The Principle of the Tree Rat...err...Squirrel.

The story goes that a man owned a huge pecan tree and loved his Italian Cream Cakes with pecan and cream cheese frosting that he could make from the pecans that grew on that tree. Being from Texarkana, I can relate! Very few things rival a good Italian Cream Cake or even a German Chocolate Cake! I choose them even over Red Velvet! Anyway, the problem the man was having is that he could barely get a decent frosting for his cakes from this huge tree with all its pecans because the squirrels would run and grab them all as soon as they ripened. Being that he loved his cakes, he was both heartbroken and angry.

He decided to do something about it finally.

He went down to Home Depot to get some of those metal barriers that are supposed to stop squirrels from being able to run up trees. The next day he saw the little critters hopping from tree to tree - still stealing all his pecans!!

Next, he went and cut back the branches from the trees with long limbs so the squirrels couldn't jump over to his pecan trees from other trees. The day after that he saw them walking across telephone wires like acrobats over to his tree!

Day after day he would try different methods and tools. Nothing worked. After Googling and buying nearly everything he could find on stopping squirrels, he was so frustrated that he screamed at the top of his lungs "WHY?! WHY!? WHY?! WILL I EVER GET ANOTHER ITALIAN CREAM CAKE????!!!" He yelled so loud that even his neighbor heard him without her hearing aid. She baked him a (nasty) red velvet cake and walked it over to him that weekend.

Finding him curled up in the corner crying, she handed him the pie and told him to relax and have a bite. "It's nearly impossible to overcome the Principle of the Squirrel" she said. "Don't feel bad."

"What's the Principle of the Squirrel?" he asked.

"It's very simple. You work, sleep, watch TV, think about cakes, play with your children, shower, exercise and do all kinds of things every single day. Then you think about stopping squirrels on the weekend. On the other hand, the squirrels are thinking about only one thing all day every day and every night - how to get your pecans!"

Now, personally, I don't like squirrels very much at all. I call them "tree rats" and I don't feel bad about it in the least. But there is something powerful to be learned here...complete focus takes the cake!