Elizabeth’s Journal

Does Cayenne Pepper Really Work?

I felt like a real gardener today—jeans on with a hole in one knee and a T-shirt, gloves firmly on hands, with a big old shovel digging holes in the dirt. Woo hoo! I got everything done in the front that I wanted to—the weed bed around the electrical box was weeded and the earth turned, then after lunch, while Joy & Brian accompanied Jonathan to the park, I planted all the plants we’d arranged there. I’ve decided to get some white stone edging to put around the area, but that can be done next week. It should look quite smart. I also raked all the leaves (again, seems I just did that last weekend) and swept the sidewalk and driveway so that it would look particularly nice when Dale drove home—this was a surprise to him, as I hadn’t shared our trip to Lowe’s with him yesterday and we’d hidden the plants down the side of the house. He said nice things about it; he knows what’s good for him.

Now, if only the damn deer don’t eat it all! I was reminded by someone walking her dog this afternoon that cayenne pepper can be a deterrent against the deer, so I carefully sprinkled most of what I had over everything out there. We’ll see if there’s anything left in the morning. Tomorrow I shall be hard at work in the back garden, assuming I can still move.