Ooh, this should be a fun thread!

Off the top of my head, I thought of three threads right away - and they are al lfrom the composting forum. I don't post there an awful lot (I'm kind of afraid to, to be honest, lol!) but I read there every day.

Of course, there was the classic "dogs in the moose carcass" thread, which I can't seem to find. Hopefully someone else can post it here - I know *someone* knows what I'm talking about.

Then there was the thread where we all posted in haiku. Oh my goodness, that was addicting! I swear I was thinking in haiku for days!

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0301140928499.html

And also, the "12 days of composting" thread around Christmas time. I found the link to the thread, but I swear it was longer and funnier at the time!

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg121130221455.html

And of course, any of the "compost wacko" threads are fun too.

I'll have to think on this one for awhile...I'm sure there are more threads that I can add here.

:)
Dee

Ah yes, it was the famous "dogs in elk" story that originated on somebody's member page--not a regular on this forum. It made its way around GW and all over the internet. It was one of the funniest things I'd read in a long time and some digging indicated that it was a true story. If you Google "dogs in elk" you'll find the complete version. I don't see the full version on GW anymore.

Ahhh - it was an elk, not a moose! I searched here on GW *and* on Google for "dogs in moose"! No wonder why I couldn't find it. Thanks Ginny!

:)
Dee

I didn't feel comfortable linking to someone's homepage, which is where I found this, so I copied and pasted for your enjoyment:

Posted by Anita z8 Seattle (anita@is2inc.com) on Fri, Oct 22, 99 at 14:44

The following apparently appeared recently on one of the newsgroups, rec.pets. It sounds pretty believable to me--though its so funny, IÂm not sure that I care. ItÂs pretty long, but itÂs worth it.
---------------------

Anne V - 01:01pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1318 of 1332)
Okay - I know how to take meat away from a dog. How do I take a dog away from meat? This is not, unfortunately, a joke.

AmyC - 01:02pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1319 of 1332)
Um, can you give us a few more specifics here?

Anne V - 01:12pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1320 of 1332)
TheyÂre inside of it. They crawled inside, and now I have a giant incredibly heavy piece of carcass in my yard, with 2 dogs inside of it, and they are NOT getting bored of it and coming out. One of them is snoring. I have company arriving in three hours, and my current plan is to 1. put up a tent over said carcass and 2. hang thousands of fly strips inside it. This has been going on since about 6:40 this morning.

AmyC - 01:19pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1321 of 1332)
Oh. My. God. What sort of carcass is big enough to hold a couple of dogs inside? Given the situation, IÂm afraid youÂre not going to be create enough of a diversion to get the dogs out of the carrion, unless they like greeting company as much as they like rolling around in dead stuff. Which seems unlikely. Can you turn a hose on the festivities?

Ase Innes-Ker - 01:31pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1322 of 1332)
IÂm sorry Anne. I know this is a problem (and it would have driven me crazy), but it is also incredibly funny.

Anne V - 01:31pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1323 of 1332)
Elk. Elk are very big this year, because of the rain and good grazing and so forth. They arenÂt rolling. They are alternately napping and eating. They each have a ribcage. Other dogs are working on them from the outside. ItÂs all way too primal in my yard right now. We tried the hose trick. At someone elses house, which is where they climbed in and began to refuse to come out. Many hours ago. I think that the hose mostly helps keep them cool and dislodges little moist snacks for them. hose failed. My new hope is
that if they all continue to eat at this rate, they will be finished before the houseguests arrive. The very urban houseguests. Oh, god - I know itÂs funny. ItÂs appalling, and funny, and completely entirely representative of life with dogs.

Kristen R. - 01:37pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1324 of 1332)
IÂm so glad I read this thread, dogless as I am. Dogs in elk. Dogs in elk.

Anne V - 01:41pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1325 of 1332)
ItÂs like that childrens book out there - dogs in elk, dogs on elk, dogs around elk, dogs outside elk. And there is some elk inside of, as well as on, each dog at this point.

Elizabeth K - 01:57pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1328 of 1333)
Anne, arenÂt you in Arizona or Nevada? There are elk there? IÂm so confused! We definately need to see pics of Gus Pong and Jake in the elk carcass.

