Nancy, I need you to explain. I am hopelessly obtuse, I guess. Will wait to award stars to you until after your explanation. I even looked up the Canadian penny coin in case I was forgetting something, but couldn't see a connection. Sorry! SO, at this point, **** for Annette, Bobbie (who picked up on my 'dam' clue), and TM (yes, I did think you had it and could imagine you trudging around a pond looking for a dry spot to set up camp!). According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Without beavers' dams, much of the water in the numerous small streams throughout Canada would flow unchecked through the landscape. By impounding water and felling trees, beavers not only provide themselves with wood for their lodges and twigs for their food, but they also open up dense woods, creating opportunities for a variety of plants and animals. Because of this, they have been called a keystone species in temperate and BOREAL FOREST aquatic ECOSYSTEMS. Grasses, SEDGES and wildflowers spring up along pond margins. Aquatic and land insects thrive and provide food for song birds such as song SPARROWS, tree SWALLOWS and cedar WAXWINGS. Mergansers and other species of DUCKS, as well as KINGFISHERS, feed in the shallow waters. Beaver-killed trees provide nesting sites for cavity-nesting birds. Toads, FROGS and newts breed and thrive in the ponds, providing food for HERONS and RACCOONS. The water and its surroundings attract MINK, MOOSE, MUSKRAT and OTTERS. Abandoned beaver ponds silt in and become grass meadows for DEER, VOLES and other herbivores. Thus, the activities of the beaver serve to increase the BIODIVERSITY of the forested regions of Canada. Beaver was once considered the most valuable fur, particularly when felt hats made from the underfur were symbols of prestige. The pursuit of BEAVER PELTS from the Maritimes to the Mackenzie Valley led to the exploration of vast regions of what became Canada. When the FUR TRADE first started, it is estimated that there were 10 million beavers living in what is now Canada. By the time the fashion had changed in the mid-1800s, the beaver was almost extinct. Today thriving populations of beaver occur once again across Canada. Because of the beaver's impact on the development and history of Canada, it is rightly one of Canada's national EMBLEMS, is on the coat of arms for the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan (see EMBLEMS, PROVINCIAL AND TERRITORIAL) and has been immortalized in 1000 PLACE NAMES across Canada. We saw a beaver once here as we were walking along the C&O Canal. That was many years ago and I still look for one whenever we hike the area. Will check back to see if more stars are needed. Thanks for playing. Cynthia

Ok, Pamela, I want you to sit back, take three deep, slow breaths and relax. Believe it or not all is well and nothing abnormal or unhealthy is going on with your worm bin. Rodents often pass through healthy worm bins, but rarely do they set up housekeeping in them, nor are healthy bins going to attract vermin not already present on or near your property. The overgrown landscapes on the adjoining properties almost certainly support many small rodents who will visit the bin, but the presence of the bin is not going to increase their numbers, nor will it bring more of the rodents to your property than would normally pass through. Rest assured that the worm bin is not creating an unhealthy environment near your home. A worm bin is only considered a rodent attractant of it is anaerobic and smelly. The mercaptans produced through anearobic decomposition becomes a clarion call that can bring them in large numbers but 1) ONLY if there are already large numbers in your local 2) ONLY if the bin is stinky enough that you are able to smell it. Few rodents will find the food scraps in the bin sufficient to warrant regular visits and the worms are not a significant food source for mice or rats. A healthhy worm bin is NOT a vermin attraction. I hear folks often speak of rodent-proofing their bins, but this is no easy task and is of questionable value when one keeps in mind that the bin is not a vermin nesting site or typical feeding ground. It is always alarming when something unexpected jumps from the bin, but know that this is a rare occurance that, alone, does not indicate problems in the system or suggest that the bin poses a health risk to your, your family or your pets. Make sense? Kelly S

I share your frustration. I have tried sprinkling seeds outside, starting them indoors under lights and winter sowing. The ones from outdoors were hit or miss on germination. Under the lights, they tended to get fungus. Winter sowing had pretty good germination and then I set them out. I have had just a few survive. I don't know if it was rabbits or slugs or roly polys that got to them. I'll have to remember the egg shells and coffe grounds tip. But, I'm not giving up hope. I put a stick in the ground where ever I transplanted and noticed yesterday that some have re-appeared. Not many but better than none. I just wish my flowers did as well as the self planted tree seedlings. They've been sprouting everywhere since at least Feb.

A dime huh? Now is that a dime round wise or flat. I have baseboards around all the rooms and inside the closets. I'll have to recheck everything again. I haven't seen the little bugger in two days now. Hopefully he went back to wherever he came from. I still have yet to find any droppings so I'm hoping that's a sign that those two, now one since the other got electricuted by my nice box, where just passing thru on their way to never come back! If moth balls would help keep them at bay what about that ammonia. I imagine that smell would be much worse. I'm glad my be is up high if it weren't you would have me scared to death! Please no more talk like that! LOL It sits a full 38 inches off the ground and the legs are large so not easy to wrap around to climb. The wood side board is a full 15 inches from the ground. Anyway did laundry today and just removed the bedskirt and won't put it back on until I've had three months of no sitings. The men that came out to rodent proof the house are exterminators. My building is in like a little community type thing with shopping etc. They have regular maintenance that clean and such and then other departments for pluming, cabinetry, painting, exterminators. I actually had to wait over the weekend because the exterminators don't work weekends. Anyway thanks for all the great advice and I will be doing another check and visiting Home Depot for some steel wool and that foam stuff. Just in case I find anything. I've seen them do it so I can take care of it myself instead of waiting for them to come out. I actually got my phobia later in life( recently actually) My job had the biggest RATS I have ever seen except in the subway. I stepped on one coming out of the office once and well it was a scene for Americas Funniest home Videos. I was running in a circle trying to get away and it was runnign in a circle I ended up running into a pole because I was looking behind me to make sure it wasn't going my way. The thing that got me was they were around the office and didn't seem to mind us seeing them. Why come out when there are so many people around. Made me think they are not scared of us. Didn't help that a coworker then told me a story how a place were he worked a big RAT was on its hind legs screeching at them. She was protecting her babies. Yup since then I've got the big time fear!