Moles vs. Voles

It is utterly forbidden to be half-hearted about gardening. You have got to love your garden whether you like it or not. ~W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, Garden Rubbish, 1936

Yesterday, Ceri asked how moles and voles are different. Interestingly, most folks have never even heard of voles -- and this includes places like Home Depot, where I went to get some kind of vole control yesterday (unsuccessfully).

::Warning: Stepping on Soapbox::

As an aside, I was horrifed at all the truly inhumane ways you can catch mice and rats. Seriously. Glue traps? Should be outlawed... can you imagine?? How can anyone just throw a live animal away while it either starves to death or chews off its own limbs to get away? "Pest" or not, it deserves humane treatment, IMHO. Kill it if you must, but quickly and as painlessly as possible, please (which is why I agonize over using poison... and still haven't decided to do so).

::Steps down from Soapbox::

In any case...

Moles: First off... moles are far less destructive than voles, IMHO. They also eat insects (another plus) -- typically grubs, and other critters that live in the ground, and any damage they do to your lawn and garden is incidental. They are solitary (ANOTHER plus!), produce young only once a year and have small litters (WOOT! Another plus!) and they look like this (they're fairly large -- at least the one my dog, Bailey, dug up was... about 8" long):



Voles: Voles eat vegetation, feeding on roots, bulbs and anything they can find -- tops AND bottoms of plants (most recently, my voles ate all the green parts of my crocus plants... grr). They cause a lot of destruction by gnawing on young trees and shrubs. They can strip the bark of the plant at ground level, killing or exposing it to insects or diseases. They have a tremendous reproductive rate, able to give birth at one month of age and have several litters a year. They look like this (and are TINY... maybe two inches long):



I have to decided what to do soon -- if I plant my veggie garden without having these buggers under control, they'll just eat that, too.

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You Are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds. You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life. Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Umm... not really...

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The Fat Lady is Oddly Quiet...

... in this war on voles.

War is the only game in which it doesn't pay to have the home-court advantage. ~Dick Motta

So... yesterday it actually cleared up. I went outside and worked in the yard a little (only a little, because in the way of the world it was miserably hot and humid). Obviously the endless rain had awakened all the toads and frogs and every time I moved, I'd scare one up.

I had a few plants to put in the ground (some lamb's ear and a bit of portulaca), and at one point I had to move a small batch of grape hyacinth bulbs. Later, as I was tossing some weeds into the woods, something moved at my feet again. I thought it was a toad and looked closer (DD likes to grab all the toads and pat them, lol). It wasn't a toad... it was a VOLE.

Now, as I'd been puttering, I noticed little "dig holes" all over the place -- in DD's garden in the lawn, in my front garden -- but they didn't go anywhere. Just little shallow bowls in the ground. Dakota has also been staring out the windows and growling and barking again -- she did this before when we had voles "mulch surfing" out front. But the clincher on whether we had voles came only an hour or two later, when I glanced out at my front garden where I'd planted lambs ear and moved the bulbs.

The place where I'd put the bulbs? Empty but for a big hole. They'd come and swiped them already!! I could NOT believe it. I stood and stared for the longest time, half-thinking I was seeing things.

*sigh*

So today? The poison goes out again. I HATE it, but these little devils will decimate a garden. They leave NOTHING behind when they get going and I'm not prepared to have a pile of earth left. I'll deal with the chipmunks and the squirrels and the deer and the moles. They don't lay waste to everything they touch. Voles are absolutely, and without a doubt the most destructive thing I have EVER come across.

I don't know if I can ever win this war, but I'm going to go down swinging.

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In Pillar Place:

We moved four pillars into a new box full of sticks. They are the big bubbas... the ones large enough to start on walkabout, and for the first 24 hours their little dangly bodies (pre-pupa) shouldn't be moved -- so if they'd been in the little box with the littler butterbabies, I wouldn't be able to lift the lid to feed the ones who weren't on walkabout.

I know I promised pictures, but forgot to take them yesterday and DH is sleeping so I can't get to the pillars. Tomorrow (and tomorrow, and tomorrow) I will get some. Swear.

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Your Hands Say That You Are Logical

You are logical, analytical, and rational. You have good verbal skills. Idealistic and dreamy, you tend toward the impractical. You have a knack for getting yourself in sticky situations. Consistent and reliable, you like to count on structure and routine in your life. Your emotions tend to be nervous and potent. Your energy - both positive and negative - deeply impacts your life.

What Do Your Hands Say About You?

That's about 80% right, lol...

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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.

What's Your Gift?

Hmmm... mostly right...

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Wildlife Scores Again

When you have done your best for a flower, and it fails, you have some reason to be aggrieved. ~Frank Swinnerton

DD went outside to harvest pea pods yesterday and came in sobbing like her dog had been run over. Turned out, once I calmed her down enough to talk, that deer had eaten her yellow heritage tomato plants down to the ground. I decided to go see if she was exaggerating.