Anne V - 02:03pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1329 of 1333)
I am in New Mexico, but there are elk in both arizona and nevada, yes. There are elk all over the da*n place. They donÂt look out very often. If you stand the ribcage on end they scramble to the top and look out, all red. Otherwise, you kinda have to get in there a little bit yourself to
really see them. So I think there will not be pictures.

CoseyMo - 02:06pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1330 of 1333)
"all red;" IÂm not sure the deeper horror of all this was fully borne in upon me till I saw that little phrase.

Anne V - 02:10pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1331 of 1333)
Well, you know, the Basenji (that would be Jake) is a desert dog, naturally, and infamous for itÂs aversion to water. And then, Gus Pong (who is coming to us, live, unamplified and with a terrific reverb which is making me a little dizzy) really doesnÂt mind water, but hates to be cold. Or soapy. And both of them can really run. Sprints of up to 35 mph have been clocked. So. If ever they come out, catching them and returning them to a condition where they can be considered house pets is not going to be, shall we say, pleasant.

CoseyMo - 02:15pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1332 of 1333)
What if you stand the ribcage on end, wait for them to look out, grab them when they do and pull?

Anne V - 02:18pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1333 of 1333)
They wedge their toes between the ribs. And scream. We tried that before we brought the elk home from the mountain with dogs inside. Jake nearly took my friends arm off. HeÂs already short a toe, so he cherishes the 15 that remain.

Linda Hewitt - 02:30pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1336 of 1356)
Have you thought about calling your friendly vet and paying him to come pick up the dogs, elk and letting the dogs stay at the vets overnight. If anyone would know what to do, it would be your vet. It might cost some money, but it would solve the immediate crisis. Keep us posted.

ChristiPeters - 02:37pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1337 of 1356)
Yikes! My sympathy! When I lived in New Mexico, my best friendÂs dog (the escape artist) was continually bringing home road kill. When there was no road kill convenient, he would visit the neighborÂs house. Said neighbor slaughtered his own beef. The dog found all kinds of impossibly gross toys in the neighborÂs trash pit. I have always had medium to large dogs. The smallest dog I ever had was a mutt from the SPCA who matured out at just above knee high and about 55 pounds. Our current dog (daughterÂs choice) is a Pomeranian.A very small Pomeranian. SheÂs 8 months old now and not quite 4 pounds. IÂm afraid IÂll break her.

Lori Shiraishi - 02:38pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1338 of 1356)
Bet you could fit a whole lot of Pomeranians in that there elk carcass! Anne - my condolences on what must be an unbelievable situation!

Anne V - 02:44pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1339 of 1356)
I did call my vet. He laughed until he was gagging and breathless. He says a lot of things, which can be summed as *what did you expect?* and *no, there is no such thing as too much elk meat for a dog.* He is planning to stop over and take a look on his way home. Thanks, Lori. I am almost
surrendered to the absurdity of it.

Lori Shiraishi - 02:49pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1340 of 1356)
"He is planning to stop over and take a look on his way home." So he can fall down laughing in person?

Anne V - 02:50pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1341 of 1356)
Basically, yeah. That would be about it.

AmyC - 02:56pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1342 of 1356)
No, there is no such thing as too much elk meat for a dog." Oh, sweet lo*d, Anne. You have my deepest sympathies in this, perhaps the most peculiar of the Gus Pong Adventures. You are truly a woman of superhuman patience. wait -- you carried the carcass down from the mountains with the dogs inside?

Anne V - 02:59pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1343 of 1356)
The carcass down from the mountains with the dogs inside? no, well, sort of. My part in the whole thing was to get really stressed about a meeting that I had to go to, and say *yeah, ok, whatever* when it was suggested that the ribcages, since we couldnÂt get the dogs out of them and the dogs couldnÂt be left there, be brought to my house. Because, you know - I just thought they would get bored of it sooner or later. But it appears to be later, in the misty uncertain future, that they will get bored. Now, they are still interested. And very loud, one singing, one snoring.

Lori Shiraishi - 03:04pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1344 of 1356)
And very loud, one singing, one snoring. wow. I canÂt even begin to imagine the acoustics involved with singing from the inside of an elk.

Anne V - 03:04pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1345 of 1356)
reverb. lots and lots of reverb.

