor.)

Your vegetarian husband is going to have great blood pressure, great cholesterol, no arterial build up and no erectile dysfunction so he will chase you around the bedroom until he is 95. So if you don't want him around, just shoot him before you get too old. You'll be out on parole in 3-5 years and can start over with another guy. Be sure to marry an old guy who likes fatty meat and has lots of money. You can change your name to Anna Nicole, buy some Viagra and be sure he changes his will before the honeymoon.

Ceph hit the nail on the head! If u only offer him healthy, and he refuses to eat, then so be it. Eventually he will get hungry enough and eat something. That's really the best you can do! I have done this with all of my three kids (2 bio and 1 Step) and believe me if they are really hungry they will eat. Thats not to say don't give choices, but they need to be healthy choices only. U can't control what is goin on at BMs or GMas so don't stress over it anymore... you can only control what happens at your house. Also, something you might find helpful as far as tv, computer and video games go- at my house you have to earn those treats, now my kids are physically active, but not all that big on taking time out to read, work on math or anything school work related- My kids can earn tv or computer or video game time by reading, extra practice on school work etc... I give 30 minutes of "fun time" for 30 minutes of "school work time" I suggest you try giving him 30 minutes of "fun time" for 30 minutes of physical activity, this could just mean going for a walk, kicking the ball around....... It really does work, but you have to NEVER GIVE IN..I am thinking that is part of this boys problem, he pouts or cries to go to the other parent to get his way...stick to your rules AND DONT CAVE OR BEND....he will probably be miserable and cry at first BUT once he realizes your not going to send him home, or give in he will start to do what he needs to do.... I would also have dad sit down with mom and give her the 411 on what you all are doing, she may be supportive or may not, but wither way it gives her a heads up, so she knows what to expect when SS comes home complaining..good luck! you all can do this, even if it is only every other weekend, It will make an impression... Also, maybe dad and SS could take up a sport together? I bet SS would be glad to have some time alone with dad, even if it is just for a walk.........