She wasn't.

And not only had they eaten her two plants, but the topped ALL our tomatoes -- took off a good 12 - 18" off every single plant (except my heritage plants which were significantly smaller than my DD's and apparently beneath notice). They also helped themselves to our green beans and about half the baby apples on our tree.

To top it off, they also grazed in my front yard, and ate the tops (ergo the buds and flowers) off of my snapdragons, liatris and columbine (this is supposedly deer resistant, but apparently MY deer didn't read the memo as they ate it nearly to the ground).

Normally I use a fertilizer called Milorganite to keep deer away. I sprinkle it everywhere and it STINKS. It's actually made from human waste and I've found it works better than anything else including various predator urines... or it would if it hadn't been raining constantly. See... we've had rain again for two solid days (and you remember the 23 days of rain in June, right), so everything I put down is washed away. And short of living outside to shoo them off, there really is little else I can do. I can't put a twelve foot fence all the way around my property.

AND... I've discovered it's not voles but chipmunks that are digging up all the bulbs in my gardens.

It's discouraging, to say the least. We won't talk about how the squirrels are able to eat on my squirrel resistant feeder... no, we won't do that.

I spent time yesterday considering a plan of attack. If the blasted rain would stop, milorganite in the veggie garden would work, but to be honest, I don't think DD's tomatoes will bounce back in time to produce fruit, and that breaks my heart.

I've researched various deer resistant flowers and bulbs, and will be completely redoing the garden in the front. Again. It's the garden the voles decimated last year. And, actually, I'll be paring down what gardens I have and planting grass, which breaks my heart.

But short of killing every living creature in my yard (who would only be replaced by more anyway -- even if I belived that was an option) there's really not much else I can do.

*sigh*

There is something to be said about city living. At least you don't have to battle the wildlife.

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I Won the Battle, but Lost the War

War does not determine who is right - only who is left. ~ Bertrand Russell

THEY'RE B-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-C-K.....

Who?

The Cunning Voles of Doom.

Yep, that's right. They weren't gone, they just relocated. To the other side of my house...

So, while I was rejoicing that my old "vole garden" was coming up -- no damage to the bulbs and plants, YAY -- they were happily chomping on everything under the sun...er, snow... over on the opposite side.

Yesterday, the snow finally melted significantly on that side of the house. Today, I went to pooper scoop and saw this:



What? You don't see the significance? What about this?



Yep... VOLE TRAILS.

And, if you look closely, you'll see that they went into this garden:



The garden where I planted LOTS of new bulbs in the fall... none of which have come up. Vole Salad? Mostly likely.

It also got into a side garden and ate the roots off ALL my ground cover that was finally beginning to cascade over the landscaping bricks. It's still cascading, but it's DEAD. *&^%$ Voles.

This. Is. War.

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Your Fashion Style is Classic

You like what's stood the test of time... Simple, well styled clothes that don't scream trendy You stay updated and modern, but your clothes stay in style for a while You wouldn't be caught in animal prints, fake fur, or super bright colors

What Kind of Fashionable Woman Are You?

Yep... that's about right -- if jeans and T-shirts are classic.

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Return to Routine

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

It's been an interesting few days down here at the ranch... DH has been home sick all week, which really puts a hitch in the routine DD and I have organized. The schoolroom is behind the master bedroom, so we have to wait until DH is up and out before school starts ... this has put DD a bit behind as it's hard for her to settle down after putzing around all morning.

As for me? Well... I haven't been able to watch any of my shows this week (usually I have the TV on while I'm working on the computer) and it's season premier week! ARGH. Thank heavens for TiVo. Also, just having DH in the house is oddly unsettling ... I didn't get any real "alone" time this week and it makes me very cranky. I've often said that DH and I need to have our own houses, side-by-side, and visit each other. Neither he nor I like too much togetherness with anyone, so it works out, really. But this week was a strain.

Today, he's planning on going to work, but he's off again F/S/S ...

The good news is, neither DD nor I seem to have caught his bug (knock wood).

======================

DD and I went to the eye doctor yesterday. Her Rx has changed quite a bit (which I figured, as she can't see the oven timer if she's on the other side of the kitchen), but mine didn't, which is good. However, I've been getting headaches when I work on the computer too much, and the doc said I really need reading glasses. Here's the problem: I wear a prism because my eyes see on different levels -- one is looking up a little higher than the other. Basically, I have permanent double vision. I can't wear contacts for the condition either. When I was younger, my eyes worked to focus together, but as they get old and tired, they can't do it anymore, so I have special glasses that help them work together. If I had reading glasses, they'd have to have the prism, too.

While this wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances, I'm a little ADD and tend to not sit still for very long. So, I'm on the computer for 20 mins and then pop up and mop the floor, then sit again, and then pop up and walk the dog, and then sit....

