Flowers, Snakes, Grape Jelly…It’s a Friggin Zoo…

When I was last with you, it was Thursday and now it is Wednesday.  Where did the week go? 

 

So our weather here in Canada is still hit and miss – it’s been colder and wetter than usual and we seem to only be averaging 2 days of sunshine per week and these days usually occur during the week when I happen to be working.

 

Even with the poor weather, its lilac season here in the great white north.  Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers and the bonus – they grow wild all over the place, which allows me to pick bunches and bunches of them.  Unfortunately, they don’t last long but while they do, I enjoy every minute of their beautifulness.

 

There is a garter snake living in my flower garden.  I’m not enthused with this new resident, but I can’t seem to convince J to relocate him for me before he turns into a man eater.   So now, I’m forced to stomp, clomp and swing my shovel around like a wild woman before I venture into his “area”.   I’m not really afraid of snakes, I just don’t want them to jump out at me or slither across my hand when I’m unsuspecting.   J’s optimistic that the snake will move away on his own, but really that’s J’s way of saying “do it yourself if you want it done.  I’m afraid of snakes”.

 

Speaking of the wild north, which is my back yard - we have been able to attract Baltimore Orioles to our deck.  Now before I go any further, I should point out that firstly I’m not some crazy-ass birder that runs around with binoculars swinging from their neck while lurking in the bushes.  I might on occasion lurk in the bushes, but that’s for other reasons entirely.    

 

Anyhow, I do enjoy watching the birds if they happen across my living space.  So, with that being said – we’ve lured the birds in using the most unlikely bird fare - grape jelly.   Yup.  A friend told of this trick a few years ago, but I’ll be honest – I’m a doubter or at least I was until this year.  They can’t get enough of the stuff and in two weeks, the Baltimore Orioles have polished off two bottles of grape jelly.  Now, I’ve got the birds hooked on grape jelly – their version of crack and must sustain their bottle a week habit. 

 

We also have a chipmunk that has managed to decimate The Boy’s corn and carrot crop that he planted.  I’m kind of pleased with that outcome because let’s be honest – it means less work for me in the long run.

 

On the other hand, I’m less than pleased with the rabbit that has wiped out all of the Echinacea plants in my flower garden.  Echinacea is also a form of crack to critters, so I guess I’m really just enabling the majority of my problems.

 

Soon, you will see J and The Boy sitting in rocking chairs on the back deck with their shotguns waiting for the critter hunt to begin.  I’ll be playing the banjo…