Seen in Print

[rex desilets]

I see a couple of winters' worth of venison and several nice deerskin jackets

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Wayne, Your version of my front yard is especially well done since you have the deer right where one can see the marks in the snow from their hooves (!) Good eye! And the amount of deer is just about right, too, including their casual attitude. Funny and enjoyable guy.
Murph

[MurphOnMillerAve]

...And your holly and arborvitae bloom? Try thinking outside the box a bit on gardening. Maybe try red barberry? I have 2 large Scotch Broom plants in the front garden that have different variegated blooms and nothing seems to eat those. I have several holly around back - in fact, 4 are total volunteers - they don't touch them -- the deer eat the acorns instead. Try putting something out that the deer prefer instead of your shrubbery

1.(a) The holly - front and back of the house - never had a chance to do anything but succumb. (b) the arborvitae are present because they were here first, before us. All I ask of them is green, not posies.
2. Red Barberry - if they are seriously poisonous, yes, and I am pretty sure I have seen several of them lining a neighbor's driveway, a few houses away, but on the menu lane. I think they have never been abused. When the weather is nicer, I'll walk there and ask if this (see photo) is what they have. I like this suggestion a lot.
3. Large Scotch Broom plants - I've Googled them. Thank you. What inspired to suggest them? Do deer not eat them?
4.Variegated plants - they were the first to go, being, now, the stick-shrubs.
5. If I put "something out that the deer prefer," my neighbors would have me committed, since the deer prefer a buffet, which only includes my part of the neighborhood feast. I don't want to appear as being a deer inviter/lover.

But I Thank You for your interest and feedback.

I noticed the Blue spruce and the Junipers have never been chomped. I'm considering planting more of them.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I see a couple of winters' worth of venison and several nice deerskin jackets

We can't go out into our yards blasting away with guns. Nor can we shoot arrows. The suburb is a bit too closely-knit for that. And I'm not sure I would have the nerve, anyolways, let alone the ability to dress a deer.

Thanks for getting involved in this quest of mine, Rex. It's nice to have your interest and input.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

1.(a) The holly - front and back of the house - never had a chance to do anything but succumb. (b) the arborvitae are present because they were here first, before us. All I ask of them is green, not posies.

Odd. I've never known deer to eat holly or arborvitae. Might be a mercy though to get rid of the arborvitae as over time they decrease in their attractiveness

2. Red Barberry - if they are seriously poisonous, yes, and I am pretty sure I have seen several of them lining a neighbor's driveway, a few houses away, but on the menu lane. I think they have never been abused. When the weather is nicer, I'll walk there and ask if this (see photo) is what they have. I like this suggestion a lot.

I have no idea about their being poisonous - I have several and barbarry come in other than red

3. Large Scotch Broom plants - I've Googled them. Thank you. What inspired to suggest them? Do deer not eat them?

I just like them, they are colorful when in bloom and I've never heard of deer eating them

4.Variegated plants - they were the first to go, being, now, the stick-shrubs.

Then those are off the list

5. If I put "something out that the deer prefer," my neighbors would have me committed, since the deer prefer a buffet, which only includes my part of the neighborhood feast. I don't want to appear as being a deer inviter/lover.

Put something away from your property then - get the community together to re-direct your herd to a location that you collectively control.

I noticed the Blue spruce and the Junipers have never been chomped. I'm considering planting more of them.

Never heard of deer eating blue spruce; juniper can be poisonous (I think...), but ten you cn also make your own gin

I see a couple of winters' worth of venison and several nice deerskin jackets

I concur - maybe you can import a few Amish around to help in population control,

[MurphOnMillerAve]

He can tell his neighbors he's really Santa Claus and that he's auditioning and interviewing some new deer.

Interesting you would say that. The boy on the left actually looked across the dining table, during one Christmas celebration, and asked me, all serious and bright-eyed, "Are you Santa." Then his brother repeated the question to me, and waited for an answer.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Interesting you would say that. The boy on the left actually looked across the dining table, during one Christmas celebration, and asked me, all serious and bright-eyed, "Are you Santa." Then his brother repeated the question to me, and waited for an answer.

One might be tempted to draw some conclusions regarding your hair and girth, but then you lack a beard.

It has been suggested that I take on playing Santa but I lack the girth. And, an appropriate appreciation for young children.....

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Interesting you would say that. The boy on the left actually looked across the dining table, during one Christmas celebration, and asked me, all serious and bright-eyed, "Are you Santa." Then his brother repeated the question to me, and waited for an answer.

One might be tempted to draw some conclusions regarding your hair and girth, but then you lack a beard.

It has been suggested that I take on playing Santa but I lack the girth. And, an appropriate appreciation for young children.....

I'm not sure why they asked that question. Perhaps, it's not for me to say. However, my wife has an opinion but keeps it to herself.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

.. And, an appropriate appreciation for young children.....

Here's my philosophy on that point:
Teach them stuff.
Listen to them.
Help them have fun.
Buy them stuff.
Let yourself enjoy them (even the screamers)
Have answers for them when they ask, no matter what the question.

That's me.
Murph

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.. And, an appropriate appreciation for young children.....

Here's my philosophy on that point:
Teach them stuff.
Listen to them.
Help them have fun.
Buy them stuff.
Let yourself enjoy them (even the screamers)
Have answers for them when they ask, no matter what the question.

That's me.
Murph

I'll see you at the Mall, Santa.

[Mitch]

Murph, go out and get yourself a big bag of sunflower seeds, then sneak out at midnight and sprinkle them all over your neighbors yards. Do this every night. The deer love 'em. Scott has a bird feeder hangin' about 7 feet off the ground in our pine tree filled with sunflower seeds 'cause the cardinals and the blue jays like em. The other evening, 3 deer were down there munchin' the ground seeds that the birds knocked out, then one decides to stand up on its hind legs and smack the feeder. More seeds hit the ground. Pretty good reach for a deer. The damned deer did it 3 times. I said to Scott, why not put the feeder up higher. He says, then I can't reach it.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

But the deer have an established route, which takes them from one yard to the next, with mine as a kind of hub, of sorts. It would do no good to sabotage my neighbors (not that I would) because the deer would have to pass thru my yard to get elsewhere, and they have never been able to pass up the treats.

[robert.]

Try a big block of salt from Agway. Give them something better to eat then your flowers.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

But the deer have an established route, which takes them from one yard to the next, with mine as a kind of hub, of sorts. It would do no good to sabotage my neighbors (not that I would) because the deer would have to pass thru my yard to get elsewhere, and they have never been able to pass up the treats.

Deer will change routes - they changed to find your house and dro by for a cup of tea and a nibble on your shrubs.

Change the route again to someplace with something they like better like at a nearby park.....or a shooting range.

[Tom Dempsey]

Or get yourself a pet bear.