Irksome. That is how I felt today when Gerald and I looked at the bee enclosure. Here’s what we saw…skunk poop! Skunks scratch around in front of the hives and when the bees come out, they eat them. They can destroy a hive.

I am so mad…our mean little pets are being picked on, and we’re not going to take it!!

The bees are enclosed because of skunks, but apparently, they are climbing the fence or they are squeezing through the fence. They aren’t digging under. We’ll have to put some electricity on this fence. Mike and Gerald will take care of that.

I have been thinking of schemes all evening to get rid of the skunks. I’m going to put contact paper all around the enclosure tomorrow evening. If a skunk walks on it, it’ll get it on its feet which should make for an interesting evening. We might also have to shoot them.

Other critters…I walked to the truck today and ran into this guy lady. We call them mud turtles but they are actually map turtles. (I know ’cause I read it on the internet so it must be true.) The girls are laying eggs everywhere, and I believe this young lady targeted my garage as her labor and delivery room.

A few years ago, we had a whole bunch of babies hatch out in our impatiens. I wonder if they return to where they hatched out? Anyway…I opened all the doors to the garage and left her alone as I think she just got off track. She was gone when I went back out. I actually did look these turtles up on the internet and a great deal of their day is spent “basking”.   I’ve seen them sunbathing on logs in the river but I didn’t know that it’s just really important in the turtle world.  Our river must the the turtle riviera — they love it!!   When I was a little girl, I was told to stay away from the mud turtles because “if they bite you, they will not open their mouths to free you until lightening strikes.” I was terrified.  I envisioned myself having to carry a turtle around hanging off my foot while waiting for a storm.    Who told this scary story to a child?  Mom!!  I guess she just wanted me to stay out of the creek.

Did I show you what happens to four cucumber seeds after being planted in our raised beds? Four tiny seeds.

We’ve been getting about this many each day…

However, these little creatures are on the vines and we’re starting to get “wilt”. If I’d planted only two cucumber seeds, I could place the protective cover on the raised beds and keep the squash beetles out. However, the four seeds exploded and there is too much vine to cover.  I’m not going to use pesticides.  I’ll just replant so I’ll get more cucumbers.

It’s a darn war out here…we’re fighting the skunks and squash beetles while tripping over turtles…all the while trying to save the bees that want to sting us!!   When I see a squash beetle, I show it no mercy.  I pinch it to death and leave it on the vine.  I think the dead squash beetle might just send a message to other squash beetles that this is not a safe place.   You never know.  

Here’s the pumpkin vine that volunteered in the potatoes in the raised beds. Potatoes are gone but the pumpkin vine is going crazy.  Mind you.  This is from one pumpkin seed.  Warning…never plant a bunch of these.  They are like kudzu.

Our yard has a couple of these kind of things going on, so we’ll not be in Southern Living any time soon, but it’s so worth it to mow around this monster as it’s got some “Cindy Rella” pumpkins growing underneath it. Here’s one of them.

Hope you are having a great evening. I’m going to run out and check on the bee enclosure one last time. I might also pee beside it. I think that might be a deterrent for the skunks. This is not based on any scientific knowledge, but I just think it might work. Maybe I’m onto something!