gerisullivan | Remember that tall mound of snow on my deck?

The one that I claimed had a gas grill underneath it?

Well, the snow is gone and now I'm scared to remove the grill cover.

The cover goes over the grill and down to the deck itself. Normally, I can just barely make out the edge heat'n'fire-resistant mat under the grill itself.

I just noticed I can see one of the wheels compliments of a hole gnawed through the cover by some critter or other.

I suspect something larger than mice since mice would have had little problem ducking under the edge of the cover itself. Maybe the three feet of snow on the deck rather hindered that, but I have this feeling that the critter(s) moved into the protected space well before there was even a foot of snow piled up.

The hole is roughly 8 inches wide by 6 inches tall. Maybe that raccoon that took to climbing my back door and scaring the bejeezus out of me by staring me in the eye...from eye level...when I turned on one of the deck lights to investigate the noise? The one who showed every sign of wanting to move into the Zeppelin Hangar itself several months back?

Yes, I know. Anyone who chooses to live in the woods needs to be prepared or at least able to deal with whatever is or was under the grill cover. I'm Geri Sullivan, Girl Homeowner, after all. If nothing else, I can always get a fanzine article out of the adventure. Or an LJ post, at least.