When I lived west of Austin in the 1970s, I had a 12-foot-above-ground deer fence with a 4-foot bury around a quarter acre garden to keep out both the deer and the rabbits. (A four-foot bury worked there because it rested on limestone bedrock.) Gardening/farming is not the idyll it might seem to be.

I'm in the middle of mowing and raking (by hand!) my mulch paddocks. Then I throw it in the trailer hooked on to my old Landcruiser (used to do it by wheelbarrow but have so much mulch this year after a good rainy season!) I do this usually twice a year and use it for my no-dig veggie garden and fruit trees.

A few of my neighbours mow their paddocks as soon as the grass grows a couple of inches! What a waste of fuel (and time). I say mine are paddocks for goodness sake not parks! And all that lovely non polluted mulch for free!

I just planted a windbreak of Brazilian Cherries. They taste pretty good too, not quite as good as regular cherries like we grew back in Oregon but a nice sub tropical tree.

I'm always planting something around here! In twenty years it's gotten alot bushier. Lots of (about 2 out of the six and a half acres) wildlife hang outs! All I do is remove any weedlike growth from that area and the rest is natural with lots of hideouts! I love seeing the flattened vegetation where the Wallabies have been laying around under the trees! And the snakes love it of course (that part is for Regina)

Earth day is on my calander because it was made by my niece-in-law. She was even one of those chosen, by Al Gore, to spread the word here in Oz.

I remember that Ecology symbol. I hadn't seen it in yrs...

Sue,
Do you realize that you can eat gray squirril. I tried my first one the other day, it tasted realy good, a differant taste though a little like Lambs kidneys.

How healthy and ecological can you get, help reduce damage to trees and plants, local organic free range low fat meat.

I know you can eat squirrel; I'm just not interested in consuming them! It's also not legal to nab them in a residential area. We've got some healthy ones; they've been living off people's bird feeders all winter.

I seem to remember reading something in the papers, back in the day (early 70s), that Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul & Mary) was arrested or fined for flying an Eco-flag in her front yard. Back then, you could get arrested for wearing a flag if you had long hair. There was a store in New Britain, CT that was selling bell bottoms made out of red, white & blue bunting material. The "authorities" confiscated all of them because it was considered defacing the flag. There was an area band (I think it was "The Orphans" but I'm not sure) that had a band van with a US flag with a peace symbol for the star field painted on the van. I believe they were pulled over by the police. My, how times have changed!

bev, my favorite gal from manchester! (you are a cutie)

i once fed an outside squirrel a peanut from my teeth!

it might be a little shabby of me though to then turn around and shoot him :)

at the same time if you eat meat...in some way or other, that is where it comes from!

I bet that critter said "WOW! That's the biggest nut I ever saw". And I ain't talking 'bout the peanut!

I've had squirrel before & it was really good. Haven't had it in yrs tho...

Y'all know how to catch a squirrel right?

you climb a tree and act like a nut.

Y'all are making me hungry.....I think.

maybe we can get Granny Clampett to fix us some opossum inards.

cecile: bad timing a rabbit showing up for dinner. would be great in the fall. altho i haven't eaten rabbit (hare) in a very long time, i'm sure i'd still like it. as with every wild meat, people will tell you it taste like chicken. but i think it has it's own unique flavor...

*Parboiled for about 45 minutes, with onion and garlic ( real not powder) Add salt & pepper to taste

* then add your fav breading, and fry em up....

*** Kinda like that verse outta that song "Johnny Cash' does 'Country Boy'........ " We're a gonna have fry tonight"..

But the garden comes first, as to add the carrots ect... Sounds like this rabbit has a head start.... * I'd suggest a firm chicken wire fence, bout 4' tall... Keeping out most rodents.... Rabbit sure doesn't sound appetizing, when you remember their in the rodent category.....

* Altho it is ausome when cooked proper...

When you eat rodents, you get to hear BAM! twice. Once when you shoot the varment and once when you get Emeril to cook it for you. BAM!!!

Squirrels around here are pretty tough. They beat up visitors who come to the city I live in.

Them urban squirrels is tough. They roam around in gangs, steal breadcrumbs from pidgeons and flash gang signs with their tails.