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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Garden tails.....er tales.

During the decade that we've lived in this house,
I've found a few buried treasures in my flower beds.
Mostly I find peanuts buried by the neighborhood squirrels.
The thing that annoys me is that they pull out perfectly healthy
flowers from my pots and replace them with their winter snacks.

So far, they've left our window boxes alone.


Do you remember my blindingly bright turquoise bicycle?

After 2 years it's finally starting to fade and rust is coming through the paint.

The birds pecked apart my pretty straw basket liner, so I replaced it with
 a discount potted plant a few weeks ago.  When I went to water it the other day,
 I noticed what appeared to be a huge mushroom growing under the leaves.





Nope, not a mushroom.





A cheeseburger.


Now, this presents a real mystery.

We are gluten free in this house so unless somebody was secretly eating a Big Mac
and stuffed it into the plant to avoid getting caught, it was stashed there by a squirrel.
  Unlikely, you say?

Oh, you haven't seen the Iron Range squirrels in action!
I've watched one of them haul a corn cob across our busy street........and survive!
Although, unless it was wearing a rodent back pack, I do wonder how in the heck
 a squirrel got its hands on a cheeseburger and delivered it intact to its hiding spot.

I guess it's just one of the unexplained phenomena here at 911.

The thieves have also removed half of the flowers from this pot.


My wine barrel has remained untouched by the little critters,
although something is eating the sweet potato vine.
It appears 3 of those somethings are nibbling on my daisies.
Oooo, that sounds kind of risque.  hehe


My Annabelle hydrangeas never let me down and seem to
be immune to all the hungry bugs in my garden.

Knock on wood!!!


Speaking of wood.....



Our robins have been extra busy building nests in the trees,
 on the fence, and under the garage eaves.
Oh, no! It looks like something took a great big bite out of our fence!
I have come face-to-face with a woodchuck in the alley, but I think they prefer
their snacks at ground level.  Can you picture a woodchuck wearing mountain climbing gear?
Yodel ay hee hoo!

My clematis is at its peak right now.

I've let the perennials do as they please in front of our garage,
which was a floral shop back in the 70's.  Imagine the short walk to work!

My next garden surprise was even more unwelcome than the mischievous squirrels.

As I was snipping off a spent rose, a Japanese beetle reared its
ugly horned head out to greet me.  Eek!  After conferring with Dr.Google,
I'm feeling pretty discouraged about the next few years of gardening.
It seems the garden pests have a 3 year cycle of eating just about anything green.  ugh




Earlier this summer, I dug out the 3 blades of grass I coaxed to grow under
our giant mock orange shrub and replaced them with hosta from our shade garden.
As you can clearly see, it's a work in progress.


As I was sifting through the soil, I unearthed a little piece of history.

Isn't it adorable?

I'm guessing this cute little car (about the size of a quarter) belonged to
 the original owner's son, which would make it almost as old as our 93 year old house.
Finally, a buried treasure worth keeping!


Thanks for visiting and be on the lookout for supersized McSquirrels!

Vickie

I'm joining the party at:
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Mod Vintage Life Mod Mix Monday

36 comments:

  1. Oh how beautiful superpowers are. We have a squirrel that is eating it's was into our home not one place but several. We had replace several pieces of our siding. Low and behold he nearly ate the one side of it church pew outdoors. Love that little car. It looks really old.

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  2. I have been on vacation and am just getting caught up - 10 days of no blog reading.

    Your garden looks spectacular compared to mine. Our pet sitter was wonderful and watered for me, but the Morning Glory is taking over not just the flower beds, but running out over the patio. It will be a full day in the garden tomorrow for me.

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  3. OH your flowers are beautiful, Vickie! And I am still laughing about that cheeseburger...

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  4. Your gardens are just beautiful, Vickie! Everything looks so healthy. We have wiley squirrels here, too. They've left all kinds of food in our yard from the neighbors' uncovered trash cans, but no Big Macs yet. And they dig up our pots, too!

