Scarecrow

This is Denis' new toy. He got one for Christmas and just bought a second one. He anxiously awaited the end of winter so that he could hook them up and start using them. What is it? It is a sprinkler with a motion sensor that turns it on for a 3-second, directed blast of water. It is for discouraging wandering cats from using your garden as a litter box. Denis has been finding the evidence of such activity in our planting beds for quite some time. He has tried a spray repellent that smells like a combination of garlic and cloves to me. It doesn't work very well and has to be reapplied frequently. Also, the odor gets kind of stuck in your nose and you keep smelling it even after you have come indoors.

So now, the scarecrows should do the trick. There is one posted on duty by our little "courtyard" aimed at the common direction of ingress - our driveway. The second one is in the corner of our front yard guarding the most frequently used "relief station", our sweet pea and clematis bed by the front door. Now, Denis waits with baited breath to see a cat coming into range and getting sprayed, but so far, no luck. Just don't tell Pablo.