Whoever Is Feeding Peanuts to New Bedford’s Squirrels, Please Stop

Oh, the things I never thought I'd complain about, such as squirrels and peanut shells, yet here we are.

To the person (or people) in New Bedford who are feeding peanuts to the squirrels, please, for the love of everything holy, I'm begging you to stop.

It seems as though I'm picking up shells on the daily that have congregated on my back and front porch and all throughout my garden. I suppose the shells by the veggie patch aren't the worst thing in the world, as they can break down into compost, but I can't ask the squirrels to redirect their shell casings to a certain area. I'm far from being an animal whisperer.

I moved back to New Bedford back in May and even on the very first day, as I was cleaning the back yard, I noticed peanut shells and thought it was very odd. Perhaps the neighbors are tossing the shells over the fence, I thought to myself, but soon learned that the accusation was false.

There's one squirrel, in particular – we named him "Charles" – who spends most of his day teasing the dog and leaving a mess on the property. He's a cute little fella, but he's a pain in the butt. He's very easy to point out, since he's the fattest in the neighborhood (that I've noticed) and has a love for peanuts.

I've asked around, but no one has confessed to feeding the wildlife. Therefore, wherever the source of the peanuts is coming from, this squirrel is clearly hoarding it and spending its leisurely dinner time on my porch.

That's just my luck.

I really hate to be the negative Nancy in this situation. I'm happy that the squirrels are eating well – after all, I'm not evil. It's just getting a bit out of control with the daily littering of shells. I swear, I'd like to do a side-by-side comparison of my porch and the floor of a Texas Roadhouse.

So if you're reading this and you're feeding them peanuts, please stop. They're great scavengers, so they'll be fine eating and finding something else that leaves less of a mess.

Sorry, not sorry.