Washington state is not liberal in any sense by 'vote of the people' when it comes to trapping - any type and style of body hold trap to any animal wearing fur is illegal. That includes our lawn moles, but enforcement against persons using mole traps isn't common....the legislation wording made it applicable to even moles, it wasn't well thought out on more than one level. And yes, what looks good on paper to the voting public in the larger urban areas doesn't often work out well for those of us who actually interact with the issues in less populated areas. We're free to live trap them ourselves, or pay a professional to do that and it could come to the hiring, I was hoping to resolve the problem without spending money on raccoons. I can only relocate legally as far as our animal control facility site, no permit is available for relocation of raccoon. Taz, a barrel type trap might be something they haven't encountered and could be worth a try. That could make more sense than anything anyone of authority has suggested to me yet :)

Well, just in case my niece is looking in.... Vanessa Baillie, greetings from all your aunts, uncles and cousins in Ontario....Toronto mostly, send you all good tidings and await your return to frosty Canada. We're sure you are enjoying yourself in all that sunshine of Brisbane...we're all freezing still....but I'm sure you already know that from that software you and Andrew converse with. We'll be putting out our annuals in the next couple of weeks. Tulips and daffs are all up and blooming great. Your mom and dad are really excited aren't they about their cruise to the Mediterranean.....your dad's even got a tux for those formal occasions. We are all envious....but happy for them. If you see this by chance....stay well and happy. Diane & everybody.

There is a pretty fine line of what is considered a 'beneficial' layer of thatch and what is too much and detriment to lawn health. More than 1/2" and you are heading into areas where the thatch build-up will compromise lawn health. And to be perfectly honest, thatch removal is not a bad thing - rarely does one encounter a dethatched lawn that is not more healthy than it was prior to thatch removal. Ringer's Restore is perfectly acceptable. But it is only one of various organic fertilizer that can be used on a lawn. Seed meals and Milorganite are very popular and tend to be far less expensive than packaged organic lawn ferts. Most who follow organic lawn care tend to just hang out on the regular Lawn Care forum :-) If you ask for organic solutions or methods there, they will be provided. It is difficult to be 100% organic when it comes to lawn care - not impossible with a lot of work but still more difficult than many care to dedicate the time and effort to - and anything other than 100% organic here tends to get greeted with derision and condescension and rude remarks if you do not follow someone else's 100% organic protocol!! Just saying............. btw, I'd suggest core aeration as a fundamental step in your lawn care program.

Hi garden_gal and Irma, it’s so good to hear from you both again and gratifying that you remember my little garden. In answer to your questions, we do still live in the same house. The garden looked wonderful for several years but the shrubs eventually grew very large and many of the plants died off or had to be removed. I have found it increasingly difficult to find pesticide free butterfly host plants and attractors but this is my mission again this year. The garden has evolved but I am happy to report that it is indeed still alive with butterflies, bees and hummers!