Squirrels, holiday lights

Squirrels, holiday lights

Q. Squirrels chewed on our new LED outdoor Christmas lights. Why do they do this, and how can we prevent it?

A. It’s hard to know why they are attacking your decorations, but it probably has nothing to do with the LED lights.

Squirrels like to gnaw; indeed, they must gnaw. Like other rodents, their teeth continually grow. The gnawing helps to keep them in check. If they didn’t, the teeth would soon grow too long for their mouths.

If they’re getting at the wires, utility companies suggest that you slip the light cords through PVC pipe (plastic plumbing pipe available at hardware stores), that has been slit so the lights can stick out. (This won’t work with lights on a tree, of course.) It’s harder to protect the plastic bulbs (LED strings have plastic lights).

Virtual cabin tour

You can almost feel the heat radiating from the stone fireplaces as you page through “Cabin in the Woods.”

The book is a vicarious retreat to a world of rough timbers and smooth leather, to places where homes are an extension of their natural surroundings.

Author and photographer Ralph Kylloe, an authority on rustic furniture, takes his readers on a virtual tour of 10 cabins ranging from the simple to the sprawling. He guides with photographs and few words, inviting the reader to study and absorb the details of the homey settings.

“Cabin in the Woods” comes from Gibbs Smith, Publisher. It sells for $29.95 in hardcover.