What a funny story CI. You might try picking up a few pullets from a feed store this spring or at a poultry swap or auction. The blue/green eggs are the coolest thing! I haven't got any pink layers but can only imagine the thrill. I do have one that lays a deep dark brownish pink though. I just love the different colors. -Sheila

QUOTE: In addition, snails have great homing instincts, so if you fire them over the fence into your neighbour's yard, they will find their way back. That's cetainly reassuring. My thoughts on the matter: It's a good thing in historical times they did not use "carrier snails" to bring the news from the frontlines to headquarters. "Send reinforcements." ______________________________________________ QUOTE (AlmostHooked) Just a thought as you can purchase a 250 fot coil of it for around $50 and there is 3 wires in each foot, Has anyone tried this or is it hogwash? My thoughts on the matter: I'd think it nice to hire old gray-haired hippies to braid you a copper bracelet to go around the neck of all your pots, and have a couple of arm and leg bracelets made for you and Myrle to ward off arthritis. Copper is such a grand cure-all....so why not prevent slugs........and you'd be giving an old-timer some honest work. That said, I saw that Pieterje's pots had them around the necks, and saw how some really large snails (in pictures from Europe) had GIGANTIC snails stopped by copper PIPE, and so I caved and bought some of that sticky-back copper tape for my ceramic hosta pots. And some others too. Did it work, you ask? Well, who knows..it looks pretty....makes me feel like I'm really gardening now, ya know......and let's face it, we had slugs raining down on us with lots of rainy soggy weather, and they were everywhere. So I was fighting the war on too many fronts last year to know what one thing actually HELPED. The thing I believe helped the most was learning to NOT PUT THE BAIT IN THE POT WITH THE HOSTA. Duhhhh, I mean, what if it kills a slug intent on eating a WEED not a HOSTA....I mean, is there an issue of killing a GOOD slug moral issue to be resolved? You know how they say life forms have sensitivities and sensabilities, and after all a slug IS a "life form"........but I haven't removed the tape, I like it. So what if bait scattered in the moist areas and NOT in the pots is what reduced the slug problem. I'd use both option A. Copper Tape and B. Bait .....regardless.

You're going to have more trouble than the birds are. Birds are immune to the effects of capsaicin, unlike mammals (I figured out that the squirrel digging in my potted peppers was burying nuts in the nice soft dirt, he didn't nibble. But the turkeys were eating the peppers in the garden til I put the deer netting we'd taken down for Irene back up.). In fact, they often include dried chiles in parrot mixes. Too bad for your friend, though.

All in all its been a fun and tiring weekend! So far I worked 7 1/2 hours Friday, 9 hours Sat and 7 hours yesterday...today is supposed to be 7. Its retail so its busy...I have 2 days off in a row tomorrow and Wed and then working similar hours until next Wed. Everyone has been super nice!! I felt at home right away!! I am starting to second guess the caf job now. I am still going to go thru the paperwork to start working and just play it by ear thru the holidays. Thanks for all the support and I will check in when time allows!! Cheers! Susie