That Slimy, Stinkin' Salamander!

For a couple of weeks now, I've had a really nice blog post in the works. Oh yes indeedy, I was pleased with this new find and was so excited to share it with y'all complete with step-by-step pictures!! 

But today, that slimy, stinkin' salamander named 'Bob' ate that blog post in the works... Folks, my goat ate my homework.

To let y'all in on the secret, I recently learned of a grand way to "re-use" those ends from celery and lettuce. For years I have been trying to grow celery in my garden but it never would work! The little seedlings were so fragile and finicky that they always keeled over and died shortly into the adventure. 

But then I read that you can take the root end of celery (and lettuce) that you would normally throw in the trash (or compost), soak it in water for a week and it will regrow into a completely new head of celery!!

Maybe I'm just daft, but I was tickled to death when I learned this! I can turn what was once trash, into food!! Whoohoo! Said celery stalk was retrieved from the fridge, and after a week of sitting in a dish of water, it looked like this:

It was working! :) With triumph, I planted it in my garden and planned on taking pictures of it's growth to show y'all. After planting, the outer stalks will die off, but the sprouts in the middle will continue to grow until it looks exactly like what you get in the store. Celery is known to be the #1 vegetable to be sprayed with the most chemicals, so being able to convert the ends into an organic plant was cool. LOL. 

As I planted my little celery stalk, Bob watched me with the keenest interest. He tried to shove his big head through the fencing, but the holes were too small. His bachelor pad looks like its been outfitted for WWIII. Everything is tied and retied, there is barbed wire at the top and bottom of the gate, and everything is enforced to withstand him. I finally managed to keep him from battering down the fencing by using, of all things, baling twine to keep the fencing attached to the fence posts. Bob eats zip ties, breaks heavy wire, and flips off the fencing clips, sooooo I really didn't have anything else to keep that fencing tied! He has spent many a afternoon toying with the baling twine, but so far it's kept him in... 

I laughed at Bob's futile attempts and smirked as I told him that there was NO WAY he was going to touch my celery. This, bold sir, was a project in the works; not a goat treat.

I walked back to the house smiling. Oh yes... I couldn't wait to keep track of this little plant's growth and progress. 

Two hours later, the most horrible words started ringing through the house:

"Bob's out! Caity, Bob's out!"

Nooooooooo! Not my celery!! Not the garden!!! I tore out of the house and found a depressing scene before me. The garden was no more... Bob stood four feet away from my once-tidy beds which were now pock marked from his big feet. The spinach is gone... The lettuce is gone... The cabbage, beets, peas, kale, brussels sprouts, and nasturtiums were gone...

And the celery was completely gone! All he left for me was a pile of goat manure where the sugar snap peas were, and some thistles. Thank you Bob. [insert high level of sarcasm]

Apparently Bob decided that the celery was just too tempting, and went beneath the gate, which happens to be only 8" of a gap and has barbed wire strung along that gap. What is pain when there is celery to be had!? 

Mr. Destructo (AKA, Bob) was placed back in his pen, and I was fuming now. Not even cherry pie and a movie could cheer me up. I fortified his pen some more, and when I was done it looked like not even an elephant could break through. 

Today was "town day" and I was gone for a few hours before returning home. And what should I see when I get back?

Bob.

 He was out again.

 The garden looked even worse now. I honestly don't know how he got out this time and I'm not going to let him do it again in order to find out. Bob is now in a kidding stall, where he will most likely stay until Saturday, which is when his owner comes to pick him up.

Bob and I are no longer on speaking terms. He ate my celery and my blog post. That, dear friends, is an unforgivable act.

He had better throw some seriously nice daughters after all this trouble.... Grumble, grumble, grumble...