And having reading glasses would mean a game of "change the glasses" every few minutes. So, for now I'm opting out. It's not that bad, and it's better than the alternative.

Getting older really stinks.

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The weather here has been just amazing -- high-70s and mostly sunny. DD and Dd have done a LOT of running around outside, and I'm still cleaning out the gardens for winter: dead-heading and cutting the perennials that are dying (like the hostas) and pulling up my dahlia bulbs to store them over the winter.

I bought a bunch of pink daffodil bulbs to put in for next spring. They're deer (and hopefully vole) resistant and will give some nice, different color to the yellow ones I already have. The voles and chipmunks have eaten nearly all my crocus and grape hyacinth bulbs, so I'm not really certain what my spring gardens will look like next year. We won't talk about the almost certain damage the voles will do over the winter... little buggers.

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Your Right Part Says You're Conventional and Professional

You are confident, smart, and together. You command respect. You've found it easily to excel in life. You play by the rules and win the game. You are a very practical person. If something works, you stick with it. You approach life rationally and carefully. When things aren't fair, you just work harder.

What Does Your Part Say About You?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

Well... yeah.

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Update: Cunning Voles of Doom

If you're in a bad situation, don't worry it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry it'll change. ~John A. Simone, Sr.

Yesterday, DD and I had a movie day. DH had to work, so we girls popped popcorn and watched "Bolt" (what a cute movie!) and "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (which, as Veggie Tales goes, wasn't really up to par -- a few cute moments and funny jokes... I may have nightmares about cheese curls with teeth... but not as clever as I've come to expect).

Then we went outside for a bit, even though it was overcast and windy. DD and Dd played and I scooped poop (whee). As I made my way around to the back, I saw a VOLE. A gray, furry vole -- he ran right by me and under the deck into the rock wall. The little buggers have been eating the tops off of my crocus before they can bloom and probably have their eyeballs on the bulb part as well. The scary thing is, this means they are EVERYWHERE. And... and... and... all my neighbors have them, too!! Dakota found a vole body at her friend Bugsy's house and they live clear at the end of the road. And now that the snow has melted, I can see vole trails on HER neighbor's yard AND the people across the street from me.

Dear heavens.

I don't know what to do. I'm probably going to resort to poison, which I HATE. But I have to make sure I do it in such a way that Dakota doesn't find it. And I don't want to kill the chipmunks, either. And, once I get rid of mine, what's to stop the neighbors' voles from moving in?

DH said we should get an outside cat (and yes, Brandy, my kitty is an indoor one) at which point I reminded him: BEARS. Hello? Not to mention the fisher cat I know lurks out there. And, cat safety aside, I don't want the kitty eating my birds or chipmunks.

Maybe I'll just move into an apartment somewhere and not deal with the wildlife.

*sigh*

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Last night I couldn't stop thinking about the "Kitchen Matches" sequel, which now has a working title of "Drive Me Crazy". I thought of scenes, dialogue, how to realistically transport an orphaned baby goat (I want to say "kid", but need to make certain folks understand it's the four-legged variety) across half the country, how my H/H can make each other totally nuts AND still fall madly in love.

It's fun.

I like it.

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You Are Twitter

You are energetic to the point of being hyperactive. You are the ultimate multitasker. You don't have much of an attention span for anything. You like things short and sweet. You can't help but let everyone know what you're doing, even if it's just what you're having for dinner. You are big on sharing what's going on in your life. If anything, you share too much!

Are You Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter?

The first part... mostly yes. The second? Not SO much...

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The Voices in My Head

I've been beyond busy with the LASR website the past few days and haven't been able to write. My sanity is paying the price...

I can't stop thinking about "Drive Me Crazy". I constantly have snippets of dialogue, scene ideas, little movies (my heroine now has a pair of box turtles: Frank and Jessie ... don't know how these suckers are going to figure in, but gotta go with what the voices tell me) and more. It won't leave me alone. I was absolutely exhausted when I went to bed last night, and yet... 45 mins later, the story was still rattling around in my brain, keeping me awake (mostly because I really like some of the ideas that were popping in there and was terrified I'd forget them by morning, but was so tired I didn't want to get up to write them down).

Today, busy or not (and I KNOW I'm going to be busy, oy), I have to write... I have to let some of this stuff leak out or my head might just explode.

I think being an author is just another word for schizophrenia.

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I think I've found a moderately humane way to kill my voles AND not risk my dog at the same time. Hopefully, if I'm clever enough, it won't get the chipmunks either.

Vitamin D overdose.

Yep... that's right. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and will accumulate in your body. It takes a lot to overdose a human (or a larger dog), but not so much for a three ounce rodent. It causes a calcium deficiency and the critter just loses all desire to live. I'm hoping it's a little less painful than an anti-coagulant (which is what most rat/mouse poisons are... you just bleed to death internally over a period of about 5 days, ick).

