Gardens, Rain, Chipmunk, Delta, Endocrinologist

The neighbor had someone mow and use the weedeater on the lawn today as it was threatening to storm. It did rain quite a bit when he quit. He ran with the push mower after he finished with the riding mower. Tommy said he was running with the weedeater as it rained on him, getting back to his truck. So, it will look nice and neat for a week. 

That is the only bad thing about living in such a rainy place--grass needs mowing all the time. Of course, the tomatoes and other vegetables thrive, too.  In about a month or less, people will be begging for rain and gardens will be too dry. 

Because all vegetables were eaten except for two grape tomatoes and two tiny squashes, I did not plant one thing this year! I may have figured out what was eating my vegetables. Yesterday, I saw a little striped chipmunk scurrying along the ground under the ramp. I suppose they eat vegetables. They did eat all the roots and tops of my Hosta! 

I have only seen one cat in this neighborhood, one sighting, I mean. Cats will get the chipmunks and kill them. So, there are no natural predators for the pests. I wonder why so few people have outdoor cats. I have never felt this way before, but I am not going to fight to keep things alive and watch ripe vegetables disappear. 

Remember I bought Jimmy Dean sausage because Tommy cannot stand the Johnsonville sausage? Well, today I cooked the package of Jimmy Dean sausage and he loved it. So, I will have that ready for him to eat on mornings we leave town early and he would ordinarily stop at Hardee's. I hated to insist he eat something he did not like. He sort of enjoys stopping for his sausage biscuit. So, now he can eat this sausage he enjoys with bread at home unless I buy or make biscuits. 

When I make him a salad, he complains I give him too much. So, now, I tell him to go fix a salad and he comes back with a huge plate full of salad, three times what I serve him. He found carrots shreds and uses it all the time, along with salad greens of all sorts. He keeps all things salad very organized in the refrigerator. Plus, I keep other vegetables sliced or diced for him. Tonight, we are having spaghetti and meatballs and salad. He will have sliced zucchini, bell peppers, and carrot shreds on top. 

He hates mushrooms, so I have a little jar of mushrooms that will go into my sauce once I dish it up. His will not have a mushroom at all. I would hate it if someone insisted I should eat something I hate. But, I tell him to pick out mushrooms and I will eat them. 

Although I have had some positives from my endocrinologist, I am replacing him! He is not giving me refills on items I need. He has started to become lippy with me, too. I do not need a smart mouth when I am in need of help and advice. At my last visit, he did not refill anything even though we discussed what I needed! My friend told me who he goes to, and I will try him. 

More cases of covid19 are seen here in Alabama. I was going to go and have the stents put in arteries. Now, I am once again hesitant to go anywhere near the hospital. Of course, Alabama is the least vaccinated state in the Union at 32%.  

Have you found that striped chipmunks get into your garden? How do you eliminate them? Are you hesitant once again after the Delta variant has become more prevalent? What percent of your state is fully vaccinated?