Saturday, February 14, 2009

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Melting snow

Of course it's still winter but the snow is melting very fast. Now the rabbits have access to other food so they are leaving what's left of my "Emerald" arborvitae alone. The temp has been in the thirties and forties all week and I've finally been able to take down my outside Christmas decorations that were covered with a few feet of snow. Very muddy out too. Haven't noticed anything starting to grow yet but Jenny called on Monday and told me she had a Robin at her window and she let me listen to it's cheer up cheerily sound. It's still light out at 5pm, the days are getting longer by the minute haha.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Critters

I love rabbits and squirrels and birds and chippies, and feral cats and all the other critters that occasionally stop by my chemicle free yard to chomp on some of the plants and berry bushes winter, spring, summer and fall. Three years ago I planted thirty little pine trees for privacy along the front and south side of my yard...fifty dollars a pop. They have more than doubled in size in those few years. This winter, the rabbits have decided to eat them. They have completely devoured two of them and are working on six more. They have also eaten all the bark off my new peach tree (I assume it won't grow anymore and I won't plant another). They haven't touched the dogwoods so I guess they are particular about their winter lunches.
Someone suggested that I fill gallon glass jars with water and place them where they enter the yard and next to where they are munching. However, this is Wisconsin and the water would soon turn to ice and crack the jar. I wonder if there is anything else I can do to change their eating habits. I even put rabbit food out for them...they eat that too and the bird seed and the squirrel corn and peanuts. They are pretty white rabbits, or are they hares, and I'm happy they are not starving. I like my little trees too.