Ever chase a Vole??

...Voles are NOT moles. They don't mound the dirt up and make a mess of your lawn. Voles on the otherhand (a form of field mice, I read) have an endless network of tunnels underground. They undermine the ground to the point it eventually caves in! (Makes mowing tough!) They do pop their heads up and eat the grass, Creeping Phloxes, Dianthus, Pansies, and anything else that appears on the "plate" before their eyes! They can actually devour a whole Creeping Phlox plant...approx 18" diameter and tall, in a matter of 2 days if you don't catch them! Well, I thought they were gone! Hadn't seen the damage for about 2 months now...until today! I saw that little head munching on one of my Rasberry Sorbet Dianthus and I grabbed a shovel and headed towards him! He must have heard my stomping footsteps and slipped back underground though his little hole (about 1-1/2" diam) tucked under the leaves. I've tried before, to no avail, 'flushing' them with the hose, as you can moles...I left the hose running for about 5 hours! NO SIGN of water exiting anywhere! Having given up hope of running him off, I got out my mothballs that seem to work only once in awhile, shoved 3 down the hole & placed dirt back on top. (I have to be careful so our Yorkies don't get themselves in a predicament).
Later in the afternoon, I headed down to the barnyard to gather eggs, when I stopped dead in my tracks to ponder what I'd come upon! What might be about 35o' away from where I had the hose running so long, down below the embankment of my yard, coming up in one of the pastures was a soaking trail of water! Hmmmm.....wonder if that critter ran away?! I doubted it!
I am not a happy camper at this point...and just as I turned to the tack shed, I saw the largest goat was loose and had my pampered new corkscrew willow, that I started from a branch this winter, and had grown to about 7' tall, was between her legs and in her mouth eating all the tender new leaves! It is now only about 5' tall!! I do not care for goats! (Keith thinks he needs them for starting his Border Collies on, and others who want his help.) I am trying to get her to get back to her pen, and she thinks I am someone who actually loves her, because as she did one other time....she come running up from behind me...ducked in between my short legs and decided to give me a ride!! RRRRRRRRRR! Of course I ended up in the dirt!
As per usual, whenever critters are running around where they don't belong....my Cowboy Hubby is nowhere to be seen! Riding off yonder in them thar hills somewhere!
Ok..........I admit, I've done gathering of critters so much of my life, I should be used to it. Should just accept the fact that it is part of my "job"...part of this chosen lifestyle. But you know what?? I hated having to do it years ago....and I hate having to do it today! Today is even tougher cuz I don't move quite like I used to! And my patience isn't what it used to be either, which can create a bigger fiasco!
On to the vole that started my disgust for the day...by sundown this evening...I decided to go check out the initial crime scene. Guess what!!! Laying perfectly innocent on top of the soil, were 3 perfect mothballs.
The rest of my Rasberry Sorbet Dianthus???
History!