'coons come around the backporch, Momma just chase them off with a broom. -Forrest Gump

I've had some unwelcomed visitors to our bird feeders too. I stopped filling the feeders for a while and went weeks without a sighting. I thought the hawk I'd seen and an orange cat who has been hanging out in our sideyard had taken care of the problem, and while I haven't seen a mouse I did spot one rat last night and there were two tonight. Not good. I was really hoping the natural predators were working and I am wishing the previous owner of the house next door (with a wooden deck off the back) hadn't gotten hysterical and killed any snake she saw (she swore they were poisonous, but they were common garden snakes -- just what you want to control other critters under that deck). I have two dogs and one would definitely go after anything she could. All our neighbors also have one or more dogs and a couple are older and/or small breeds. I hadn't even thought about one of them eating a poisoned rat before reading this. We also have a lot of squirrels and birds as well as all kinds of other critters in the area who could come around at night (possum, skunks, and raccoons are the most common, but we can get a fox, coyote, rabbits -- even a deer). I don't want to hurt or kill any of those (I would smell a trapped or wounded skunk outside my kitchen door too much for too long). We're in a severe drought here, so I hate to not feed the birds, but maybe I can move the feeders or scatter some seed near the wooded path across the street -- get it away from the houses. We had some mice that have not been seen for weeks now and they were definitely coming from the yard next door. I suspect they were living under the deck at the back of the house, especially since the previous owner got hysterical about snakes, thought anyone she saw was poisonous and had someone come kill anything she saw. The current neighbors are almost never home and are not maintaining their home and yard very well. I'm sure that isn't helping, but it also means I'm not likely to get much or any help or cooperation there. The rats are also seen going under the fence but also over it and up and down the tree -- which is probably how they have escaped my the visiting cat. I've seen a tail go down in that corner, but I don't know where they go from there. Our garbage is on that side of the garage, but in closed containers and in bags inside of that. The recycling is in open bins for now, but we will be moving to a wheeled cart soon. In the meantime, everything is rinsed and there are no signs of interest or activity around the bins. I looked at the Rat Zapper on Amazon -- seems less likely to attract birds, but do you think I'll get squirrels too? Any other ideas?

Ohh yeah they do! ;) The hornworm is bigger than many mice. Search 'hornworm' here to see pics of many of them. Dave

jane ny, So far, my annual tax bill has been low. Partly because I don't have a large number of investmetns, and partly because I seldom sell any so have not had to answer to the Canada Revenue Agency on the increase in value ... ... and won't, until I either sell them - or die - neither of which I intend to do, this week or next. However, there's another possibility, detailed below, which triggers a capital gain - but not at a time of my choice. With regard to distributions from my equity-based mutual funds (which most of mine are) they are re-invested, and I pay tax on those amounts annually - but at varying rates. I goofed - I should have kept track of the annual amounts over the years, which is over 20 years for some of them, for I need those amounts to add to the amounts originally invested in order to calculate my adjusted cost base, which I need when I sell them (or die, at which time is is deemed that I sold all of that kind of stuff the day before, so become tax-liable on the whole of it in that year ... which my executor has to figure out). I deduct that amount from the value at the time, in order to calculate the amount of my capital gain - taxable, but at a reduced rate. And if I give the certificates to a charity, there is no tax on the capital gain on that portion of my asset. As for foreign-based stocks, on some of them I am taxed in the originating country, and usually there is a tax treaty with Canada and I get a credit here with regard to that amount; if they are U.S.-based companies, I must declare full amount here and can claim credit with regard to that amount withheld and paid to the foreign country - I used to find that for $3.00 paid to I.R.S., I'd get about a $2.00 credit from the Canada Revenue Agency. When I own Canadian stocks that pay annual dividends, I pay a much reduced rate on those dividends, at that time. For some of them, they have a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (which I have not used, but should have). In that case, I need to keep track of annual payments which were used to buy more shares, to calculate my adjusted cost base when I sell them. When I sell a stock, I need to deduct the amount that I paid (adjusted cost base), in order to calculate the capital gain, then I pay tax at regular rate on half of that amount. I've been wondering whether I should sell some, then buy them back (or of a similar company) in order to crystallize the capital gains now, and be taxed now, but at a lower rate, as I'll be taxed at top rate on a substantial portion of that year's income, on death. And the residue of my tax-deferred retirement accounts (I had to begin to liquidate them, beginning at age 70, at a specified minimum amount annually, which precentage increases annually till age 90) will all be added into income in the year of death. However - there'd be brokerage fees to sell, then when I re-buy. And the amount paid in tax would no longer be available to invest. However ... in this year, one investment that I'd wondered about selling, as I'd owned it for a number of years, was involved in a reorganization, such that it would be deemed a sale, so I'll be taxable on that capital gain this year. Another company was sold, so my shares are (forcibly) luiquidated. And a third company, whose shares I bought earlier this year, was involved in two reorganizationas (one related to the first one that I mentioned) so there'll be capital gain involved with that one, as well. All in one year. Drat!!! So - I guess that I'd better start finding money, looking toward writing a cheque of substantial size to the Canada Revenue Agency at the end of next April. Wish me luck! One advantage, though, of buying stocks whose value rises and not selling them for a sustantial period, is that I don't become tax-liable on the increase until I sell (or get sold involuntarily) (or die) so I achieve tax deferral, which achieves one of the major purposes of a tax-deferred investment account, but without the restrictions. ole joyful Hope this helps.