The woodchuck has been missing for three weeks. I am afraid I may be jinxing myself and – as baseball players say – it's a long season and you take it day by day, but at least in May, I am ahead.

Those of you who read my Sunday Telegram column know the woodchucks caused big problems in my garden last year. I vowed to do better this year.

I found the main woodchuck hole, which is on a neighbor's property. With permission, I cut the multiflora roses surrounding that hole to take away the woodchuck cover. Then I saw a woodchuck sticking its head out from my garden shed. I threw a rock at it, and it whistled. A bit of research online told me that some people call woodchucks whistle pigs.

Following advice from an email – I lost the name of the person who sent it to me – I put used clumping kitty litter in the main woodchuck hill. It not only smells of, well, cat, which woodchucks dislike, but it turns to brick when wet.

I also put cinder blocks and bricks all around the bottom of the shed. When I saw a tunnel a couple of days later, I added more bricks and used kitty litter. I haven't had to add any bricks or kitty litter for three weeks.

So thanks to Lublu – our cat – I am leading the woodchuck thus far.

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