It's a new year, and the sun is shining, with a vengeance I must say, but it is good to be alive, I am smiling and sending up praises, as for the first time during all this years of my war with the bally creeper moles, I had killed one, and actually saw what the little critters look like! After trying all the lotions and potions on the market, and even Ronalee's killer bubblegum, I was at my wit's end, as it is heartbreaking to come out in the morning and a whole bed of newly planted seedlings are destroyed. The bubblegum did not work for me, but Ronalee had two dead moles after inserting a quarter of a chappie into their tunnels! And, she stressed, her informant said that only chappies worked! I think my moles had a party with all that yummy stuff, chewing and giggling with pleasure, for the day after I stuck it into their holes, there was much activity, but not one dead mole! So much for that!
I had a lot of insects eating away at my veggie leaves, so the Co-op  gave me a holder with insecticide granules, and that stuff was potent enough to hit you with great force, taking your breathe completely out of your chest! So, yesterday morning when I found my Capsicum seedlings that I had planted out lying all limp and sad, I really lost it! As it is with me, I challenge every god there is in my quest as to why they allow such a lot of destruction! Been waiting for years for an answer, or some help with a pest to wipe out the little horrors! So I thought about this granules, and with glee and joy, I threw spoonfulls of that down the mole tunnels, then washed it further in with the hose! felt very murderous, but really Good, good, good!
And lo and behold, I got up and found a dead mole floating in my pond! So of course, it is no sure case of the granules killing it, but I think the vapours forced out in the open, and not being used to be out and about, it fell into the pond!! And I noticed a lot less activity around my veggie beds.
I was in deep mourning after Jan and the kids left, and for days I just moped around, unable to settle down. But slowly I came to terms with them gone, and started doing things again. It is so wonderful to grow your own veggies, and at the moment I live on my own crops. Potatoes are really good to grow. You need only a small space, and I am still amazed when taking out six to eight potatoes where I have planted only one. Of course it is a struggle, as every morning the planted potatoes would lie above the ground, but with perseverence and patience, and doing the mole dance every morning, the critters gave up, and move to another spot, from where to test my patience, and drive me crazy. The mole dance of course goes like this: Follow the tunnel, first flattening it with your heel, then stamp it lekker vas

 with your toes, like heel toe, step, heel toe, step!!!!! T least my roses are beautiful, and my garden is green.