The War Zone

Operations: In the last week I've planted squash, marigolds, lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, petunias, alyssum, ice plants, ground covers, speedwell, sunflowers, cilantro, violas, cucumbers, salipigosis, African daisies and some other flowers but I can't remember what they are called. Tomorrow I transplant my tomatoes and plant my beans and then THAT'S IT! I'm finished.

The bean starts died (too damp) and I decided not to plant more starts. They will go directly into the ground. The tomatoes as you can see are doing fine, although a little sun and wind shocked from not being used to outdoors. The grape tomatoes have been insane. Within two months they were three feet high and I had to transplant them into these bigger pots. I just hope I don't damage them in the transplanting process. The Roma tomatoes are doing fine although I think they are eager to get out of their little pots. (See them over to the right in the corner.) Basil has been transplanted (behind that glass window frame above) and I'm trying to keep them warm.

Enemy Combatant: Unknown Perpetrator. I transplanted my pumpkin starts. Since the first pumpkin starts died and I had to start over so these were very precious to me. See...aren't they sweet?

Decapitated Pumpkins

Oops! Where'd they go? You can just see one stem sticking out of the mound. Something came along not more than an hour after I planted them and snipped off the leaves!!!! Left the leaves, too. Didn't even bother to eat them. I put some netting over the squash garden.

Enemy Combatant: Peter. I caught him snacking on my nicotiana. I only have two of these sweet-smelling, night-blooming plants and I like them.

Mutilated Nicotiana

Interrogation: So I'm feeling quite miffed and I holler at him. Naturally, he shakes his head which could be misunderstood as back-talk, but is actually rabbit talk for "HAPPY TO SEE YOU/DO YOU HAVE TREATS FOR ME?" He hops up to me and I say, "You BAD bunny". I scratch his head because I know he has no idea what I'm saying and I try to pick him up to move him. He doesn't like being handled so he hops out of reach, but not out of the garden.

 I decide I need to find something to protect what is left of the plant. I can't! I'm out of chicken wire, netting, plastic containers, cages, baskets, etc. The yard looks like a war zone as it is. So I give up.

Garden Side

Prisoner of War I decide to exile Peter. I head back to the garden and there he is snacking away. I try to pick him up. Nope, not happening. I follow him as he starts hopping around, just out of my reach, but he hops in detours. Zigzaggy-like so I have no idea where he is going.

Surrender and Capture Frustrated at this game he's playing, I pounce on him and pick him up. He doesn't even fight which is really weird. And good lord, he's a dead weight! I haven't carried him in about four years and he's gotten quite hefty. But he doesn't fight! No kicking or lurching. He just hangs there. So strange. I only walk him about five feet before I have to put him down because he's so damn heavy and he hops to the back. I close the gate. He is in exile...and on a diet.

Peter's Side: Rabbit Prison

Spoils of War: I found some treasures today. I was digging a very deep hole to transplant my new-freebie rosemary bush...

...and I found this really lovely rock. Are there any paleontologists out there? Is it worth anything? I hope so. Maybe it's a dinosaur bone fossil? Or some rare amber? 

I also found myself a luxury car today. Just what I needed. The universe knows. I found it right around the same spot I found the fighter jet so I'm tempted to dig up the garden and see what else might be there.

That's all the news from your friendly wartime correspondent.

UPDATE: It might be a "Carnelian Agate" which is used for protection and peace. Cool. I need some protection and peace with my new neighbor moving next door in two weeks!