Rick v. Beavers

Anyone who has ever been to one of our bonfires knows that the best part of our house is our land. Rick has worked many hours, and I not so many, to clear the woods of brush, dead trees (only dead trees), debris, etc. We have abundant wildlife including deer, fox, rabbits, hawks, owls (though we have never actually seen the owls), snakes, frogs, ducks, geese and turtles. On occasion when we get heavy rain the woods will flood. With an exception here and there, the flood is usually gone in about 3 days. The current flood has been around since October 15th. With a bit of investigating we have found the culprit. Beavers. Lots of beavers. Or maybe just one beaver on crack. On Wednesday, Rick spent 3 hours "in" the creek destroying a massive dam. The water receded almost completely overnight. We thought we were kicking ass yesterday. NOT. This morning more water. Sure enough another tree down across the creek.It is out of control. They are moving closer and closer to the backyard. I'm certain my oak trees are next. Standing in one spot I can count 20 downed trees. Some big, some small. The greatest loss would have to be this old willow tree that had a trunk diameter of about 18". Maybe Timmy should load up the shotgun and perch in a tree one night. Or maybe he should just wander the woods in his bear costume. I'll supply the beer.