It's time for the annual "Squirrel War." (The "tree-rat race")

I am not a student in an ashram anymore. I am in the world and seeing how to apply what I learned. How to deal with life's challenges as they come everyday in so many ways.
Like this one:

It's time for the annual "Squirrel War." (Or the "tree-rat race")
Last year I finally managed to keep them out of the pecan tree. It is a very large tree and I wouldn't mind at all if they took some pecans. The crows also come.

The crows are no problem. They wait until the nuts are ripe and they actually help. By jumping around on the branches some of the ripe nuts fall out onto the ground and I can collect them. They take a few and fly away. They are happy and I am happy.

BUT!! The squirrels are a different story. They pull the unripe nuts off the tree, take a couple nibbles on the green husk covering the nut and throw the unripe pecan on the ground. One squirrel can do this hundreds of times in a day. Ruining the nuts. Pecans need to stay on the tree until they ripen. They will not ripen if picked too soon. Last year this meant five or ten hyperactive squirrels running all over the tree throwing hundreds and hundred of unripe nuts to the ground.

I was able to make a metal baffle that got them to stay out of tree. But it was a last minute poorly designed wide sheet metal band that need to be nailed to the tree. Not a good idea. Nailing to a tree is not a good idea. After all this is a living entity and causes a lot of damage. Diseases can enter, insects take advantage, fungus, you name it. If they are not stainless steel nails they rust and that is also not good for the tree. I was able to pull most of the nails out after a few months but a couple of them were stuck in very deep.

Squirrels are relentless. They tried gnawing and scratching away the bark where the metal barrier met the tree and squeezing up inside. One of them got stuck in there. II found his dead body when I took the shield down. It was an ongoing three ring circus.

They tried jumping from a nearby grapefruit tree. I watched as one of them leaped ten feet in the air to catch the grapefruit branch. I had to remove that branch and a branch of the pecan tree. There is one branch of the pecan tree hovering close by. But I am thinking it is too far and also much higher above the grapefruit tree. I'll know soon enough if I have to remove that branch also. Which is another while challenge in and of itself since the branch is at least twenty five feet in the air.

Designing something is a real challenge. Especially something that doesn't need to be nailed to the tree. Strapping, like ratcheting might work. The baffle needs to be seven or eight feet high off the ground. Getting closer. But it takes some time. Research. And Krishna to reveal a plan. It's coming. I still have a little time since the tree is only now starting to bloom. But it needs to be up and in place before there are any pecans appearing.

I haven't seen even one squirrel for months. But I see them here now. Eyeing the tree. It's not like they will starve there is another pecan tree nearby that the owner doesn't care if they go there. And other nut trees everywhere.

I would share with them if they waited until the nuts were ripe. But they are too destructive.