Dharma in the Dirt

I wish I knew how to get rid of the gophers that enjoy a midnight romp in my yard. I've tried poison but they just move to another part of the yard. I 'd like to use a non-lethal way to make them leave. If anyone has a remedy I'd like to know.

Now as to hemlock in the garden. Is it poisonous to other animals, like my dog?
I know the Hemlock Society probably has a yard full.

The Greens restaurant is quite famous. several years ago they had a cookbook that was available.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am: a little work, some play, some excercise, and a little relaxation.

And happy Mother's Day to all of our moms on Sunday.

To: Spinner: did the house get clean to your satisfaction?

To: ExPat:
Yes, and to the satisfaction of my husband who is really not all that particular anyway. By the way, we will be coming out your way for a visit with the kids the middle of next month. They live in Culver City.

A lot of attractive plants are poisonous. Mistletoe, poinsettia, holly berries, to name a few. We seem to be able to live with them in our midst. And we don't seem to have much of a problem with gophers here in KY, just moles. And that we do!

To: Spinner:

Thanks for info on the plants......I didn't know the poinsettia was toxic.

When you come to visit see if you can schedule a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. It's not far from Culver City. You can get a double ticket which gets you into the Aquarium and the Queen Mary next door. The Aquarium is an amazing exhibition of sea life. And the Queen Mary? It's the grand old ship of the seas.

If you haven't been to the Getty Museum just up the freeway from Culver City give it a try. It's free. You just have to call ahead and reserve parking. Parking is (or was) $10.00. It might be a few more dollars. It's great architecture and artwork. Van Gogh's "Irises" is on exhibit. It looks like it did when Van Gogh painted it: bright, colorful, and impressive.

Happy Mothers Day, Spinner.

Here in the deep South moles thrive, as do most things in our unfailing nigh-tropical humidity and three-digit temperatures. To thrive, ourselves, we wear big-brimmed hats, carry a sun-umbrella, never go un-sun-screened, and drink. Constantly.

As to drive-out-moles recipes, I've tried everything recommended by my garden store-lady, hardware-store-man, pharmacist, and -- almost -- passing strangers, to no avail. If I could but make the potions and obeah voodoo created out on our coastal islands, I'd give those a try.

JP's farm 'reads lovely': An idyllic, time-out-of-mind place of blue-green grasses.

To: Georgia:

If you ever get any of those voodoo receipes let me know, I'd try anything to be rid of these pesky gophers.

Perhaps I could get a potion that would convince them my neighbor's garden is the best place to be. Come to think about it, my neighbor's garden doesn't have a gopher problem......perhaps they have a few recipes and a cookbook I know nothing about!

We ended up using mole traps. Killed them, but got rid of them. Also, water down their holes worked until they dug more holes...

To ExPat:
We are talking a home-schooling family here. They have family memberships to everything and we have been to them as well: Aquarium of the Pacific (where the 4yo. g-child could give the shark lecture), the LA Zoo, the SD Zoo, Animal Park, Aquarium, LA Natural Hist. Museum. Been to La Brea Tar Pits, Getty Museum for the big Van Gogh exhibit. Most every day they go someplace like that. Except for the days when they go to the library or for her horseback riding lesson. They are definitely taking advantage of living in LA and environs. Of course, Disney Land is also on that list of memberships.

To: Spinner:

There is more to Los Angeles than people realize. Your family has discovered its treasures.

I believe the L.A.Zoo has recently re-opened it's gorilla exhibit.......

I recall now that you've been to L.A. before because you once mentioned the Autry Museum. One of my favorites. Incidently, the Observatory in Griffith Park has re-opened after extensive renovations.

Enjoy your family and your visit!

It's late in the evening and I'm the first one to mention Socrates in relation to the Hemlock? In the immortal words of Claude Rains, "I am shocked! Shocked!"

My clients always notice the rooftop gardens in New York City. Manhattan Island is only 13 miles long and two-and-a-half miles wide so there is no free space. The rooftop gardens (like the one Andie MacDowell tended in GREEN CARD) are a great solution and tend to be free of such pests as moles and gophers.

There are also, of course, community gardens throughout the city. The government provides the land on empty plots, often in between the buildings whose inhabitants tend the garden. Some of them are lovely while others are comparatively untended. It all depends on the level of interest in the neighborhood.

To Spinner:

I was also homeschooled. But I did not have the advantage of growing up in a cultural mecca. After I moved to the city, I always said that I would leave when it was time to have kids. But I didn't. And, now that my daughter is growing, I'm truly glad to have stayed. I'm delighted that she has the American Museum of Natural History, the Children's Museum of the Arts, and other such institutions that I never had, right here at her fingertips.