Battle for the title of PEI's cutest garden gnome.

There's a battle brewing and it isn't pretty. There are several characters vying for the title of all time most adorable garden gnome on Keppoch Road. The first contestant, this little momma. I say that because she looks as though she is either getting ready to, or already is, feeding a litter of babes. Her and her mate are regular visitors to our bird feeders. Here she is sitting underneath the feeder, eating the seeds that have fallen to the ground. She certainly is adorable and a serious contender for Ernie's arch nemesis.

Contesant #2 - The little man himself

What more can I say?

Contestant #3, and I'm not speaking of Ernie, he just decided to plant his butt down in the photo.

They make a cute couple, right? Ernie didn't think so. I put out little gargoyle yesterday afternoon, unbeknownst to Mr. Noogie-san, aka Ernie. This is one of the favoured spots for the squirrels to feed and therefore the first place Noogz bum rushes when you open the door. What a surprise he had when he found this little fella there. First he barked at him, then kicked grass with his hind legs in an attempt to intimidate the stone-faced little fella. When none of these tactics proved successful, he made a tentative approach, sniffed him and then lifted a leg and peed in his eye. Nice, huh? Guess he lost that battle. The declared winner and still champion of the cutest garden gnome in the Enchanted Garden....Ernie-san!

Here he is getting ready to use the sod cutter! Actually, he's just helping his Dad.

After rolling a couple of passes, I discovered a cornucopia of compost feeders which I promptly collected and provided a new home -

And what the hell are these narsty things?

After heeding my father's favourite advice, I googled them and discovered they are yet another pest of PEI. Remember the crows? Well these suckers are June Bug Larvae. According to CBC, the residents of PEI are up in arms because these little creatures are a delicacy to the skunks. In their quest for a tasty little morsel, they are destroying peoples lawns. And, using one of Oprah's favourite sayings, I had an Ah-Ha moment. When we first arrived here, we kept noticing that our lawn had these holes all over the place which looked as though something had been digging. We thought it was the kitty that we saw sitting in the lawn from time to time. Alas, it was the skunks...or raccoons? The other night we had an up close and personal confrontation with a raccoon in the same spot that garden gnome is now. It was digging into the grass. It must have been digging for these creepy little bugs. You know who else likes them....

Once the SF moved away from the veggie patch, a murder of crows quickly descended for a free feast.

The man has made quick work of the veggie patch. I'll post a picture tomorrow of the completed patch. see the fence posts in the back! That's where Rookie's blackberries will come to rest.

Once E clears the rolls of sod, he'll be tilling the patch with some local compost so that it will be fully prepared to produce a bountiful harvest for the summer and fall! I have a feeling someone is going to need a long hot bath tonight. What do you think?