Anyway, if you're interested, here is the "recipe":

1/2 cup peanut butter
3 crushed vitamin D tablets
Roll in oats, place inside a 2 inch cardboard tube and bury in a tunnel or where damage is occurring. This creates a calcium deficiency and so our unfavorable rodents perish!

I'm actually going to use something sturdier than cardboard so that things larger than voles can't chew through it easily. I really want to do my best to specifically target the animal I want. I don't like collateral damage.

If it stops raining today, I'm going to give it a go.

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You Think Concretely

Your brain works best when you are able to see or visualize what you're thinking about. You have an both an eye for detail and for the big picture. You study things carefully. You are in tune with all of your senses, and you think better with a clean workspace. You are open to all sorts of input. You are a free thinker who lives in the now.

How Do You Think?

Mostly right... but that part about a clean workspace? Um... no. I subscribe to the "a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind" train of thought.

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Spring Surprises

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore

I was down in the unfinished part of the basement yesterday to get something and I automatically glanced at the box where we keep our butterflies -- there is a Black Swallowtail pupa overwintering there. Or, perhaps I should say there WAS a Black Swallowtail pupa overwintering there. When I looked down, I saw a butterfly!!



She's early, and there aren't any butterflies around for her to mate with, no plants growing for her to lay eggs on even if she did. BUT, she's alive and the weather is decent and there are enough flowers for her to find food. So, we released her. That's technically the start of Pillar Place 2009, but I don't really expect to be doing much talking about that for at least three more weeks. Silly thing.

====================

In vole news: They are multiplying like... well... VOLES. I nearly tripped over one yesterday again, and they decimated my crocus bulbs. Dakota was growling at the window in the afternoon, and I looked out and the mulch was moving like ocean waves -- yes there were THAT many voles under it looking for food. Freaky.

I bought a new live trap (because I can't find my old one) and started trapping. I've caught two so far. I also finally broke down and bought bait stations and poison online at Vole Control. Breaks my heart, but holy heck are they voracious eaters! In fact, when they get trapped, they fight to get out AND eat. They never stop eating. I put them in a glass jar during the day until I'm not going to catch any more and they don't panic or fight. They just eat. They eat the grass I put in for cover, they eat the apple bits from the bait. They eat and eat and eat. They must eat ten times their body weight every day.

In any case, I'm going to trap and release whatever I can until I get the bait stations, and then... the rest are doomed. I hope I can overcome the amazing amount of guilt I feel about killing them. *sigh*

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Dakota has been bumped up into advanced agility class. I'm of two minds about this -- I'm thrilled because we'll be challenged even more, but I love the group of people we're in with now. They're nice and fun and supportive. The advanced group is so intense and, yes... I have to say it: snobby. Three of us in intermediate were bumped, and we got together last night and talked. We're going to give the new class a try, but may end up coming back to intermediate if we aren't having fun. None of us are trying to compete nationally -- we just want to train the dogs and enjoy ourselves.

The local agility competition is on May 31st. It'll be interesting to see how Dakota does with an audience and a bunch of strange dogs.

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I sent in my manuscript to Resplendence Publishing on Tuesday. We'll see what happens. Now, I just need to get something else completed. Anyone know where I can find a few extra hours in the day?

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Case of the Crankies

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Had a cranky day yesterday. It started when I found that one of Suzanne McMinn's goats had died unexpectedly. I know, I know... it wasn't even MY goat, but it really made me sad. **sniff** We've watched those little babies grow up, so it was rough. I can only imagine how hard it was on her and her kidlets.

Then it was overcast. Blech. So, all my plans went out the window. And TODAY, when it's sunny and nice? We have a family "thing" and I can't work outside in my garden (::grumble, grumble::) and tomorrow it's going to rain.

Ah well... this too shall pass.

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I spent some time yesterday talking to my voles. Yep, really. Stood outside the holes I HAVE found and gabbed. Told them if they wouldn't destroy my gardens I wouldn't kill them. Seems like a fair exchange.

Honestly, so far I haven't seen any more damage. I'm not expecting that to last, however, so I'm doing some research into what they won't eat... which isn't much, sadly. Still, I'm going to try some tricks (surrounding the root balls with weed block before I plant, etc) and see if I can't discourage them. I am on the hunt for some pretty daylilies (NOT orange or yellow -- everyone here has orange and yellow and I want to be different) because they don't eat them (nor do the deer).

It's frustrating. I've managed to work in concert with all the other wildlife. Yes, the chipmunks sample my garden, but they don't eat THAT much (though I do get testy when they take one bite out of several large tomatoes). The deer haven't decimated anything but my tulips in some time. The bear? As long as I pull in my bird feeders at night, he leaves us alone.

But these doggone voles? Sheesh... the most destructive thing I've seen. And they are so SMALL.

So, the war continues.

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I've been pondering first lines on Twitter and Facebook the past couple of days. If you haven't given your two cents worth, feel free to chime in.

