Snail Love...

I do NOT have it. My son does.

Here is why I don't possess this trait:

2 days ago I planted 24 Vinca in my garden. In 1 night, the snails managed to eat 2 of them 1/2 way and 1 COMPLETELY. Let them eat their fill...at 1130 last night I decided I'm going snail killing! My son might love them, but my vinca are NOT amused! Ill be armed with coffee grounds, vinegar, a flashlight, and a bucket and I'll be killing them by the hundreds (I wish I were joking about how many there are...I'm not. There were 50 out there on ONE plant!).

I was going to wait til morning to go hunting, but I decided that since I'm awake I might as well go get them early...killed about 400 of the lil bastards by plucking them off into a bucket and then drowning them in vinegar...I took a pic of all of them just before they died...because I'm gross like that! Ill post it with a warning for Jenny when I upload it tomorrow. I normally feel bad about harming bugs/etc...but not when the overpopulation is THAT bad! I knew we had a lot when we moved in and ax started pointing them out everywhere (he loves them) even in the daylight. But JEEZE...going outside after the sprinklers stopped made me stop dead in my tracks in shock. And I do not feel at all bad when they are wreaking havoc on poor little plants! I fear 1 of my plants is GONE and 2 more may not make it (they've only got 2-3 leaves left) and ALL of them have damage...and the tree in my front yard has SIGNIFICANT damage from them too (to the point that I need to call management and make them take a look because 1/2 the trunk is eaten away and rotting from them living in there during the day). Yup...they had to go! 

So, I woke up early this morning to go out and assess my success. I found about a dozen in their little hiding spot at the base of our tree in the yard (and another dozen on the tree by the curb) and plucked them off to dump into the vinegar bath (vinegar bath = instant fizzy death). So, I was just about to dump them when a little Smidget I know (ya know, the guy with the love of snails), comes out and decides to be all cute with them. After that, how can I just kill them all?

Very very easily. BUT, not in front of him, for sure!

So, I went in and found myself a mason jar (I keep them on hand, because i'm awesome) and I poked a few holes in the top with a knife and grabbed a handful of dirt and a fistful of leaves and a couple of rocks...voila, instant terrarium! The kid loves it!  He thinks the snails are all happy and peaceful (all 17 of them in a mason jar!) and I don't have snails in my garden.  Win-win.

And, just to keep the over-crowding down, I'll be taking about 1/2 the snails out and killing them tonight after Smidget goes to bed. No way 17 snails can survive in one jar, man. Its ridiculous!

But, for now, it works. And my little guy has a bunch of friends to show off to neighbors and daddy and grandpa (via phone) and the snails get to have dinosaur books and train books read to them and they get to go pee pee on the potty and ride in a Tonka Truck and even eat breakfast and lunch with him (althogh, I drew the line at family dinner and naptime/bedtime). Yep, this will work, for now.

I'm anxious to see how many of those slimy little bastards show up on my plants tonight, though.

We shall see...oh we SHALL see...

JENNY---SKIP THE NEXT POST. It contains disgusting snail pictures!