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  5. Hi Vickie,
    Your garden looks gorgeous. Love all the pretty color and your flower boxes look so pretty. I am sorry I did not put in sweet potato vines this year. I remember how hearty they were last summer. Love the pretty green they give to the garden. Ha ha about the cheeseburger. That is too funny.
    Have a great week.
    Kris

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  6. Oh my gosh Vickie, a cheeseburger? I am still laughing. I can just see this giant squirrel dragging it across the yard. Despite the critters, everything looks beautiful! Gorgeous Clematis! I have an Annabelle, small, but doing well. Planted a Strawberry Van. Hydrangea last year and it's starting to bloom. Love that little car. . .meant for you my friend!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  7. You are too funny, Vickie!! Your garden is gorgeous, in spite of all your critters. What a darling toy car you found...that was worth all your digging.
    Mary Alice

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  8. As Granny would say....."I'm gonna git them varmits"! I think they are still too cute! Your gardens are beautiful.....love the turquoise bike...especially with the rust!! And I think your "antique" treasure, the little car is beyond adorable. I would love that in my collection! Such a SWEET find...(i know, i'm wierd!) I have a little old vw beetle on my desk.....Your home is sooo charming, quite the lovely! Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed! Blessings~~~Roxie

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  9. My goodness- what a beautiful, beautiful yard! I don't have a green thumb at all, so I envy people who do! We don't have that many squirrels here in Florida, but my mother in North Carolina is forever cursing them and all of their mischief!

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  10. Good morning, V! Everything looks so vibrant and cheerful. I just love your happy house.
    Still laughing about McSquirrel and the yodeling woodchuck. My head is now filled with images of him doing his woodchucking...if a woodchuck would chuck wood. Sweet potato vines are one of my favs. Unfortunately, they are also very enticing to Bruce and Sophie. Love the tiny car covered in mud! I think I might be looking for a two legged critter about 6 ft. tall to question about the cheeseburger. xo, T.

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  11. Great glimpses into your home and gardens, Vickie. Lol, we have squirrels all over the place here too. I have seen one haul an entire (huge) slice of pizza across a nearby university campus where we walk, so I suppose the intact cheeseburger isn't totally out of the question. I have also seen a lot of what we call BSDs - bad squirrel decisions - where they obviously didn't make it across the road, so to speak. The squirrels don't seem to cause me as much a hassle as the Canadian geese. I am in a never-ending battle with geese that come onto my property from my river lots - armed with a super-soaker water gun. My neighbor actually uses a BB rifle from her upstairs window! We make a great team with our arsenal.

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  12. Your garden is absolutely beautiful. I have tried and have had some success but nothing like yours. My Hydrangea have not bloomed this year and I don't know why. I did start a vegetable garden and I have tomatoes growing right now so that kinda of makes up for the flowers but not really.

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  13. All of your flowers and garden look wonderful : I have seen squirrels haul away corncobs and fallen suet, etc but the hamburger tale is too funny! :)

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  14. Wow! That is pretty cool that you found that old truck! :) And your flowers always look lovely. :)

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  15. Your garden is gorgeous! Seems a shame to have that hidden under 14 feet of snow for 10 months out of the year. Am I exaggerating your extreme winters a bit :) Seriously cute car you found. Better than a half eaten burger any day.

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  16. Vickie your flowers are gorgeous. You truly have a green thumb. Your home is beautiful and such a charmer. Hydrangeas are not doing well here this year. Oh they are large and very green but not blooming like years past. Just one or two at a time.
    I am gluten sensitive here too and since I have gone gluten free, I feel so much better and it has changed my life. No cheeseburgers for me!! LOL at least not with bread!

    Love that cute little vintage car. What a treasure to find!
    Hugs

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  17. your home looks as pretty outside as it is on the inside! beautiful garden, vickie:) your mock orange area is so cute! the sandwich is such a hoot! love your gate and the bitty car find! have a great night!

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  18. That car looks like it's part of your collection, how funny to think that it was buried in the ground for years and years.
    Your garden is gorgeous and so immaculate, it puts mine to shame. Perhaps I should throw some cheeseburgers in the bushes and things may start to grow better !!