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Your Inner Retro Girl Is 1980s Girl Next Door

Or at least, that's what your heart is.

What Retro Girl Are You?

Oddly... this isn't far off, really. LOL...

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Monday Morning Meme, Voles and a Sty

The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years. ~Thomas Jefferson


1. What are your children doing right now? If you don’t have children, what is your significant other/roommate/friend, etc. doing right now?

Sleeping. That goes for all of the above, including the dog and cat.

2. How many times a day do you look in a mirror? And be honest with us! WHY do you look? Is it a habit? Do you think you’re attractive? If you avoid looking into a mirror, why? Be honest with yourself!

It really depends. Not that often, I suppose... though the past few days I've done it more than usual because of an eye problem. I don't have time to look in the mirror... I barely have time to brush my teeth (at which time I do admit to looking in the mirror, unless I am walking around and multi-tasking).

3. What do you do/eat/say that makes your mother mentally cringe? What do your children/significant other do that makes YOU cringe?

Um... I have no idea. Mom--you want to chime in on this one? And for my DD? I think it's the screeching birdcalls she makes... mostly because I know that other people are thinking she's a little off center. And DH? Mixes his metaphors or misstates common sayings all the time (like saying, "I could care less"). Drives. Me. Nuts.

4. Which do you focus on more, eating less or exercising more? Do you think one is more important than the other? Do you have a weight loss system that works for you? How much exercise would you say you do in a day? A week? How active (overall) is your family? What sort of physical activities does your family like to do together?

I'm a lazy slug these days, but I don't eat less either!! Ha. I used to be quite active, but not so much any more. I think I got out of the habit when I moved to NH cuz the weather is so sucky most of the year and I can't get outside on a regular basis all year long. BUT, when I decide I want to lose weight? I love Weight Watchers.

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Dear heavens... the voles simply don't end!! Yes, after relocating the last one to the lake (about 5-6 miles away), I have another. This new hole popped up almost immediately, so I know it's not the same guy. I knew the weather would be horrible yesterday, so I didn't trap him. Setting out the trap for today, and have plans for another lake visit.

BOTHER.

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My eye... it's a good news, bad news kind of thing. I gabbed with my neighbor, who's a nurse, and she looked at my eye. Said it was NOT conjunctivitis (YAY!), but instead is a really, really bad sty (hence my eye nearly swelling closed). She suggested hot compresses, several times a day to draw it out.

It's definitely better, but still puffy and hurts like crazy. Still, it means I don't have to go to the doc (YAY again!) because this treatment seems to be working, and I can actually see the lumps (TWO of them because I don't do things by halves) on the inside of my eyelid.

Ow.

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Amy... milkweed is not a thistle. It's got these lovely pinkish flowers that smell a bit like roses mixed with lavender:



I made a concerted effort to grow it in my butterfly garden to help out with the diminishing number of Monarch butterflies, and it's taken off with a vengeance. Last year, I offered seeds to anyone who wanted them, and will do the same this year. If there are no takers, I just toss them in wild areas so that there will be plenty of munchies for the Monarchs.

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What I'm reading: Had to shove everything aside to do books for review. I have one I got in the mail (not naming it because I like to keep my review flower anonymous...) and several shorts I grabbed from our database. At LASR and WC, we recently lost several reviewers to health problems -- and we're desperately in need of more. Want to help???

What I'm writing: I worked on a short story for a bit today, but mostly I worked on building this coming week's pages for the LASR/WC website...

Have a great week!

Weather and Writing

"Sit down to write what you have thought, and not to think about what you shall write." - William Cobbett

Was going to do the Monday Morning Meme, but one of the questions got me all fired up politically that I decided I'd better not. LOL...

It was supposed to snow last night. So far... no white stuff. But, it might be lurking. Waiting. Lulling me into a false sense of security. So, I'm not letting down my guard.

However, if none of the white stuff falls, I'll be heading outdoors to start the great spring clean-up of doggie doo. I try to pooper scoop during the winter, but it's just not possible to get it all. And because of the overwhelming amount of excrement left from the winter potty breaks, I try to do it slowly... taking each patch of grass as the snow melts. Otherwise, I might break down and cry.

On the "good news, spring might actually be coming" front: my crocus are beginning to stick their little green heads out of the dirt (I splurged this past fall and bought a bunch of large crocus bulbs -- I had a lot of bulb replacing to do after the attack from the Cunning Voles of Doom), and my chives and 'mums and seedum is all beginning to grow. Just a smidge... but, for someone (like me!) who is utterly fed up with winter, it's enough to make my heart sing for joy.

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Yesterday, I sent the first 26,000 words of my fantasy to Judy to peruse. She's a big fantasy fan, so I wanted to see if it passed the "big fantasy fan" test. And, as I took a look through the story, I fell in love all over again. I also had a great idea hit me upside the head on how to... well... I can't say, cuz it would give away a HUGE plot point in the story. Still, it was something that was bothering me, and now it's not.

