Saturday, June 11, 2022

Garden


I have a pair of garden shoes, knock off crocs, that I keep on the decking at the retirement property. When I go to the garden, I slip the shoes I'm wearing off and put on the garden shoes. 

Well. Most of the time. Sometimes, I am working away and then notice that I haven't, well after I have muddied up my good shoes. 

When I went up last weekend, I was wearing my brand new shoes, and I was actually proud of myself for remembering to make the switch. I worked for a while, and when it was time to go, I actually felt as if I had accomplished something. That's the beauty of a garden, isn't it?

When I got home, I slipped of my shoes and realized that this time, I had forgotten to take my garden shoes off and replace them on the deck. My new shoes were still down there where I'd left them. 

Anyways, we went to my sister's for supper and it was nice to visit. She cooked a good meal and we played Scrabble. She has to go to bed by 8, because she gets up at 2:30 to go to work, which gave Tim and I plenty of time to duck across the road after visiting and check on the garden and to retrieve my new shoes. 

The first thing we saw is that a rabbit had somehow gotten itself inside the fencing and was running around in frantic circles leaping and jumping at the fencing trying to remember the way back out. We opened the gate for him and stood back, but with one mighty hurrah, he sailed over the fence at the far end of the garden and was gone like the wind. 

We also noticed that after two days of soaking rain, everything is popping up nicely. 

And...after two days of soaking rain, my shoes were still okay. 

Finally, Tim noticed that raccoons had carried out a full covered bucket of grain and managed to pry the lid off to have a raccoon party. Tim was a very unhappy man. 

33 comments:

  1. Slugs have polished off all our sunflower seedlings, somehow the small disaster is more worrying than the larger disaster which looms on the horizon but your new shoes are alright....

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    1. I grew 5 sunflowers and they had been in a large pot, standing on a table, away from slugs and snails. They are now about 18 inches high and yesterday I planted them in the ground. Luckily there is no rain forecast for about a week, so hopefully they will stand a chance of thriving! The seeds were purchased from a local charity and the money was going to help Ukraine so I really want them to survive.

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    2. I've got some sort of critter hard at work on my cucumbers which is annoying. My surefire solution for slugs is arming a 10 year old with a box of salt and pay him a penny for each slug he kills.

      I planted a row of sunflowers too, Frances. I cannot see them without thinking of poor Ukraine. I really want Ukraine to survive. Such courage!

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  2. I was getting worried about those new shoes!
    I, too, have a pair of those rubber slip on clogs for the garden. They live in a little wooden box in the front porch. The best investment I have made recently.

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    1. They are handy footwear, that's for sure. Just hose them off and put them away.

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  3. Great photo of you and your garden Debby.

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    1. If the world problems were that close, I don't think I would be quite so worried about the garden, actually.

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  4. It is so easy to pop out to the garden here, just to get...and be sidetracked...and oops. Muddy shoes!! Gardening shoes are a good idea

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    1. 'side tracked' is a pretty regular occurrence with me, to be sure.

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  5. Debby, very glad your shoes were okay, loved that soaring rabbit and I am sorry for laughing at the stolen grain but I can't get raccoon party out of my head 😄

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    1. Aw, they were just a pair of canvas slip ons. Nothing fancy. But they were new. They'd withstood two days of rain and even managed to dry out in the sun.

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  6. Luck perhaps that you went back before other rabbits found the way in and spoilt your garden. So many battles against critters.

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    1. We were actually kind of surprised to see him. Not nearly as surprised as he was to see us, though.

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  7. I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets muddy in the garden only to realize I’m wearing my good shoes.

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    1. I really am terrible about it. Getting better. I'm thinking of hanging those clogs right on the gate.

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  8. Wrong shoes are a worldwide problem, I think. Raccoons are scary creatures.

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    1. Their cuteness is deceptive, that's for sure. I remember once, going to my mom's, and her metal handled libman wonder broom was bent and twisted. I said, "Gees, ma, what happened to your broom?" and she said, "I had a raccoon in the birdfeeder!" in a very disgusted voice. I said, "Er...you do know that raccoons can get pretty mean, right?" and she snarled, 'So can I."

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  9. You're a very busy couple working, having fun and forgetting shoes!

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    1. I would forget my head if it wasn't attached.

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  10. If only you had some video of that raccoon party! It would be entertaining, at least. Glad your shoes survived!

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  11. I can imagine a raccoon party in my head. I'm guessing they had a blast.

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  12. Over here I have garden thongs (which I know has different meanings in different parts of the world) - and in the current weather, one is required to do special machinations with one's fluffy socks.

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  13. You are heading smartly into winter though.

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  14. I'm imagining your racoon party like our possum party. Only our possums aren't quite as nasty but do play soccer on the roof in hobnailed boots. After they've stripped the roses.

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    1. Some neighbors popped in to see the renovation (they were gratifyingly shocked at how it turned out - always a plus). Anyway, one of them told the story of the man who lived there before our Tom (who had been there for 18 years). In any case, he was awakened on night by a lot of squealing and thumping in the attic. Two raccoons were involved in a bit of reproductive activity. He said that the most shocking thing was that there were only two of them. He was quite sure it was an orgy.

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  15. My kids hung their "grubby gardening" shoes on nails just at the back door. One shoe on a nail. At least they're at height you can see them, instead of lost in a pile on the garage floor. Bet the racoon party creatures felt miserable getting too full. Linda in Kansas

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    1. Serves 'em right, the furry little gluttons.

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    2. The raccoons, not your kids😳

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  16. An acquaintance’s solution to nuisance raccoons in her back yard: Spiked watermelons. Morning found some very hungover critters sprawled about, and apparently they didn’t come back. Raccoon party indeed!

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    1. I would have an awful time justifying sharing my wimecoolers with the quadripeds!

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  17. Oooh, my comment finally published!!! Been trying to express my appreciation of you and your blog for ages and my comments always vanished into the ether! Thank you so much for the caring and sharing — and humor!!

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I'm glad you're here!

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