Teardrop Trail Log: June 15, 2016
Raccoons like tomatoes
Whenever we set out on the Teardrop Trail, a very good friend will watch the house, feed the pets and water the garden. It is nice to know that someone is stopping by everyday, especially someone who knows the place. June is one of the high points for gardening in Texas – ripe tomatoes, plentiful green beans and much more. It has been a pleasure to share the bounty with Jason and Courtney while we traveled. As we were driving, Jim received a text from Jason accompanied by photos of ravaged tomatoes from the garden.
In past years, the rabbits had invaded when we hit the Teardrop Trail for Red Power Round Up. I had set about rabbit-proofing the garden fence after last year’s raids. 100 linear feet of bright green chicken wire were applied around the external fence. A careful final inspection revealed a secured perimeter. I kept checking for any invasions just to make sure things were secure for this trip.
Jason mentioned that the chicken wire was still in place and no identifiable animal tracks were visible along the fence. We asked about raccoons. Some had been spotted at different times. I had been suspicious about earlier invasions of my compost pile which was secured around a stout wire fence. I’d thought back. Upon closer inspection of the photos, the bite marks looked familiar… Raccoons can climb OVER fences… Even miles and miles away, our food wasn’t safe… Raccoons take 3.
Just another reason for why we DON’T want racoons in Sweden!!! They have invaded Germany and are causing all kinds of problems, but some people think they are so cute and feed them. But we are doing everything possible to keep the out of here. One dead one was found along the southern coast during the past year, which caused great concern. Let’s hope we are successfull in our efforts.