On yet another writing front: the novel that wouldn't go away ("The Possibility of Forever" formerly "Camilla's Critters") also gave me a jab and told me how to fix one problem as well. That story has been frustrating me for a couple of reasons, and I've got one figured out now. Yay.

The subconscious is an amazing thing.

Also, "A Jewel for Geoff" has been a bit dead in the water. I wasn't happy with it, and couldn't figure out why until I realized two things: I'm not in the least bit attracted to Geoff (and if I don't fall in love with my hero, I can't realistically have my heroine do so, IMHO) and I haven't written anything in the heroine's POV. So... I've decided that my cover artist for "Liv" got it wrong, and I'm redesigning Geoff's looks (he's going to be bigger, stronger, better than before... though still blond) and I'm going to start letting the reader get to know my heroine, Emmy, better.

And, GAH, I just looked outside. It's snowing. SEE... I knew it was going to wait until I'd let down my guard a bit!!! BAD SNOW.

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You Are Stable and Cheerful

When You Are Comfortable: You are a hard worker. You need security and stability in your life, even if that means putting in long hours. People see you as solid and dependable. You are always able to see the good in situations. Other find this comforting. When You Are At Your Best: You are quite quirky, and you enjoy doing things your own way. You are optimistic, and you've always got a good idea brewing. People find you to be positive and uplifting. You make people feel good about themselves. When You Are in a Social Setting: You are philosophical and opinionated. You have quite a few pet causes, and you're always adopting a new one. People see you as clever and smart. You now a lot, and you love to talk about a variety of subjects.

What Do Your Initials Say About You?

Me? Opinionated? Quirky? Nah.......

Okay, I admit, this quiz actually came pretty close to nailing my personality. How weird is that?

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Kitchen Matches

When one of my plants dies, I die a little inside, too. ~Linda Solegato

So... I have a release coming up in ten days, for Kitchen Matches. And totally forgot because of all the hullaballo involved with the LASR Anniversary Contest. (Today, BTW, you can win a huge prize package of autographed books, CD, perfume and more... you should check it out).

Thing is: I LOVE this story. I only wish is was longer, because I also LOVE the cover and would adore having it in print.

In any case, I'm trying to think of a good contest to run with it. Hopefully, by Monday morning, I'll have thought of something -- I'm open to suggestions! What kinds of things do YOU like to win in a contest?

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Our Tussock Moth larvae have reappeared, much larger, but in smaller numbers. I assume many of them died (which is probably a good thing, given how many there were). BUT, I found a new batch of them yesterday. My milkweed is going to be decimated. I suppose that's what it's there for, though, right? For the critters to eat?

My squash plants blessed me with ONE squash yesterday afternoon, so I'm going to make squash muffins for breakfast. Yum.

I moved rocks yesterday. From my "vole garden". I didn't realize just how many rocks we had there. Worse, the wheelbarrow has a flat tire, something I didn't realize until I'd loaded it up and moved about ten feet. By then, I couldn't just leave it in the middle of the lawn (should have gotten a clue by how hard it was to push... silly me), so I had to haul them by hand out back. We live on a chunk of land, so it wasn't that easy of a task.

Worse, despite the eight million rocks I moved yesterday, I still have at least that number to move today. And, yes, I may be exaggerating just a little.

Here's a picture of the garden from last year... take a look at the size of those rocks! They not only surround the garden, but are also strategically placed throughout:



It used to be so pretty.



And the voles came and made it a desolate wasteland. They ate everything: the hosta, the columbine, the crocus, the iris, the liatris... even the roots off my dragonsblood sedum. And, no I don't have pictures of the disaster that is Vole Hill. And, no, I didn't take those pictures in January -- I wish. Ha. I just forgot to set the date on my camera.

So. I'm moving rocks today. What are YOU doing?

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Lookie, Lookie

Lookie what I found!!! The Cunning Voles of Doom are no match for me!!



Is it weird that they all look different to me? The first one was small and gray. The second was larger, and gray. This one? He is small and has a TON of brown in his fur.

I know I've said it before, but MAN I hope he's the last... any thoughts on painting him without hurting him or me?

The Cunning Voles of Doom -- STRIKE AGAIN!

So ... just when you think it's safe to plant again, guess what moved in? See the tracks?



Yep ... they've moved into my flower garden over the culvert -- where I've had creeping phlox cascading over the bricks every spring for years:



Wanna see what it lookes like THIS year?






They may LOOK cute, but they are PURE EVIL.



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Fun With Flowers

A flower's appeal is in its contradictions - so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect. ~Terri Guillemets

I have a mystery bulb in my front garden. I'm sure I bought it last fall, and I'm equally sure it's deer resistant (because deer resistant usually means vole resistant, and that's all I buy any more), but I can NOT remember what it is. I sure wish it would bloom.

