April First - April Fool's Day

April Fool’s Day, is not officially considered a holiday, is most definitely a notable day that is celebrated in many countries on April 1. The thing that is so special about April 1 (April Fools) is that it is the day for playing hoaxes and practical jokes of varied sophistication on others. The aim of these jokes is to bring embarrassment to the gullible.

Superstitions have it that the practical jokes are meant to be played before noon, and that those that are performed afterwards will bring bad luck to the perpetrator. This limitation is widely losing it’s value as a superstition as it is believed to have been conspired up by annoyed parents and school teachers who were wanting a respite from the day of pranks, as well due to the fact that many major hoaxes throughout history have appeared after noon. Another superstition is that anyone who fails to respond in the proper spirit of tolerance and amusement to the jokes played on them is also said to be liable to suffer from bad luck. Weaker sources indicated that being fooled by a pretty girl will be accompanied by marriage, or at bare minimum a friendship with her. That sounds like a good deal if she is truely pretty and it’s not just April Fools. Along the lines of relationships some people believe that being married onApril Fools’ Day is not a good idea for a man, and that forever in the future he will be ruled by his wife.

The origin of April Fool’s day is not clearly known, but it is generally accepted to have come about as a result to the changes in the calendar system. The New Year celebrations used to begin on 25 March and last for a week, ending on 1 April. In 1582, King Charles IX of France brought in the new Gregorian calendar, in which the new year began on 1 January. Unfortunately, some people did not hear about the change, and many others simply refused to break the tradition. These people became the object of so-called ‘fool’s errands’ and tests of gullibility.

Copied with permission from: http://plrplr.com/44571/april-fools-day/

GETTING RID OF GOPHERS, MOLES, GROUNDHOGS, RABBITS AND OTHER RODENTS

I was recently asked in the forum how to get rid of gophers.

There are many ways to get rid of these pesky rodents.   But they aren't usually the only rodent that is giving you problems.  Mice, rabbits, groundhogs, moles, and even squirrels cause all kinds of damage to your home, lawn , and garden. There are  many wives tales and old, sometimes, proven methods.

I've heard of putting a hose from a tail pipe of a vehicle into the hole of a groundhog or other subterranean dweller. This will probably kill the rodent in it's den but not the nicest way to get rid of them, but it would probably work.  

Cayenne pepper is supposed to repel rodents of all kinds, and so are marigold flowers.  It is said that if you plant marigolds in and around your garden it will keep the rabbits and groundhogs out.  This method actually worked for me.

Moth balls are supposed to repel them also, but in my trial with them all that happens when you use this method is, they just dig another hole and do not leave.  

 There are many products out on the market to help repel these critters.  There are poisons, traps, smoke bombs, plants that they do not like, and I've even heard of giving them juicy fruit gum which messes up their insides and kills them very slowly - not very humane. Of course you could always use my favorite method of the old trusty AR-15.

But the very best method I have found is spreading castor oil  granules over the affected area.   There is a new product out that is mixed corn cob, castor oil and soap.  It is even non toxic, so it won't hurt pets or kids.  The rodents cannot stand the smell of castor oil or the soap that is mixed in with it.  It last a long time before needing to be re-applied because it is oil after all.  I'm not sure who makes it but it works well.  There is a strategy to it though, using a broadcast spreader, first spread it over the heavily trafficked area.  After a day or so spread it over the next section of your lawn, and a couple days later the next and so on until you drive the critters away from your property.

Your neighbors won't appreciate this but, oh well.

Hope this helps.

OLOE