Anne V - 03:15pm Sep 9, 1999 PDT (# 1347 of 1356)
IÂll tell you the thing that is causing me to lose it again and again, and then I have to go back outside and stay there for a while. After the meeting, I said to my (extraordinary) boss, "look, IÂve gotta go home for the rest of the day, I think. Jake and Gus Pong are inside some elk ribcages, and my dad is coming tonight, so IÂve got to get them out
somehow." And he said, pale and huge-eyed, "Annie, how did you explain the elk to the clients?" The poor, poor man thought I had the carcasses brought to work with me. For some reason, I find this deeply funny.

(weekend pause)

Anne V - 08:37am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1395 of 1405)
So what we did was put the ribcages (containing dogs) on tarps and drag them around to the side yard, where I figured they would at least be harder to see, and then opened my bedroom window so that the dogs could let me know when they were ready to be plunged into a de-elking solution and let
in the house. Then I went to the airport. Came home, no visible elk, no visible dogs. Peeked around the shrubs, and there they were, still in the elk. By this time, they had gnawed out some little portholes between some of the ribs, and you got the occasional very frightening glimpse of
something moving around in there if you watched long enough. After a lot of agonizing, I went to bed. I closed the back door, made sure my window was open, talked to the dogs out of it until I as sure they knew it was open, and then I fell asleep.

Sometimes, sleep is a mistake, no matter how tired you are. And especially if you are very very tired, and some of your dogs are outside, inside some elks. Because when you are that tired, you sleep through bumping kind of noises, or you kind of think that itÂs just the house guests. It wasÂt the
house guests. It was my dogs, having an attack of teamwork unprecedented in our domestic history. When I finally woke all the way up, it was to a horrible vision. Somehow, 3 dogs with a combined weight of about 90 pounds, managed to hoist one of the ribcages (the meatier one, of course) up 3 feet to rest on top of the swamp cooler outside the window, and push out the screen. What woke me was Gus Pong, howling in frustration from inside the ribcage, very close to my head, combined with feverish little grunts from Jake, who was standing on the nightstand, bracing himself against the
curtains with remarkably bloody little feet.

Here are some things I have learned, this Rosh Hashanah weekend:
1. almond milk removes elk blood from curtains and pillowcases,
2. We can all exercise superhuman strength when it comes to getting elk carcasses out of our yard,
3. The sight of elk ribcages hurtling over the fence really frightens the nice deputy sheriff who lives across the street, and
4. the dogs can pop the screens out of the windows, without damaging them, from either side.

Anne V - 09:58am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1401 of 1405)
What I am is really grateful that they didnÂt actually get the damn thing in the window, which is clearly the direction they were going in. And that the nice deputy didnÂt arrest me for terrifying her with elk parts before dawn.

AmyC - 09:59am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1402 of 1405)
Imagine waking up with a gnawed elk carcass in your bed, like a real-life "Godfather" with an all-dog cast.

Anne V - 10:01am Sep 13, 1999 PDT (# 1403 of 1405)
There is not enough almond milk in the world to solve an event of that kind.

It must say something awful about me but I never stop laughing at that story and I never get tired of re-reading it. But why do I think there was a longer version? I think there might be, with more details. I think it was her very urban parents coming for a visit, for one thing. Definitely not the dogs in elk type.

Ginny, I was thinking the same thing - this version just didn't seem like the one that was originally posted, even though I read it so long ago. I hadn't realized, until I just tried to find it, that this thread has made the rounds of the internet, on pet boards and so forth. And I guess it has evolved and changed according to what kind of forum it is on. I wonder now if it was indeed originally on GW? I think it was, but I don't know. Either way, it is too funny!

:)
Dee

I have to admit that I love the "awful neighbor" threads; they make me feel so much better about the trivial problems I have in my own neighborhood. Although, at the moment, my back fence neighbor seems to be in the process of removing a long line of tall evergreens that were providing me with a nice screen from the main road one block away, and it's hard to relax about that, no matter how hard I try to think about the tomato thieves, noisy collectors of broken down cars, and plant filchers that I've read about here.

I also love the wild threads before a swap, when everyone posts about their surplus plants and tries not to sound too acquisitive about the plants being offered. Those threads sort of blur the boundaries of this medium, since they involve real-life get-togethers.

Trip reports - from Katy's New Zealand photos to Mayalena and Idabean's recent Berkshires jaunt - are a great way to feel like I've been over the bridge without leaving my garden.

