Friday, June 12, 2009

I'm BAAAACK!

A real friend is someone who would feel loss if you jumped on a train, or in front of one. ~Author Unknown

Did you miss me? I hope you enjoyed my guest bloggers -- though I didn't plan the schedule well, and apologize for having them all at once. Still, they were all so much fun and I can't wait to read their books (well, except for The Geek Girl's Guide -- read that already).

It POURED rain last night. POURED. I'm a little afraid to go outside and look at my gardens... I'm sure things must have been crushed. Twice the sound of the rain woke me up. Amazing. I mean, we needed some wet stuff, but it didn't all have to fall in a matter of a couple hours. Actually, it's still raining now, but has eased up a bit. Holy cow.

Was looking at my blog stats the past few days and had to laugh at my keyword referrals. It would be nice if people were actually looking for me -- but they aren't. The most common? Voles. Or voles vs. moles. I did get one on milorganite and milkweed (not sure what they have in common -- though if anyone googles it again: milorganite doesn't kill milkweed, it fertilizes it and I use milorganite to keep the deer away from my plants... note to self: reapply milorganite since the rain most assuredly washed away what was there).

Still, it appears that I'm not the only one with vole problems -- nor am I the only one who is looking for an answer. I've actually gotten a few emails from readers asking what I've done, what worked and what didn't. It's amazing to me that there is so little information out there regarding voles. In fact, it made me turn to one of my favorite books: Jerry Baker's "Old-Time Gardening Wisdom" to see what he had to say. And.... he said nothing. Nothing. (Though Sarita will be relieved to know that his recipe for dandelion wine included a fermentation lock). Still, for people looking to garden pretty much naturally (like Maria Zannini), it's a great book to have.

One exciting thing: this weekend (Sunday, to be precise) barring nose-bleeds, schedule changes and acts of God, I will be meeting with at least one other author (and anyone else in the neighborhood who wants to come... readers, authors, lovers of bread and coffee), Denise Robbins, at the Panera Bread in Bedford, NH. We'll be there early (Denise says she'll be there by eight a.m. -- I can't promise I will be) and will stay for a few hours. I'd love to see you there!

What plans do YOU have for the weekend?

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Your Gift Is Energy



You are easily excitable, and you love to be on the go. You crave intensity.

You need to live a dynamic, interesting, and challenging life. Otherwise, you get bored.



It's hard for you to relax. You're constantly being inspired to do something.

You're the type of person who finds success, innovation, and creativity easy.



Hmmm... mostly right...

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8 comments:

Michele said...

Mostly right?
What was wrong?
LOL
That is SO you. :-)

You know..you should write a nonfiction book on
"gardening with voles"

I mean, if there is NO info out there? and there is a need? You could have a guaranteed winner!

Everyone knows about moles...but voles? Even when you verbally talk with people, they hear the M and not the V.

I nonimate you as educator of the masses for voles.

And, yeah, that rain was horrid.
DH saw rabbits by my lettuce garden this AM. Scary cuz I don't have a fence. Just the cinder blocks I planted it in....
I like rabbit. Makes good stew.
lol

MomJane said...

Do you ever wonder who writes these questionaires? How do they think them up? How they know what to put in each section? How do they come up with the correct response almost always. I mean, sometimes they are really way out questions, but somehow they fit. Do they get paid?

I wonder about these things.

We have had rain sometimes during the day for the past several days. It is alway very hard, and my poor plants are laying on the ground much of the time. They haven't died yet. However, it washes off the neem that I used to keep away the bugs. I don't want to use it every day.


Here is the result of my test.

Your Gift is Sensitivity

You are easily moved, and you have a strong emotional reaction to almost everything.
Your sensitivity helps you get a lot out of life. You appreciate every moment more.

It's hard for you to divorce yourself from your feelings. You notice every little thing around you.
You're the type of person who finds empathy and compassion easy.

Maria Zannini said...

I think the number one search in my blog has been for doggie doors.

Maybe I should just give up SF Rom and write a dog blog.

Tori Lennox said...

I think Michele is on to something about you writing a book on how to combat voles.

My most recent plentiful search term has been "Carradine dynasty".

Dru said...

Your Gift is Intellect

You are a big thinker, and you're always playing with new ideas.
You are curious about the world. You enjoy learning and developing new theories.

You enjoy researching, analyzing, and solving problems. Thinking hard feels good!

You're the type of person who finds most mental tasks to be easy. You love to stretch your brain.


Wow, this is more or less accurate.

Like you, I'm so tired of these grey skies and rain we've been having. They claimed our weekend will be good despite some rain. What is with this rain?

Have fun at the interview. If I was closer, I would be there.

Brandy said...

Maybe you should at least publish (if not a gardening book) an article on your experiences with fighting the voles.
We've been getting short, but extreme storms here all week.
It says my "gift" is the same as Dru's: Your Gift is Intellect. You are a big thinker, and you're always playing with new ideas.
You are curious about the world. You enjoy learning and developing new theories.
You enjoy researching, analyzing, and solving problems. Thinking hard feels good!
You're the type of person who finds most mental tasks to be easy. You love to stretch your brain.

Actually, it's pretty spot on. *G*

I hope you're having a fabulous Friday!

Shelley Munro said...

My gift is intellect. I like to think and I'm curious about new ideas. This is pretty much spot-on for me. :)

Hubby and I just looked up voles to see what they were. We had a vague idea but weren't sure. Obviously we don't have voles in New Zealand.

About word searches - I did a post on big feet. You have no idea how many searches I get asking if men like women with big feet!!

Ceri Hebert said...

I'll lend you my mom's cat. She's a Vole Hunter. And she is declawed. Imagine her with claws-she'd be a true menace to the vermin population!