Deer

Interesting Fact: Suburban home owners spend thousands of dollars on replacing landscaping plants defoliated or damaged by deer.

One of my greatest joys when I first moved to Georgia was seeing deer in my yard. Being from South Florida (which believe me is far from being in the South), we never saw deer anywhere. We would stop and admire them along the way home. My sister would even talk to them. (You really have to know Maryann, she is like Eli Mae from the Beverly Hillbillies where animals are concerned..hence the bully bully blog).

The affection for the deer didn't last long with my parents once they discovered the deer eat everything in your yard. My mother was losing her precious plants one by one. One spring she had just planted some new lireiobe, and the dear had visited her yard that evening and plucked them out of the ground and left them beside the holes they had been pulled from. This was one of the first calling cards that the deer left. Another time, she had planted some beautiful hydrangeas (my favorites). The deer ate the mop heads off the plants and left twigs. At this point my mother renamed the deer, "those damn deer. "

I went to visit one day, broad daylight and the "damn deer" were standing in the middle of her drive way. When my dad answered the door he tried to scare them away by clapping and making noise, they just turned and looked at him with those big doe eyes.... I said to my dad, "The next time I pull up to your house, I am going to find them in your rocking chairs, drinking cold adult beverages." His reply..."Those damn dear."

By now my mother had it with the deer. After losing who knows how much in plants, she talks my dad into putting up a deer fence. This an electrified fence designed to keep "the damn deer" out. For anyone moving to Georgia, take my advise, save your money. The "damn deer fence" does not keep the "damn deer out". How do we know? My mother watched the deer swim around the fence that runs along side her yard and down all the way to the lake. Apparently "damn deer" know how to swim.

Then she tried deer repellent...The stuff stinks to high heaven...I have no clue what is in it. In case your are tempted...just put the stuff down and back away from the shelf.

It is just the opposite at my house, I have a beautiful garden my husband planted for me, my hydrangea are doing fine...the deer leave my yard along...I love the deer, We feed them corn way out off the property line..seems to work at my house...B ( just take a look at the picture I took a week ago in my back yard of them eating the corn) but my parents are convinced nothing works. According to them, don't be fooled by those innocent looking doe eyed creatures, it's just an act to fool you into letting them eat your entire yard. And when they are done, they hi-five each other on a job well done, break out the beer and cigars and celebrate.