Squirrels Actually Love Bleach

I think Pumpkin Masters sent me their Pumpkin Carving Kit way back in August. From that day forward, the boys pulled that package out of the box every single day, telling me which template was going to be “their” pumpkin. Of course, by the time the day finally came for us to carve our pumpkins, the tools in the kit were already broken.

We tried our best to hold the boys off for as long as possible on carving the pumpkins, as the squirrels were already chomping through the pumpkin flesh even before we’d had a chance to cut them.

We worked so hard to pick them ourselves, and everything, straight from the pumpkin patch, and we were so proud of them. So, we made the pumpkin spray… bleach and water. And we diligently sprayed our pumpkins every day.

On the day the boys finally carved through the pumpkins, the boys had them carved and done before I had a chance to take photos of the “process.” The only photo I got was of my oldest son, the artist, who took his time to carefully, and painstakingly create his masterpiece Jack-O-Lantern.

Meanwhile, I roasted the pumpkin seeds.

After an hour and a half of work, my oldest son was finished, and he sat his pumpkins on the step with the rest of the family’s Jack-o-Lanterns. We sprayed them with that awful, smelly pumpkin spray, bleach and water. Inside and out.

Turns out, our Squirrels LOVE bleach.

My hands were covered in pumpkin, so I decided to take a picture of the required family photo Jack-O-Lanterns the next day.

Here’s what we found the next day. The squirrels had already took the liberty of  “finishing” that Jack-o-Lantern off, chewing off his entire face.

This is not what my son painstakingly carved. His face had eyes, a separate nose and mouth — and whiskers, or something. Not a huge circle!  My oldest son’s Jack-O-Lantern, the one who worked the hardest, received the most squirrel damage.

But no pumpkin was left unscathed.

This squirrel left a foaming mouth.

And this one below has a gash in his forehead.

And yes, we will have a candle burning in each of of them for Trick or Treat tonight.