# 221 - Beady-Eyed Vandals - Chickens!

Deputy Dave keeps plowing ahead, literally, whether or not the house is up for sale. Since we have chickens in the backyard, he decided to surround the veggie garden area in a nice high skirt of bird-chicken netting.

I said, "Why plant all of these veggies when we're just going to sell the house?"

He says, "I guess the new owners will get to enjoy all of our vegetables."

I know the truth is...he can't stand for the vegetable garden area to remain barren. Heck, I've had my own seedlings hidden in the dark recesses of our closet, waiting to sprout and I keep planting fresh replenishment seedlings, knowing that the NEED within me to GROW food is overwhelming.

We are whipped.

I hope the new owners of our house, if they ever show up, will be happy to harvest their Big Boy tomatoes and their own garlic, onions, potatoes and on and on. Shoot, I hope they like to cook with fresh herbs because we have several growing hardy and full in the backyard. Especially our Rosemary; chickens don't like Rosemary.

You can see our Rosemary growing against the garage in the background.

As many people know, Rosemary is an herb that grows like a shrub and is impervious to just about anything that would otherwise cause the destruction of a lesser plant. If you need a boost to your "green thumb" status, grow some Rosemary.

My fresh Sweet Basil is a staple of our household. Often, I step outside to simply rub a leaf of Basil and to inhale its powerful, delightful fragrance. I think one of my rooms in Heaven will be full of this smell. Yes, I expect to experience incredible smells in Heaven and to never again be subjected to the foul side of the power that comes with having a sensitive nose.

So, in spite of the chickens battling for a taste of the garden, Deputy Dave continues planting and watering and caring for his vegetables. Sadly, the chickens did break through the barrier this week and ate all of the budding lettuce, obviously one of their favorites that they were willing to chance dying to obtain.

Chickens can be vicious robbers without any regard for personal safety when it comes to setting their beady eyes on a goodie they desire. Lately, I've learned they'll even fight an Australian Shepherd for a swallow of something they feel entitled to steal.

Chickens...they are little warriors for their own cause...scavengers with unbridled passion.

I just hope we either successfully keep the chickens out of our garden here at our house located in the city, at least long enough for us to reap the rewards of most of what we've sown or that we get moved, quickly, to the country so the chickens can enjoy their domain, far from our garden zone.

Any trespassers might be in danger of being added to the dumplings.

This year, I won't have my tomatoes picked, pecked, scratched and pulverized by chickens. The line in the dirt is drawn. We've learned our lesson about chickens and gardening. Last season, I could clearly see that the chickens would quickly destroy the entire garden. Sure, they control bugs in a garden, but they mainly do it by eating the bugs and by destroying all good things for the bugs to feast upon...leaving nothing behind for you or the bugs to savor.

I fought a good fight against this scene, but it took a good, hard lesson of garden carnage for reality to sink in about chickens and pests. For me, the delight in seeing the chickens flounce around in the garden was not worth the knowledge that the plants would not be able to endure their constant "fowl" presence. The chickens caused the plants to live under additional "stress" that was not good for their overall health, especially in a drought that we might have otherwise been able to combat in backyard conditions. It was a hard thing to watch my beloved tomato plants slowly succumb to chicken attacks.

Even though I adore my chickens, I also adore our home-grown vegetables and do not want to sacrifice one for the other. I took my stance early-on in this regard. Chickens and gardens do not easily mix.

Being new to chickens this past year, it's a good thing we learned this lesson on a rather small scale in our backyard. It would have been a royal pain to learn it on our acreage with a vast personal garden. Being vandalized by a feathered creature is a lesson well learned.

As for the garden we'll have in the country, I can imagine one of the garden signs might read,

"Beady-Eyed Chicken Vandals NOT Allowed!

Punishment range for violators will include

a thorough dipping in beer batter!"