Deadheads

I've come up with another definition for "deadhead", the faithful followers of the Grateful Dead. However, I am NOT grateful, nor pleased about the "deadheads" strewn about my yard. In front of our worn, well-used home are planter boxes, filled with flowers. I have everything from petunias and roses to honeysuckle, morning glories and marigolds. There are pots with herbs; basil, oregano and dill as well as the perennial chrysanthemum. I enjoy this little garden of mine and spend time early every morning, giving them fresh, cool water to see them through the day.

The problem is that we are plagued with rodents; jackrabbits, cottontails and ground squirrels - all enjoying the fruits of our labor. The marigold seeds came from last year's flowers and I planted tons of them. What I have now are marigold "deadheads" strewn about the yard. The rodents, attracted to the bright color, don't find these flowers appetizing but proceed to decapitate the flowers anyway, leaving the flower head to wilt and dry in the summer heat. Bill and I wrapped chicken wire around some of the pots but the critters still managed to find their way in to feast on flowers.

Our vegetable garden scene isn't too much different. Just this morning, Bill saw a rabbit, must have been Beatrix Potter's little friend, in the vegetable garden, feasting on tasty morsels. The problem is that the garden is fenced in with a double layer of wire and this is supposed to keep them OUT of the garden. Bill planted lettuce three times before giving up because the rodents nibbled the leaves as they poked through the soil. They have eaten entire squash plants, leveling them to the ground. If only they realized that we would gladly share if they would only let the plants grow to the point that they yielded a harvest. So far, that hasn't happened.

So the battle continues. Maybe I should put on a Grateful Dead CD, turn up the volume, open the front door and see if the rodents want to dance.This is the picture taken the morning after the post. The rabbits are dancing in my flower barrels for sure and I haven't even turned up the volume