Armadillo Attack

They're back. I put an entire cart of fill dirt in their little triangular holes. One of the holes was so deep I filled it with 11 calamondines because I ran out of fill dirt. I think Sox, the wonder cat, has given up. He seemed equal to the task of perimeter patrol, but has not been seen for two days. Robo thinks that he was traumatized by being locked in the garage. Hope not.

According to the web, nothing works---not moth balls, not predator urine, not high pitched noises----- nothing short of capture and relocate. I have one Havaheart trap and judging from the holes, I have about thirty armadillos. Let's see which month shall I devote to armadillo relocation? And, according to the pros, I have to take each one at least ten miles away.

Tea House Sans Mosquitoes

They are gone, the little buzzing devils. I can sit in the tea house and drink a pot of Peppermint delight without swatting anything. I always think of the wonderful supple woman in Japan who did a tea ceremony for us. She was the epitome of measured grace. I pass so many piles of bamboo and I take some of it and carry it home. It becomes the walls and the roof of the tea house. No charge for creativity.

Tiny Frozen Emeralds

Howard Garrett, the Dirt Doc, says pick the green tomatoes and then put them between layers on newspaper to ripen. I am trying that. It breaks my heart to see the little gems hanging on the limp limbs.

Someone else said cook Emeril Lagasse's Green Tomato soup. I did. Yum. But a bit too spicy for my tastebuds even though I cut out two of the three peppers. I think, folks from New Orleans can really bear more heat than the average Floridian.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

First cold snap of the winter. Hard freeze for four days. The roselle is dead. The fig tree looks wounded.The ambersweet oranges don't appear hurt. I picked bushels of green tomatoes. Thanks to Emeril Lagasse for the incredible green tomato spicy soup. Even with only one of the three peppers stated, that soup was dragon's breath HOT. Thinking about fried green tomatoes with goat cheese. Yum!

The House in the Garden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYJNnrT07MI Watching me wave my hands too much in this video, makes me self-conscious. I am too much the teacher. I point out things in the garden just as if I were going to quiz the viewers at some distant time.

Mallory the Wonder Cat

The armadillos know that she is gone. They have marched in an armored battalion across the river yard, rooting with their sharp little snouts. I thought the holes were dug by squirrels on speed but a guest biologist identified the holes as armadillo holes. Once again, I need to concentrate on the fact they are aerating huge expanses of lawn. Yes, they provide the holes and I fill them with compost thereby making the dredge spoil river lawn a better place.

Still, they never invaded when Mallory ruled the garden.

Camellias and A Warm Beating Heart

The Christmas camellias have returned. They always take me by surprise. First they are just shiny leaves and then SUDDENLY they burst into huge red blossoms, almost artificial in their elegance. I remember when I was talking to R. long before we were married. I think even before we dated much. He was in Yellowstone on vacation. I was on Cherry St. While I talked to him, I was sitting in the kitchen looking at the giant camellia bush that covered so much of the tiny back yard. The camellias were all encased in ice from the hard freeze of '89. As we talked, the ice began melting. At a distance the scarlet blossoms looked like hearts in melting ice balls; that certainly should have been a clue.

As for the HOCS camellias, I do nothing for them. I guess, they are simply a good example of right plant in right place.The section of the yard they are in gets good morning sun and almost no scorching afternoon rays. That combo seems to work.