Well, that does make me feel a little better, mad@mickey. I was contemplating doing exactly that with the persimmons, and may still. In my experience with our patio nectarine, they will chew through netting to get to fruit if it's close to the netting. But if you net a whole tree it should protect some of the fruit. But, like the asian pear, nothing's bothered the persimmon til now, so i'm going to hope hope hope. And, like you, i can't figure out how much of anything got the higher fruit in the pear. It was up pretty high- it takes a ladder for me to get to it. So far, small coons is the only thing that makes sense, but i guess squirrels maybe could, too. They usually have left messes and haven't stripped stuff when they've stolen before, though. Jay, yes that occurred to me. It also occurred to get one of the motion sensor hose sprayers. We'll see what happens, but if it continues to happen with the other fruit it may be time to do something along those lines. John, i totally agree. Ed landscaping is a great idea in theory but you have to be really careful in siting or it becomes difficult to harvest or protect. And you're also right in that some of the fruit bearing stuff looks nasty once it's done (my apples for example). In the backyard i'm not going to try to do as much mixing- it'll be more room and easier access. 'course it's a bit harder to protect too. Wonder how much one of those batting cage screens cost? :) In all seriousness, we were at siglinda scarpa's place this past weekend and she had her whole garden netted over. I've also seen it done with large blueberry patches- you build a frame & attach the netting and have a door you go in. I really do wonder if that would be smart for a concentrated area? Hosta, i'll keep my eyes peeled. I hope it is critters and not people. A little here & there i wouldn't mind for people, esp if they asked, but wholesale stealing is just ugly. Why do folks feel so entitled?

okay

Ok, I've had a laugh about the eye allergy thing. That is just too funny. Because honestly I have two that do have that issue. Well.... 3. DH, DD and MIL. However, I can one-up you all on that. How do I deal with a person who believes and I mean seriously believes that my house plants take oxygen out of the air? Honest to gods, My MIL believes this with all her silly little heart that the house plants take oxygen out of the air! LOL And she's starting to convince my DH of the same silly notion! *groans* It's absolutely silly, to be honest. And I just do not know how to cope with it. Nor have I figured out how to teach them both that they are wrong! LOL =) I've gone the passive aggressive route so far. Each time either of them mentions that my plants take oxygen out of the air, I go buy another one. ROTF ~Tina

Wireless consumer cameras usually transmit the video information over a 2.4Ghz frequency as an analog or digital signal - the same used by your wireless internet, cordless phone, and microwave oven - very crowded and prone to interference and errors. Wireless IP cameras use the same frequency but on your home wireless network - but still prone to interfernce and DHCP issues created after a power failure or glitch. The best answer is a hard-wired camera/DVR solution (such as the Swann units from Costco with CCD cameras w/IR illumination) that connects to your LAN or the internet using DDNS hosting. While you can use one of the cameras as a "baby-monitor" they usually don't include audio due to state/federal laws, and it may not be the best solution as you need a computer/tablet with you at all times. Most people often feel more comfortable with stand-alone wireless camera/handheld monitor with audio that they can carry from room to room with them.