My most favorite kind of thread, though, is when someone asks for ideas on what to do in a certain area; reading through the widely different, well-thought out replies shows the many approaches we take to gardening and the differences in what we find beautiful or what plants are easy for some people and difficult for others; these threads are often where I first hear about a specific plant (usually one that I must have, right away!). I learn a lot from those threads, about plants and people too.

dee, those where great thanks for sharing. I do believe that when I first read the dog/elk thread there were photos as well.

Ewww! I'm not sure I'd want to see photos of THAT, lol!

There was one thread on the roses forum (I think on the conversations side) that I always remember - well, at least the spirit of it, if not the actual words. There was a woman whose husband had cancer, and she had posted on and off throughout his battle, and then we hadn't heard from her for a bit.

Well, then she posted that he had died. It was an incredible post. While it was sad, it was also beautiful and poignant, and she showed the most incredible grace and courage. It was really an amazingly inspirational post, and ever since I have always admired this woman's dignity and bravery, and her outlook on life. I kind of wish I had saved a copy of it, although I'm sure I would be in tears every time I'd read it!

:)
Dee

And then there's the suicidal gardenia thread....

Claire

Oh yeah, I forgot about that one!

:)
Dee

Here is one that really enchanted me. :-)

And here is one that I gave me a few chuckles.

BTW, also found that gardenia thread amazing. [g]

Oh, PM2, I remember that How to Keep From Ordering Thread. It reminded me of several the old pals who are not on the forum anymore, but it was fun anyway.

I saved this old thread from when I first started visiting Garden Web - I don't remember what forum it was on.

After my post, Spike (the venerable ur-webmaster) pulled the thread. I never knew if it was my fault, the last straw. That also happened to me on another thread. I felt like the little kid who hammered a nail into a telephone pole just as a huge blackout occurred, and thought he caused it.

Claire

(Note the date of the first post.)

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by Ted - Maine - 4b on Sat, Apr 1, 00 at 18:59

I woke up this morning and went out to check on my primroses. To my horror, they were nearly all gone!

After checking around the bed for a while, I discovered two *enormous* yellow slugs slinking away. At six inches long, they're about twice the size of any slug I've seen before!

Could these be banana slugs? I've heard horror stories about the way they gobble up perennials.

I thought they only bothered gardeners in the Pacific NW, but with global warming, we've been having some unusually mild winters lately in the Northeast. Maybe we're due for an invasion of banana slugs?

-----------------
Follow-Up Postings:

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Kerry on Sat, Apr 1, 00 at 21:03

OH dear, they are spreading, these slugs are usually huge and are a puke green to very dirty yellow looking and have dark green to brown spots on them. There are many ways to get rid of them, on it to take you salt shaker out with you to the garden and sprinkle them liberally, when i say liberally i mean it! They have a tendancy to slough off a layer of slime that has been salted and get away, those little buggers, another way, a little more wierd is to put cheap beer in a wider saucer, they LOVE beer and will go into the saucer and drown, and the beer kills them anyway if the drowning doesn't. So keep up the fight, and I hope you win, by the way i heard sprinkling salt around the area keeps them annoyed also.

good luck,
Kerry

-------------------
RE: Delicious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Karen in Toronto - 6a on Mon, Apr 3, 00 at 12:07

Ted and Kerry, since you know that beer attracts slugs, you might be interested in learning that salt, while killing the banana slugs, also makes a very good seasoning for them. While visiting a friend down south(Leamington, Ontario), we had a very tasty meal of banana slugs, dredged in coarse sea salt, dipped in beer batter, and deep-fried.

They taste kinda like zucchini.

PS - the above story is not true. I don't eat deep-fried food.

PPS - Good one, Ted!!

---------------

RE: Delicious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Ted - Maine - 4b on Mon, Apr 3, 00 at 16:36

I like the "coarse sea salt" touch. Also, it stands to reason they *would* taste like zucchini . . .

-----------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: chris on Tue, Apr 4, 00 at 18:52

Hi, just a brief note, don't go haywire with that salt! I did last year. It killed the slugs. it also killed my lettuce, all of it. I have heard vinegar is another way to get rid of them, however don't know the results on lettuce!

ick. Slugs are my most favorite enemy now. Who'd ever think I'd hate a bug? mollusk, whatever, that much!

-------------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Nancy - PNW on Wed, Apr 5, 00 at 0:24

If you have kids they can be a great help in slug correction. I invented the "Slug-a-pult" for their removal.

