Threatened Tomatoes

Bright and early Friday morning around 6:45, Squirt and I went outside for the first yard perimeter check of the day. We walked along the back deck to the gate and as I opened the gate, I noticed the grass had been crushed in small areas. I got off of the deck for a closer look - EGAD - there were moose tracks imprinted in the freshly cut grass. You could see them plain as day in certain areas where they stomped a little harder. As my eyes followed the indentions, panic started to set in. A pair of moose walked right by the tomatoes and our plants are now starting to produce!

Normally, I would have grabbed Squirt until I had established there were no moose in the yard or within his line of sight. But this time, thoughts of a stripped stalk standing there were racing through my mind and I hurried around the tree. Whew....all the little green and lightly colored orange balls were still in tact. What a close call.

While I was mentally processing the threat to the tomatoes and establishing they were OK, Squirt was going nuts running around the yard following the tracks the moose left. I am not sure he associates the smells and tracks a with those really big, brown "dogs" we see every now and then but he knows something besides him was in the yard.

I checked out a couple other hanging flower baskets and all appeared to be in the same state we left them the previous night. Even the apples and raspberries successfully avoided eating and tromping by this pair.

BTW - I hope you are duly impressed by the fact I could tell there were two moose in the yard just by the tracks on the grass. It could have been one moose frolicking....

OK - I confess - As I walked back up the steps I heard "Crunch Crunch Crunch". Looking in the back yard 2 houses down, I saw Momma and Baby moose (who isn't so much of a baby anymore) munching on the neighbor's trees. Squirt never saw them but he did scare the moose on down the trail once he started to inform the entire neighborhood he had been a good boy and should get a biscuit. :)