OH DEER!

After experiencing my first winter, as much as I've enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to the hot, sultry dog days of summer when we can shed our sweaters, pull on our shorts and hang out in one of our favorite rooms; our backyard. Last month we installed a fence so two of our best friends could join us outside (our dogs, Bones and Canyon). As we look forward with great anticipation to the many barbeque's we'll host this summer, it's the uninvited guests we're worried about...Deer. As a kid I spent most of my summers in Michigan and some of my fondest memories are of the deer rides we'd take with my aunts, uncles and cousins. Every night at dusk we'd hop in the car and roam around searching for deer...now, years later, those deer are roaming around our backyard at night, eating everything in sight and relieving themselves everywhere. Yesterday our dog Bones, like Lindsey Lohan on any given day, stumbled around, barely able to keep his balance. Bewitched and bewildered, we took him to the vet where we discovered the root of his symptoms...our lovely Bones had been eating deer poop in our backyard and, apparently, other dogs in the area have suffered the same crappy symptoms. Deer often eat (and can process) poisonous plants, passing some of the toxins through there system and onto our lawn and right into the paws of our pets. So, to keep Bambi from dropping her candy in our yard, I did a little research today and found a great way to keep them away!

EGG-CELLENT TIP:

Deer hate the smell of egg so to keep them from nibbling on everything in our backyard, we came up with a simple solution. Blend four eggs and a quart of water in a blender, pour it into a water bottle and spray on the plants you want to protect. With egg in their face, they're sure not to return to that place!

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Fifteen minutes

COST: $0

STRESS LEVEL: Finding a cheap way to control the pest population: LOW