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  19. Vickie, your garden is wonderful. The window box looks great and I laughed a lot with that piece of cheeseburger.
    Of course I especially love that small toy car and finding it there made it so special! I'm already watching it in one of your so nice vignettes.
    Besos!

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  20. Hilarious!!! Cheeseburgers in the flower garden...this is a new one. Your flowers look lovely, in spite of pests, and that little car is so cute! It's even in one of your fave colors. Sweet. :)

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  21. Your yard is lovely! What a hoot finding a cheeseburger! I have given-up on the yard this year. Something ate my tomatoes, lilies, snapdragons and hydrangea buds. I lost an evergreen and rose bush due to the cold winter. Love the cute car!!

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  22. I almost spit out my coffee reading that your "muhroom" was a cheeseburger! You are a hoot...and your home and gardens are beyond beautiful!!

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  23. Vickie your garden is lovely, cheeseburgers and all. That is so very weird to find a cheeseburger in your bicycle basket. You made me laugh out loud. I wonder if you will ever solve that mystery. What a true treasure to find that sweet little car buried for years in your yard just waiting for someone special to find it. I am so happy that you discovered it because you appreciate such things. Hope you're having a nice week.

    xo Danielle

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  24. Such a fun story, LOL! Your garden is looking lovely, but please watch out for those meat eating squirrels. I hear that once they turn there's no going back!!!
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  25. Your garden is just beautiful! A cheeseburger!!! Now that's really strange. Those squirrels are a menace. I stopped growing corn because they used to tear off a cob and sit on the top of the privacy and munch away...in front of me :)

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  26. Your home is so charming! I love old houses that have been well taken care of. We have a lot of squirrels too. They have been known to chew on our porch railings! We've had to replace those areas with "fake wood" to deter them in the future.

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  27. Someone - or someTHING - had a Big Mac attack! That is just hilarious! Now as far as the Japanese Beetles go, I have them, too. The birds dig them so I don't spray. Your yard is gorgeous! My flowers are being baked this week with our 100 temps. Fall get here fast!!!! Paleeeeez.

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  28. Your house and property with all the beautiful plants and flowers is just gorgeous! I guess all the critters think so, too. I was laughing my head off at the buried cheeseburger. One winter, I actually spied a WAFFLE up in some tree branches that overhang our property. Like you, I was thinking, "How in the heck did a waffle get up in a tree?!" And then I spied Mr Squirrel. Where he got it from, who knows. Garbage picking?!

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  29. That's the sweetest little car! We found an old coin and a thimble in our garden. Your garden looks so pretty and I love your window boxes and shutters. I also have white hydrangeas but mine aren't faring as well as yours. We need some rain.

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  30. Vickie, first of all, you had me at the word treasures. And that tiny, sweet car!! I swear I got excited when I saw it. This was such a wonderful post, I loved the way you gave us a tour through your garden accompanied by your stories. Giant squirrels? Missing flower parts? And a mysterious cheeseburger? You could make a darn good mystery writer. Oh, and was your garage really once a florist shop? That's so cool.
    As usual, I leave here smiling.

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  31. Nibbling daisies, peaking clematis, yodeling, and burger eating husb.......squirrels.

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  32. Hydrangeas are my favorite flower...these are gorgeous! Love your cute bike, too! Have a fun Sunday! Hugs, Diane

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  33. wunderschöne gartenbilder!!! alles liebe von angie

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  34. Your garden looks great, but that's too funny about the cheeseburger!

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  35. Loved the visit through your yard...so lovely. The cheeseburger...well, that has me puzzled too!

    My home is 108 years old and in the beginning I did find little treasures, that told me stories of how the former owners lived. Your little car is so unbelievable....too cute!

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  36. Your garden looks amazing! Don't even get me started on squirrels.....ours are the ground squirrels that make tunnels under your yard....or in our case our new deck/screened porch!

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Your comments make it all worthwhile. Thanks for visiting today!

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