If Only Our Neighborhood Had One of These . . .

No, it's not the Drive-in Liquor store that interests me - it's the customers. Today I had to shoo away three deer who had nudged through my kitchen garden barriers and were leisurely munching. Actually shoo away is not exactly accurate; I spotted them while brushing my teeth and ran onto the upstairs porch - toothbrush in hand - to throw a pair of flip-flops at them. Not my most graceful, dignified moment!

If only we had a drive-in liquor store to occupy them . . . I'm sure they'd choose a little Southern Comfort over my cucumbers! And I could be a little more Grace Kelly and a little less fish wife . . .

AP Photo, taken in Medicine Bow, Wyoming

I Know Why the Caged Bloom Sings . . .

. . . because it's safe and free from predators!

Like the one that made this tell-tale print:

Our neighbors have decided to take a serious approach to our deer problem - while we're going to spray diligently this summer, they're opting for something more rigorous! The fence is temporary, but actually has three security levels! And so far it's working . . .

Next year we're considering a joint, permanent fence across the back of our two yards which will leave the fronts unprotected, but will disrupt the nightly migration route of the herd which now numbers 11+. Isn't that amazing? No deer 7 or 8 years ago and now an honest-to-goodness herd. And due to historic district restrictions, we're limited in how we approach the problem which leads to creative solutions like this. So far all plants are alive and well this year, including these lovely hydrangeas.

They're the neighbors, too, and are not caged! But, they're very close to the house and are well established so leaving them exposed is less risky. Fingers crossed . . .

Since I gave up on hydrangeas a few years ago, these are the next-best-thing so I really hope they continue to thrive!

Hope you have a great weekend and stay cool (and I mean that in the 'drink lots of water on hot, humid days like this' way - not in the high school yearbook way, although I'm sure you are '2 cool 2 B 4gotten'!).

Searching for a Pith Helmet

September is almost here - I can prove it because we are being bombarded with hickory nuts! It's dangerous to step outside our back door as they are falling onto the deck constantly - hence the need for a pith helmet. Maybe I'll get this one that's on sale at The J. Peterman Company.
J. Peterman says their helmet can protect you while birding or gardening - I think they should add stepping innocently out the back door. Despite their small size, hickory nuts are dangerous. Every afternoon I sweep off the day's nuts and while I'm sweeping, more are falling around me and sometimes, on me, and they're really, really hard. Not too hard for the squirrels (of course!) who manage to chew off small bits and drop those all over the deck, too. See the debris from today? Plus, over the weekend I wanted to quickly open the door to yell at some deer and a hickory nut wedged itself under the door so it wouldn't open or close. The deer ran away while I tugged and tugged on the door. On the bright side though - that particular hickory nut prevented me from yelling at the deer (again!) like a fish wife. It's so sad to realize you become Wile E. Coyote whenever you see the local deer grazing through your garden and yard - if I had the Acme Catalog rather than J. Peterman's, I would not be able to type this now because I'd either be anvil-shaped or totally blown up . . .

But wait . . . a plan is hatching. We could move the hickory tree so the nuts are above the tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers - then when the deer sneak in for dinner they'll be bombarded! Hmmm, I'll have to think about this. Meanwhile, don't walk under ladders or hickory trees.