Maybe it’s me and maybe I’m just showing my age, but my summer soundtrack always includes Steely Dan’s Bad Sneakers:
Bad sneakers and a Piña Colada my friend
Stompin’ on the avenue by Radio City
With a Transistor
And a large sum of money to spend
“Summer”, you say? Yup, as of this week, it seems as if summer in Sonoma has officially started. Days are already in the Seventies, nights are warming up and we’re probably only going to get one or two more rains until November — unless we’re lucky.
But there is something else happening here in Sonoma that’s bringing me back to that Steely Dan classic. Lots of furious digging of great, big holes:
How about these super-massive raised beds in progress?

Felix (with cowboy hat) and Felix Sr. (left) are back and are building me the raised bed garden to beat all raised bed gardens.
Guess I really better get committed to raising every bit of our produce to justify their work.
Then there’s this massive digging project just above Lake Charles. It’s meant to hold a new biological filter — which is about the size of a Volkswagon — and will keep our little man-made pond clean.

Jesus and helper demonstrate that, should we want to, now would be the time to hide a few bodies around the place.
Which brings me to this Bad Sneakers verse:
Do you take me for a fool
Do you think that I don’t see
That ditch out in the valley
That they’re digging just for me
Again, not that I’m planning to hide any bodies. Unless they are turkey bodies. Yes, those grape-eating varmints have been sighted again.
But John the Baptist is going all Zen Buddhist on me and doesn’t want me to target them with my new gun (that is when I learn to shoot my new gun.) Instead, he’s gathering up their eggs as he finds them and planning a war of attrition in that manner.

John says his “family planning” method of turkey control is a better approach to our turkey problem.

Meanwhile, the vultures that hang out around the vineyard are hoping I take the “lead sandwich” approach to our turkey visitors.
Right now, I’m not worried. The vines, as you can see from the picture at the top of this post, are only putting out green growth. But once ripe fruit starts to appear, we may have to unleash Shock and Awe tactics on the turkeys.
Unless the turkeys decide they want to eat one of our new pests: a Bullfrog that’s taken up residence in Lake Charles. This invasive introduced species will eat just about anything it can cram into its mouth — including the increasingly threatened native Tree Frog, small birds, fish. Heck, I’m re-evaluating whether I should let small children near the pond after I caught sight of the resident Bull Frog. He’s huge.

Guess there’s not much hope this friendly garter snake can catch the adult Bull Frog, although he might go after the froglets.

Even this healthy sized King Snake might not be able to tackle Señor Frog.
Hmmm. Maybe I do have a use for what Steely Dan would call that “fearsome excavation”.
Hand me my gun, my sneakers and my Piña Colada.
so who introduced the bullfrog to Lake Charles?
Bull Frogs were introduced to California sometime in the 1800 because the gourmands wanted to eat frog’s legs. But they are not native and decimate everything. This guy apparently just heard that we had a pond and showed up.
Hey – will the snakes eat the turkey eggs?
As for the raised beds…you’re a big, fat show off.
Wonderful.
You have the promise of beautiful produce this summer.
Good luck.
Not trying to show off. I’m building for the future. It’s most likely I’ll “farm” one bed this season and slowly work my way up as my skill level or confidence or foolishness grows.
Can you tell me if the snake eat the turkey eggs?
Your raised beds truly look wonderful. I’m sure you’ll have extreme success growing the produce you enjoy. It all looks great. Please post the progress.
My research tells me the King Snake will eat the eggs of other reptiles and birds. However, this guy would have to grow a heck of a lot bigger before he could get his mouth around those turkey eggs!
Well, a python would probably eat a whole turkey, the eggs, your bull frogs and most of your family members, but then you would need a crock to take care of your python problem…You could put up a sign that says..turkey crossing..please speed up and close your eyes…Or open up a deli-free range turkey sandwiches and wine..turn lemons into lemonaide
There is actually a little old Italian man down the road who sells homemade Turkey Jerky. Hmmmm. Business deal.