Snakes, water buffalo, and cows? Indeed sad, I could maybe understand the cows and buffalo because they are large animals, still sick though. When I first saw this I didn't realize it had taken place in Columbia until I looked it up on the web. I guess it just really hit home with me because I'm an animal lover and have two labs myself, when they showed the dogs at the airport they looked to be only about eight months old, and I had never heard of this. I guess I do lead a very sheltered life! We don't usually hear of this kind of news on Canadian t.v. What we hear on the news I'm sure is only the tip of the ice burg.

Von~ Love your puppy story. Am going to forward it to my husband at work. We have idiot dogs, but nothing can top what a puppy will do. Alicate~ For years the deer used to eat most of the few hosta varieties that I had, as well as daylily and sedum flowers. I read somewhere that deer left sedum and daylilies alone. What dope wrote that? They are on most garden lists of deer favorites. August Moon, which looks like lettuce to me, was their clear favorite, of the 7 or so multiples that used to be in front. I dug them all out and added dozens of newer hostas to a new island garden a few years ago. Used deer net and 6' bamboo stakes. All went well the first autumn. Bought more hostas, and then more, and expanded the netted area, since I now have 4 island gardens and border gardens. I left a small hole for me to slip through that was hidden near shrubs. They found it, and ate August Moon, all hosta flowers, all daylily and sedum flowers. Tried one deer repellant, it didn't work (they rammed the fence and ate more daylilies, hosta flowers, sedum, and August Moon.) I read about Liquid Fence, and the copycat recipes. It helps a lot. But in the autumn the deer get crazy, ram the net, tearing big holes, snap the stakes, and come for the billions of acorns that litter my yard. Don't know why you guys like oak trees so much. The damage from acorns rivals that from a small hail storm, although the hosta season is pretty much over by October. By now, I've stupidly added lots of fragrant varieties, since I love, love, love the delicious fragrance. The deer obviously do also, and eat the fragrant flowers and leaves, any other late hosta flowers, and of course, the sedum, which keep growing no matter how many times it is eaten. Not interested in August Moon any more. Mostly they want the acorns. But they eat the fragrant leaves and flowers as desert. If I didn't have the net, I wouldn't have ANY hostas, so it is worth the aggravation. I spray the plants and net, and usually have only small problems until the fall, mostly with the flowers. But all bets are off when the deer want to get at the big acorn buffet that is my front yard. ~Bunnycat

Kendra, that was my thought too, I mean I know they are around, they just don't come out of the woods (unless they are disturbed). These birds sound like they are right up in the trees next to my boxes. I look and look with my binocs but never see anything that even comes close to looking like a HOWR. (I do put up Wren guards). I just think it's odd that if they are out in the open like that, that they are not filling my boxes. Whatbird.com has the recorded call, also does not have a "similar" listed. Going on 8 years and only the one year did I ever have HOWR but I hear this call every year. HHUUUMMM scratching head....

Thanks, everyone! Well, I talked to the granite place today and I'm not happy. They "forgot" to tell me about the fee for undermount sink polishing. Oh well... I am really starting to think that I should take this budget that I have put aside for granite and do other things in the house with it. I don't hate my laminate, and I get all kinds of complements on it. When I think about what I could do with that $4000 in my house..new carpet upstairs, two new windows on either side of my fireplace...roof with ceiling fan over my back patio...well, I really start to re-think granite. It's not a common thing to have in my area, so I'm not so sure I need it. I could even get new flooring in my bathroom with that extra money I would have used on granite. So I'm starting to change my mind. Thank you all for your input, though! I'll keep thinking it over.