The Eggplant Thief

Yesterday I was perusing the garden to check on the state of various plants and the ripening of their fruit when I stumbled across a subtle mystery: my largest black eggplant had been stripped bare. For the past few weeks I've been watching the fruits develop, growing larger with each passing day. In wanton anticipation I waited for the first fruit to finally ripen. But now, not a single purple vessel remains.

Our former roommate David--who's been squatting in our backyard in his tent for the past couple of weeks-- informed me he heard many noises in the night. Besides frequent cat fights he reported hearing distinctly the sound of animals rustling and chowing down. My best guess is raccoons are the culprits; I've often caught them wandering in the alley behind our house and even out front on the main street.

The price all gardeners pay for trying to tame nature, I suppose.

Buds & Blooms

Thought I'd go easy on the words today and just post a bunch of pictures of the flowering plants in the garden.

Scarlet Runner Bean Buds

Sugar Snap Pea Flowers

Pear Tomato

Black Eggplant Bud (in cloche)

Strawberries growing from containers near the garden.