It consists of a slender bamboo rod, as long as the person is tall. Secure the slug onto the pointed end, then carefully lift it up and back, so that by whipping the bamboo forward, the slug is flung 100 yards or so.
Kids enjoy the competition of seeing who can fling their slug the farthest. There may be a problem if you have neighbors.

-----------------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Nadine NY5 on Wed, Apr 5, 00 at 7:42

Vinegar with lettuce sounds like instant salad. Add some olive oil, and you're all set!

----------------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Jan - 7 on Wed, Apr 5, 00 at 21:14

LOL!!!! But seriously, there's a product called Snarol, a powder, I used it last year on the strawberries because the slugs were eating them.. It had to be re-applied after rain. Also, I was told (but never tried) that slugs hate pain, and you can create a "barrier" by spreading that gravel sold for fish-tanks around your plants.

-------------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: The Slug - 6a on Thu, Apr 6, 00 at 12:09

You people kill me.

Signed,
The Slug

-----------------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Beverly VA N 5a6b - Shenandoah Valley on Fri, Apr 7, 00 at 0:32

Just stumbled on this web page that you all may find interesting. It recommends killing slugs with vinegar.

Here is a link that might be useful: Slugs and Vinegar

------------------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Rhonda - 7 on Fri, Apr 7, 00 at 22:04

I had to smile when I read this, the only memory I have of San Francisco I have is one of the huge banana slugs in a Japanese botanical gardens there. Luckally we didn't have them in Atascadero, where I grew up.

Thanks for the memory.
Rhonda

--------------------

RE: Voracious banana slugs in the northeast!

Posted by: Claire - MA 6b on Fri, Apr 7, 00 at 22:13

Banana slugs can also be dried for future culinary use. I find the easiest way to dry them is to hang them from the branches of any smallish tree. If you choose the brightest yellow slugs, you get a good facsimile of a golden chain tree with the slugs dangling down. When they're fully dried, you can harvest them whenever you need a quick, nutritious meal.

Claire

dtd...sorry if it was a little sad being reminded of people who are not on the forum any more. I did notice a few names of people I don't see around. I wonder what happened to them? Does anyone know? Maybe someone should start a 'where are you?' thread? [g] I thought it was interesting how many people are still here though. I counted 11.

BTW, I forgot to mention that in the first post I linked to about 'my summer album', it was Swamprose's photo album that she linked to in her OP that I was enjoying, not the thread itself. That would have been helpful if I had added that info. [g]

dtd, I also enjoy the 'awful neighbor' posts and the 'asking for design help' posts too. I would add to that, the posts that start a list of 'best performer', 'favorite perennial combo', 'most invasive', etc.

Claire, that is too funny! I can't imagine why it would have been pulled though...??? I don't see anything "wrong" with it!

PM2, that thread from SwampRose was absolutely amazing - although, as one poster said, I don't know whether to be inspired or give up gardening! Her garden truly looks like something out of Better Homes. I kind of got the same feeling after looking through her albums as I did after going on our CT tour a few weeks ago and then coming home to my yard - why do I bother? LOL! But don't go and feel all guilty on me now, lol. I'm glad you gave that link. After the initial feeling of "OMG, I could NEVER do that" comes the inspiration that is always in the back of one's mind. I even forwarded the link to several people I know so they could drool, too.

Thanks!
:)
Dee

I read the SwampRose thread and bookmarked her album, but decided not to look at it until I've had a good dose of vitamin B; no sense getting depressed in mid summer when things are starting to look a little weedy and unkempt anyway.

PM2 - no regrets, that was a fun read. I contacted AsarumGreenPanda a while back, and she said she'd started working somewhere new where she didn't have much time for GW. She's one of the ones I miss; I might easily say that Adam was another, but I know better!

I love the banana slug thread, had not seen that one before. Claire's "quick, nutritious meal" idea just about made me fall off my chair - that was the real kicker. It IS odd that they pulled it, and I'm really glad it's been preserved for posterity!

Around that time Spike was pulling threads that were off-topic (re serious gardening); I think he wanted them posted in the Garden Party forum, or somewhere else.

This was before Conversations forums were offered as an adjunct to a regular forum.

Claire

Wonder what Spike is doing these days? Wonder too if he keeps up with his "baby"? He certainly had a creative idea and did a great job with it. I almost feel bad that I never got sent to Disney tho I did get a very polite warning once. Sort of like a gentleman's grade C.