Any guesses?

It's tall (about 2'):



And the bud is bumpy ... like it's going to have a bunch of little flowers instead of just one:



I'm thinking it *might* be a giant allium, but I've never bought them in the past because they are so expensive...

In other news, things are starting to bloom everywhere, and DD took the camera around to take pictures. Let me share a little of our spring with you.

The only tulips I have that bloom every year:



Grape hyacinth -- one of my VERY favorite spring bulbs. I'm so glad they multiply quickly ... the voles and chipmunks nearly cleaned me out and I had to buy new ones, but they're already making babies. Yay!


Pretty daffodils..


Small leaf rhododendrons (they bloom at the same time as azaleas, but unlike azaleas, they are evergreen like large leaf rhododendrons):


I spent yesterday outside as much as possible -- walked the dog and did some more weeding. Got another half bucket of dandelions and worked on getting the grass out of my flower beds. Next nice day, I'm tackling the gardens between us our our neighbor -- his yard o'weeds has left lots of presents in my flower garden and it needs a LOT of work. Worse, it's about 80' long ... only about 18" wide but very, very long.

Today it's overcast and they predict thunderboomers. A good day for housecleaning. I have a list :-)

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You Should Live in a Blue House

You are an intense thinker, but you also have a calm about you. You spend a lot of time ruminating, trying to figure out this world you live in. Friends think you're wise, and they come to you first for advice. You are a realist, and you tell it like it is - even if how it is isn't pretty.

What Color House Should You Live In?

That's pretty close to right on...

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Gorgeous Weather!

There is no such thing as pure pleasure; some anxiety always goes with it. ~Ovid, Metamorphoses

The weather has been just lovely the past few days -- into the 60s and mostly sunny. It's hard to buckle down and work! Yesterday, we took the dog to a nearby dog park. She was so overwhelmed by everything: the space the other dogs, the smell (OY! The smell ... even I was overwhelmed by that, yuck). Within about ten minutes, she looked rabid! Drool frothing from her mouth, lol.

She had a great time, and they have agility equipment, so when we could get her attention we worked her on that. All the dogs, save one, were very friendly and fun. One dog decided he had to prove he was Big Dog on Block and proceeded to hump whatever he could catch (including Dakota) and/or attack it. The owner kept grabbing him and yelling, but she wouldn't just leave with him, so we only stayed about half an hour. Had he not been there, we would have hung out a little longer.

I've looked at the long range forecast, and there isn't even a whisper of frost (lowest temps are said to be in the mid-forties), so either this weekend, or next Monday, I'm putting in my garden. I can't wait!!!

I got my Vole Control bait stations in the mail and will be putting those out as well. I'm still terribly upset by it and wish I could have found ANY other way to get the buggers off my property, but at this point it's us or them -- and for such tiny creatures they do massive amounts of destruction. My SIL has a friend who is exceptionally short on money, but would like to have a nice flower garden and asked me if I had extras. Normally, I have TONS of extra flowers because everything spreads like crazy (On my street, I'll just announce that my nursery is open, and folks come for any stuff they need, lol), but this year I don't have as much to share because I have to replace what the voles decimated. I really, really don't want to do this again next year.

Nothing new on the writing front, unfortunately, but we are lining up help where we can at the LASR site, so hopefully I'll be able to free up a little time (??).

Now, gotta get moving for the day!! Have a great one. :-)

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You Are Bitter

You aren't bitter at the world, even though you have a strong personality. Instead, you are sophisticated and cultured. You appreciate acquired tastes. You are very powerful. You have the ability to change a room's energy. While some may find you disagreeable, your points of view are intelligent and interesting.

What Taste Are You?

There were a couple questions here that I wanted to answer both ways! Ah well, I am an acquired taste *G*.

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Happy Independence Day

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~Thomas Paine

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

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No new butterflies. Still catching voles. DD and DH gone again today -- this is a mini-vacation for me. Working on my writing. Played with the dog. Ate what I wanted, when I wanted.

Today will be much the same.

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You Are a Summer Person

You are energetic, outgoing, and active. You love to be out and about... hanging out with friends or getting things done. Summer is the perfect time for you to be as hyper as you want to be. In fact, during the rest of the year you feel half-asleep!

Are You a Winter Person or a Summer Person?

Um.. yes on the summer part, no on the hyper part.

Monday Miscellanea

Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. ~Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year, translated by M. and R. Weatherall, 1931

The family "thing" yesterday exhausted me. For whatever reason, those things are terribly stressful for me. DD had a FABULOUS time, though, and I'd attend for that reason if no other.

My talk with the voles apparently stirred them up as I found two new holes in the gardens in front of my house and they got one of my crocus bulbs (thus far, they'd limited themselves to the greens). Going to make Vitamin D peanut butter balls and drop them down the holes, I guess. Frustrating.

