I'm serious!

We've had a terrible problem for the past year with pocket gophers digging up our lawns, pastures, pool area, gardens, etc. (By the way, we initially thought we had moles, but found out there are no moles in New Mexico, at least theoretically! Further research indicated that our crescent-shaped, finely milled, sandy mounds were the result of pocket gophers, not moles, who make more coarsely-ground, volcano-shaped mole-hills...)

Anyway, all last summer and fall we tried various means of getting rid of them, to no avail. We kept waking up to new little mounds and gopher holes all over our property. All last week, too, I averaged 2 or three brand, spanking new sand mounds all over my lawn. But this week, it seems we've found the answer:

red balloons!

Hah! You think I jest! But it worked!

Here's how it happened. I mentioned our furry little problem to my sister last weekend, and she immediately offered to loan me her son!!??

When I asked how on earth that was supposed to help, she reminded me that half-a-dozen years ago, she, too, had been at her wits' end trying to rid her yard of their resident pocket gopher. Poisons, smoke bombs, traps, all had no effect on the little varmint, who would actually stare boldly out at her, refusing even to be scared off until she got within 2 feet of its current little mound. After months of aggravation, she found the secret. One day, she went outside only to spot a bright scarlet blob on the ground, over near the gopher mounds.

Don't go "yecchh" quite yet; it wasn't the gopher. It was a well-gnawed and half-consumed red balloon! When she started asking (OK, demanding) of her kids where on earth that gnawed balloon had come from, three-year-old Joseph burst into tears and admitted he had stuffed the balloon down the newest gopher hole for the gopher!

It apparently didn't agree with the little rodent-- he vanished and has never reappeared from that day 'til this! More importantly, they had no new little gopher holes and mounds to deal with, either!

So, I gave serious thought to borrowing my nephew! On sober second thought, I decided all I really needed were the balloons! So last Sunday evening, I got half a dozen little red balloons and stuffed them down all the newest gopher holes in my yard. I woke up Monday and saw no new mounds or holes! Ditto Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We've got a clean bill of health this morning too, and may have found a new, thoroughly eco-friendly and green (OK, red) solution to dealing with pocket gophers!

Hooray for red balloons and three-year-old nephews!

Sometimes you've got to try new approaches; we've found that true over the years in our Albuquerque real estate career, and find it's true of molehills as well as mountains!