Three things make a post

[hedda62]

Things That Are Surprisingly Like Barrayaran Political Strategy: vegetable garden planning. I am seriously thinking of investing in some colored plastic flimsies to represent crop rotation, succession planting, etc. (This is for the large demo garden I help run, not my own small collection of raised beds, though I could stand some planning there too.)

Things You Wish Reporters Would Ask: I was listening to NPR last evening and there was a story about Burmese pythons in Florida, how they got loose and are wreaking havoc among the local wildlife, 99% reduction in raccoon populations, 85% or something in deer, and they went on with a good discussion about possible other factors like habitat and water loss and so forth, and meanwhile I am sitting there saying THEY EAT DEER? I'm assuming these are the same whitetails we have in excess around here (SEND THE PYTHONS) rather than some exotic Florida form of mousedeer or dik-dik. (My neighbors just got back from a trip to Kenya. Great photos. Dik-dik aw.) Seems... a large initial bite. *has The Little Prince pictures in head* Not to joke, this is a real problem, but I suspect it won't be solved unless the pythons start eating cats and Chihuahuas in large quantities.

Things, Um, About TV: For whatever reason I am still intermittently catching up on "Once Upon a Time" which continues amusingly overacted and hovering on the edge of interesting plotting but not falling over. The most recent episode featured Richard Schiff being obviously bored as King Leopold (Apparently Snow White's Father), his one moment of animation occurring ironically as he was being bitten to death by vicious snakes (not Burmese pythons). And speaking of actors turning up in unexpected places, Hilarie Burton was on "Castle" last week, very not-Sara as a Kim Kardashian clone (with a dog the right size for a python snack), excellent work. And I hear Shirley Maclaine is going to play Lady Grantham's mother on season 3 of "Downton Abbey." Myself, I am not yet finished season 1, in which I am enjoying Penelope Wilton not being the Prime Minister, and Sam Tyler's mother as the head housemaid.

Comments

[bloomingpol]

You're going to have a hard time getting that python thing out of your head, I predict. We can see that in every paragraph. Don't dream about them. Sorry, I shouldn't have put THAT idea in your head.

And remember, importing pests to get rid of other pests is a bad idea. Just think, if crocuses are blooming in MD in January, how long will it take for the pythons to say, "Gee, it must be warm enough there for us to survive the winter, and I hear there are lots of deer in the suburbs." Don't give them a head start.

[hedda62]

Yes, in fact it was mentioned in the piece that there's no reason the pythons couldn't move north if they figure out how to survive the winters. Although the irregular weather is worse than solid months of cold for a lot of species, plant and animal - we really could have a blizzard next week, and everything's out there moving around and growing and eating things.

[bloomingpol]

I hope I didn't sound too snarky in my comment, I've spent my day on line, saying my piece about what is going on in NH, and it's hard to switch gears.
We had light snow today, I doubt we've had more than a couple inches, including last night's. It's been the warmest January I ever remember in New England. We keep counting the mud seasons, which are usually only one in late March, early April, when the ground starts to thaw and all the dirt roads, of which NH has many, become extremely messy. Our dirt driveway has frozen the top couple of inches and then thawed again at least 5 times so far, that I remember. Not sure exactly what that does to my perennials. No snow cover to protect them. But of course, we too could have feet of snow soon, we sure had feet of snow on Halloween!