Gary the Groundhog 

Lesson 1:  The old adage about not feeding wild animals is really true and
Lesson 2:  Missouri has groundhogs much smarter than Punxsutawney PA

At the end of each pumpkin season we usually have a few pumpkins left over even after we give away free pumpkins November 1.  These pumpkins are usually placed in a gully near the woods where wild animals can feed on the pumpkin rinds  and their seeds over the winter.  After doing this a number of years,  some of the wild animals -- particularly  Gary the Ground Hog -- have developed a fond taste for pumpkins and pumpkin seeds.   Gary is obviously  real cute but his fondness for pumpkins is getting to be a problem.

It is dismaying to carefully plant pumpkin seeds in the spring then come back the next day and find each hill dug up and the seeds eaten.  If that were not enough, Gary doesn't wait until November 1 to "hog out" on ripe pumpkins.  Gary is a connoisseur of fine pumpkins and will nibble on only the biggest, blemish free pumpkins in the patch.  Of course, once he has nibbled on a pumpkin it is no longer blemish free so he moves on to the next pumpkin after only a few bites.

Gary will make an excellent pet for some lucky family with a large backyard.  He does not require much care and sleeps thru the winter so you could vacation in Florida without having to hire a pet sitter.  We could probably even throw  a few free  pumpkins into the deal if you decide to adopt him.  Besides pumpkins, Gary's favorite foods are apples, pears, and sweet potatoes but  Gary is very, very, smart and difficult to trap.  

I am afraid that if Gary is not adopted soon, Ground Hog Day will come pretty early  here at Lakeview Farms.