a little work

Outside. It's getting colder. The ground muddy from recent rain. Some of my little contraptions holding soap to deter deer aren't in good shape- the one that's just a peak over the soap basket keeps riding up on the line, and another made from a tray that had holes I taped over, looks like it leaked. I replaced both today with new upended containers, that will shield rain off the soap better. So far seems to be working- I can't really tell much because the hostas have gone dormant, but the forsythia, young shrubs and oakleaf hydrangea appear untouched. More telling, I no longer see tracks or find piles of deer droppings in the yard.

Dumped my slug traps this morning. I've caught four or five fat slugs each time I refill- leave sit for three or four days and then empty before it gets smelly. I do my mixture leaner than the recommendations I found online. I use about two cups warm water, one teaspoon sugar and one teaspoon yeast. I bet I could do with less sugar, too. It lures the slugs, but doesn't get stinky as fast (first time I also used flour, as one website suggested- that went rank very quick! Don't need the flour). 

Squirrel has been digging among the lettuces and in the empty beds again. He can't make a mess of my planter boxes though, because I put wire over those. Which bows down in the middle now so I bet the squirrel was there sitting on it at least once.

My meals this week are planned around eating what little is left in the garden, before colder nights and/or snow finally kills the plants. Last night cut all the chard for a pasta dish (the leaves were small but plentiful). Today I'm putting tatsoi and sculpit in eggs for lunch, tomorrow will use sage and purple dead nettle in quesadillas- there's plenty of that coming up around the garden and yard again.

Tonight will cut lettuce to go in hamburgers and maybe a small salad. Tomorrow will use tokyo bekana in a stir-fry. And then I might finally make a pie from the sunberries I froze all summer.