We had a wild turkey at the bird feeders yesterday. Cracked me up. One of my tube feeders hangs a little low and if the turkey stretched her neck a bit, she could eat from it. Of course, she pecked so hard it would swing pretty violently, but she figured it out. It always amazes me how big wild turkeys are AND how smart, considering how incredibly stupid domestic turkeys can be. I imagine she'll be back as this is her second visit that I've noticed (though the first time, she only ate off the ground).

DH saw a bluebird yesterday, too. They are so gorgeous. Made me think about getting mealworms to put out to see if I can attract more. I really love the colorful birds, but they are more difficult to attract. Last year I had a pair of Orioles, but had to keep half an orange on my feeders constantly. I think I'll put out hummingbird feeders this year.

I've been struggling to write the past week -- I just sit and stare at the computer and nothing comes. It's driving me batty. Going to try a couple tricks (going to write the first scene of "Drive me Crazy" from Zach's POV just for grins, for instance) and see if I can't get the juices flowing again.

I planted cucumber, squash and tomato seeds a couple days ago and have them in my spare bedroom (which gets nice, full sun). I should have done it all a little earlier, but just keep forgetting. DD bought seeds for purple and orange striped carrots that we're going to plant outside this week. She asked if there is a way to keep the swallowtails from laying their eggs on the greens because we can't bring those inside (the greens die), so I am going to have to rig some sort of netting to discourage that. It's not as though we don't have plenty of parsley, rue and dill in the garden! Silly bugs.

A friend mentioned that she'd heard there is an invasive plant locally that looks like milkweed but is actually toxic to monarch butterflies. I've tried to find information about it online, but haven't been able to. If anyone out there has heard, I'd sure love more information.

DD turns TEN this Friday. We're going to celebrate a day early (because DH is fishing on Friday and DD wants to go). I have a couple of surprises in store for her. I think it will be a good day. I can't believe she's ten. Where does the time go?

I was notified that our next year's curriculum was shipped and it made my heart go pitty-pat. Why do I get so excited to receive the new stuff? We're trying a new curriculae next year as I wasn't thrilled with what we used this year. We enrolled DD in the Abeka DVD Academy. She'll watch a DVD every day with a teacher giving the lesson and then do the work in her work books. The lesson plan is already done (yay) and I'll have all the tools I need to help her, too. Hopefully she'll respond well to this.

That's enough rambling for now. I still have nearly half an hour to try to write something before I have to wake up the house! Have a great Monday.

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Your Sunglasses Say You're an Artist

You are clever, unique, and a total nonconformist. Your sense of fashion is based on your own personal creativity. You need to be shaded from the mundane parts of life. You feel sunniest when you can express yourself freely and without judgment.

The Sunglasses Test

Okay.

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Spring has started ... uh... Springing

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Audra Foveo

The snow is melting from my yard... I know not to get too excited, because we've been known to get some of our worst storms in March and April... but... but... I SEE GREEN GROWING THINGS.

My crocus are going great guns as are other bulbs that I don't know what they are (until they bloom). The good news is that my "vole" garden didn't sprout any voles this year. All the bulbs I planted are coming up!!

Today is supposed to be quite nice: sunny and in the 40s (and yes, that's warm -- you people with 70 degree weather can just hush and let me live in my bubble). So, I'll be outside doing what I do in the spring: Scooping poop.

Ahhh... the romantic life.

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Speaking of poop (ha!), Dakota is beginning to not tolerate her food. She's finally on the Nutro 100% and is showing signs that it doesn't agree with her. I flat out refuse to feed her the stuff from the vet forever (corn meal, chicken by-product meal and cellulose???? PLEASE), so I think I'm going to give making her dog food a try. I did it for Bailey for six months or so. It's kind of a pain, but if it doesn't give her gas and the runs, it's worth it.

So, now I just need to find out where I can buy bone meal...or maybe I'll just use calcium carbonate...

Incidentally, if you're interested in finding out more about YOUR dog food, check out the website Dog Food Analysis. They review dog foods, and are unbiased (by brand, but not about quality), and will tell you exactly WHAT is in your food and WHY it's good or bad, and then give a rating from 0 - 6 as to whether it's worth feeding to your pet.

The diet from the vet is rated "ZERO" and the reason why is here.

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I started reading a new book this week and it's great so far!! Jill Shalvis, where have you been all my life? I've seen your name, I just haven't picked up any of your books, and that was obviously a mistake on my part.

Any of you read Jill Shalvis? Can you recommend books by her?

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You Are Dare

You are outrageous, adventurous, and wild. You live to have fun. You are all about taking risks and pushing limits. You love the rush of doing something forbidden. Like most daring people, you are highly intelligent and creative. That's why you get bored so easily. You need a lot of stimulation and novelty in your life. You aren't satisfied with the mundane.

Are You Truth or Dare?

Hmmm... yes and no....

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