Our family cat, Raymond, has exterminated every gopher in the yard, front and back, and is now crawling through the hole in the fence to begin dispatching the neighbor's vermin. They give him "treats" to encourage him to stay and work for a while...
One gardener thought. Don’t hide in the bougainvillea. Thorny situation. Gopher: one down, to more to go. Spring has arisen with an army of teeth to chew the roots of thorny roses. Laughter is a lighter subject to trim the winter sorrows away. Your surprise package at the door definitely wasn’t brought by UPS.
Yes, those bougainvilleas can shred your hands if you don't wear gloves when pruning. Cats may be impervious, especially the really thick-furred ones. Our cat has built quite a comfy nest in one.
I thought human, scratched my head as I read, he left it in the doorway -BUT - I should have stewed over the possibilities before reading further. With all the suspense I raced to the end.
Wow, Sharron! This was glorious! And how the heck did I miss that the murderers were felines? Which I did not get until reading the other comments!!! And when I did, I saw that the killer stepped "GINGERLY {emphasis mine}" and thought, "Aha! A clue. What a moron I am!"
So glad you're reposting items from a couple years ago; that way I get to read those you wrote before I knew you (as will other new subscribers). :)
A classic!
Thanks, Linda, for taking a second look!
We'll talk about this later.... after the police leave.
Good plan... Thanks, Kate
You really had me going there, Sharron. Good one! I sure wasn't thinking gopher. Jake is definitely worth his salt.
Our family cat, Raymond, has exterminated every gopher in the yard, front and back, and is now crawling through the hole in the fence to begin dispatching the neighbor's vermin. They give him "treats" to encourage him to stay and work for a while...
Raymond knows his job and is moonlighting also.
Tee hee! Love it.
Thanks, Meg. Killing.... all in a day's work for the Jakes of the world.
Ah! I remember this - thank you so much for sending me this crime report to read again! Great work, Sharron - and Jake! 👀
Hah! Thanks, Rebecca for having a second look at this story from the Archive.
One gardener thought. Don’t hide in the bougainvillea. Thorny situation. Gopher: one down, to more to go. Spring has arisen with an army of teeth to chew the roots of thorny roses. Laughter is a lighter subject to trim the winter sorrows away. Your surprise package at the door definitely wasn’t brought by UPS.
Yes, those bougainvilleas can shred your hands if you don't wear gloves when pruning. Cats may be impervious, especially the really thick-furred ones. Our cat has built quite a comfy nest in one.
My Maine coon cat nestled in sticks in the shade. Glad it wasn’t ‘sticks in fire’ a euphoria that been popular for years but very toxic and caustic.
What a surprise ….. great job!
Thanks Wade for reading this old favorite. I know you have commented on it before -- over and above the call of duty. ha ha ha
I suspected there would be a good twist, and you delivered.
Did you suspect cat right away?
I thought human, scratched my head as I read, he left it in the doorway -BUT - I should have stewed over the possibilities before reading further. With all the suspense I raced to the end.
Aha! The game was afoot!
I was a couple of lines in before I remembered. Good one, Sharron!
Thanks for the re-read!
Love it 🥰
Loved it.
No need to call Columbo on this one. Jake is the cat! You did it to me again!
Ha ha ha. "Excuse,me sir, I don't mean to be bothering you but...."
Just one more thing….
You know, sir, it's a funny thing. All my life I keep running into smart people....
I wasn’t expecting a cat or a gopher. Well done.
Thanks, Mark!
The ending surprised me. This story is a gem.
Oh! Thanks Bill. I appreciate that! Win some, lose some...
Wow, Sharron! This was glorious! And how the heck did I miss that the murderers were felines? Which I did not get until reading the other comments!!! And when I did, I saw that the killer stepped "GINGERLY {emphasis mine}" and thought, "Aha! A clue. What a moron I am!"
So glad you're reposting items from a couple years ago; that way I get to read those you wrote before I knew you (as will other new subscribers). :)
I kind of thought that "gopher"was the give away! ha ha ha
Me too! Fun to read things you wrote before I found you!