Dear Reader:

Now I know it is August and school opens again…just around the corner. Why?  Mother Nature has dropped lots and lots of “hints” in the yard.

The pine tree droppings sneak in on me every August. Up until then the challenge to lawn maintenance is simply cutting the grass and watering. Suddenly cutting becomes a challenge because chewed pine cones and needles are scattered everywhere around the yard….making it hazardous to the pusher and/or driver. Frankly, pine trees make a mess and they are accompanied by their fellow culprits….the squirrels!

Last evening as I watered the lawn and garden again *(What was that high percent of rain predicted for us?) I heard a few strains of horns and the memories came rushing back. When the high school starts band practice….the pine trees start dropping any and everything they can to annoy us. A unsavory ritual that precedes the coming of Fall. (If it will bring cooler temps and more rain…I will gladly ‘pay the price’ again this year-the pick-up game!)

I particularly dislike picking up the “chewed corn-on-the cob” cones….it looks like the squirrels had a corn-on-the cob party and threw down the ravished cobs any where they wanted to….like on the top of my car!

I decided to do a little research on the “Dog Days of August” squirrel cones that play havoc with my yard each year about this time.

One article answered another woman’s question about chewed pine cones and the mess they made and got this answer.

...”Anyway, I need you to look up in the tree. Do you see squirrels? They are the culprits. They will chew the green pine cone, stripping it to get to the seeds inside each cone bract. When finished, they drop the cone down from the tree where it dries and remains for us to find with the lawn mower.

It appears cone-shaped with the scattered bracts. The frequency of this depends on your squirrel population. It must be a good year for tasty pine cone seeds. Once squirrels find your location, they tend to remember it. Expect them yearly if you have cones.”

Well that response was a little depressing….apparently the squirrels have me on their GPS (Global “Pest” System) and now will return year after year after year. At least the band sounds good this year and helps me ‘keep the beat’ while picking up pine tree debris.

I always get the feeling that those little pesky squirrels are chewing away laughing down at me from the top of the trees….in fact every now and then I get bonked by a gnawed, chewed cone. Not nice manners!

So until tomorrow…Did you know squirrels plant millions of trees because they forget where they planted their nuts? Maybe we can all take that lesson from the squirrels and stop worrying about forgetting….we might be doing the universe a favor>

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Delights of the Day:

*Thanks God for waking me up last night with the lightning and thunder to let me know it was raining and I could sleep in a little longer this morning and not water…..Your percentage of rain is always 100% predictability! Nothing is more beautiful to plants than a “natural” drink of water from heaven and a visual delight to the gardener! A great day indeed!