pine cones in potted plants.

I wonder if that would work to keep squirrels out of my flowerpots.

No

Those little buggers never give up.

Black pepper in your flower pots doesn't work either.

She takes over my computer chair when I get up, hunkers down and gets underneath one of the arm wrests and clings to it. She's knows she's picking a fight and damn well means to hold that chair!

I have a pair of leather gloves handy to wrassle with her when she does that. It can get pretty gnarley, biting, scratching, "bunny kicks" with the hind legs, lunging and swiping at my nose! She scrambles under and over the arms, from one to the next, yowling and even the occasional hiss! The hiss is usually when I break it off. I'll then pry her off one of the arms and boot her out of the chair.

Then in no time she'll jump up in my lap wanting to be buddies and get petted or brushed. That's gone on since I got her three years ago. She's an indoor kitty so I think fighting with her like that is good for her. I've always wrassled with my cats in some similar way. I've never had one that wasn't also just as affectionate as they can be fierce.

county showed up at my door.

and the next and the next, ad infinitum.

Don't know about anyone else, but that stuff is invasive around here. I planted it when I moved here 22 years ago and I am still pulling it up.