Calhouns Can(n)ons

No, I Didn't Fall Off The Face Of The Earth . . .

It's called changing email services, getting a DSL (instead of a dial up, two strings and tin cans), futzing around with getting this blog site to recognize my new email, having Greg get the time to set up the change mechanism, spending endless time tearing hair out while Blogger kept pretending it didn't know me. Whoooooo RRRRR UUUUU? Next up, changing out my address book, shifting accounts and passwordds, waiting to see what keeps showing up in the in-box so I don't forget anybody.

Oh, then did I mention, having a rebuilt, upgraded computer done and installed, (next week) followed by transfer all the programs (also had to go through the delete and purge a whole lot of crap I don't need or want any more). Plus keeping up with my regular schedule AND making time to go sit in the back yard corner and smell the lavender and worry about why there aren't more bees buzzing around. And think of ways to get rid of the gophers.

Speaking of which, from everyone I've talked to, NOTHING works on gophers. Not the smoke bombs, not the car tail-pipe carbon monoxide tube down the holes ploy, not Jucy Fruit gum sticks down the holes, not traps (unless you buy about a gazillion and put them down each hole and if you miss one, they're too smart and won't get caught again so you're out about $80 -- with traps about $8 apiece), and I refuse to use poison for fear of killing off the dogs, the neighbor's dogs, the neighborhod cats & etc.

So far, here's what I've found that works: Salvias of all kinds, lavender, rock roses, white sage, something called gopher bane (a wierd prehistoric looking plant), lots of various natives, giant Four o'Clocks, Peruvian lillies (so far) and, apparently, geraniums?? I suspect their roots smell/taste bad? Which is why I stuck in some rhubarb. Maybe they'll eat the leaves and die? And with luck, it'll survive and I can have rhubarb bie at the end of this War.

Anyway, those plants have survived, so I'm working on the plan to make my yard so icky -- food wise-- that they'll just go on down the road and eat up somebody else's yard.

Also got some goo that's based on castor oil that you mix with water and can spray on your yard. Dont think I'll go that far, but might mix up a bit of that and pour down fresh holes in hopes that the castor oil will make the gophers think tht maybe it's time to go to France.

Wierdly, for 20++ years never had a gopher in sight. Then suddenly a vast hoard arrived. Maybe when they eat up what they can eat and are left with nothing but awful tasting salvia roots they'll move on.

Well, hopefully will get back to blogging. But then, having all of us take a break has been nice, I suspect.