"Spicy" Brew for the Bushy Tails

Today's Monday Metamorphosis has to do with the "changing of the yards" around our house. It's not Buckingham Palace, by any means, but it's a good house with a back and front yard that serve our family well.

The backyard has a gravel patio and a fountain my husband installed last fall. The post on this project can be found here: http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2010/10/dreams-do-come-true-for-metamorphosis.html There's a picnic table and chairs that have, thankfully, survived the winter.

When the warm weather arrives, the big umbrella will be brought out from the storage shed and placed over the table.

The table and chairs set looked like this a short time ago:

Now, it looks like this:

That's progress!  That's the fountain, to the right, all covered up with plastic and waiting for the "real" spring to arrive.

The rest of this post is about squirrels and how they like to destroy our yards!  Last fall, it was thrilling to find daffodil and tulip bulbs at the Christmas Tree Shops.  We planted them in the front yard, dreaming of the beautiful flowers that would come up and grace our yard this spring.

Well, the pesky little rodents have already dug up one of the bulbs. Just a hole, shown at right,  remains. They may be thinking there's a smorgasbord planted, just for them, but they've got another thought coming.



The dug up bulb called for swift but humane action. Reading about the ability of cayenne pepper to deter squirrels from raiding the bulbs and other plants,  I took it a step further and mixed together cayenne pepper,  crushed red peppers, and half a jar of jalapeno peppers and their juice. It turned out to be a potent brew.

To that mixture, I added some water, then went outside, and poured the cocktail on all the little daffodil and tulip shoots coming out of the ground.

This is not a mixture to serve to guests!  I was afraid breathing in the fumes coming from it would sear my lungs. 

If  it works in deterring the wretched squirrels, I'll let you know. It is my fondest hope that sooner than later, the little tulip tips will result in pretty flower bouquets such as this:

Today Writing Straight from the Heart has joined Metamorphosis Monday on Susan's blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to go there to check out other home projects. Just click http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/   .