I have an old bird cage over one ginger and a neighbor gave me a homemade squirrel cage that I'm converting into protective surround for another patch of gingers. The problem is that I have so many gingers that are scattered over a large area that it would be fairly expensive to buy enough cloth, supports, and stakes to protect them all. And it doesn't seem to matter what the size of the plant is, the gingers they're going after now are about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall. Plus, I don't think that cloth would be much of a deterant to either squirrels or racoons, they'll just chew or rip their way through. Both seem to be good at getting either through or around any obstacle that's in their way. Thanks for the suggestion though. I don't think the fence will keep the animals out, it's needed to keep the dogs in. Mom's dogs do a pretty good job of keeping animals like racoons and squirrels out of their yard. By fencing in my yard and putting in a gate to my parents yard I'm hoping the dogs will keep the critters out of my yard as well. Here's a picture of mom's dogs. The golden retrievers name is Toby but he's pretty old and doesn't chase much anymore. Cheddar is a beagle/basset mix who loves to track things down although so far he's never actually caught anything.

Hey Tom! Could ya give a follow-up on this experiment? The gardens I tend around the little cafe just had a major hatch and I've been catching and snatching baby lubbers. If the UCG did the trick for you last year, it'd be great for us. I wonder if diluted coffee would work if I sprayed the lilies, etc, since people sit and eat outside in the garden. I don't want to apply the nice dark slurry all over the foliage, it might spoil some appetites! But they might not even notice just a sprayed-on application. The area is mulched with pebbles, so I think the grounds all over the white would look quite conspicuous. Susie

well--i'm sure it would have to be somewhat different using whole eggs but based on the size dish i was using (2.8 L), it held about 8 slices of the baguette and i used the equivalent of 6 eggs and stirred in 1 c of milk. at the stated temp, it took about an hour to cook and "poofed" right up over the top edge before it fell a bit while cooling. 'tis history already--ted finished the last of it this morning :)

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (Crock Pot) Recipe A personal take on a recipe from the "Slow Cooker Bible" and based on recipes typical of North Carolina styled BBQ. The sauce is tangy and flavorful but not spicy as the amount of hot sauce is just enough to balance the sweetness of the ketchup. Certainly mild enough to serve to kids. It you want more zing, add more tabasco or a chopped chipotle pepper en adobo. (If your crock pot is large enough, this easily doubles and the leftovers can be frozen.) 4 servings 6¼ hours 10 min prep 1 medium onion, thinly sliced or 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts Sauce 1 cup ketchup 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 tablespoons molasses 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1 pinch salt Cut the onion in half and slice into thin half rings. Line the bottom of the crock pot with the onions. Trim the chicken breasts and place on top of the bed of onions. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together and pour on top of the chicken covering completely. (I make the sauce the night before so that it is a simple dump and run in the morning.) Cook for 6 hours on low setting. The sauce thickens and turns into a dark rich brown during cooking. At the same time the onions dissolve into the sauce. When the chicken is falling apart tender, take two forks and shred the chicken. Serve on top of split buns. I like mine toasted so they hold up better to the weight of the shredded chicken. Suggested sides include baked beans, corn on the cob, coleslaw or cucumber salad.