Hope its a new badge. Gives folks more reason to jump on it.
Here is a pic of the wife trying to use bales of straw for part of the garden. Working pretty good I think.

Think so also
Did you better half put plants directly to those bales from seeds or seedlings? Was wondering that those probably are quite airy, so might get dry pretty soon if these no rain or anything

One thing is sure, nature hates me seriously.
Did gave another change and plant another wave to my tiny garden.
Result was so holy, really I was not able to found any leaf without hole on it. Well on those lucky cases when I was able to found leafs generally at all. These is some serious immigration challenge here.
Need to confess that did spend one afternoon on my scorched garden, with salt canister.

Indoors b.a.u.
On first pic some fresh basil, looks odd since under those odd plant lamps that generate only blue and red light.
On second one, same stuff but under 2800K CFL.
On last pic, some lovage. Did have some domestic item with previous bushes. Cannot remember everything so very clearly (or anything), need to confess that did booze a lot before return to my condo.
There I was on morning, somebody (hopefully me) was eaten all my lovages. I did release myself from agony of trying to conclude something about tooth-prints on slaughtered stems. I just let it be....

Those do look like ugly devils. One remedy used here is put some beer into a shallow tin pie plate (pie tin) and put several around and in the garden. The slugs will go into the beer and drown. Use the cheapest possible beer, the slugs don't care.

Bearcat,
It does look like you are having some success with the bales. Hope the eating is good.

Cheers

That is one giant slug. Even if the raccoons would eat these things, the cure might worse than than the problem. Those raccoons are tricky little devils and will eat half the garden themselves, especially sweet corn. Plus, they can get into just about anything which is not properly secured. Wish I had a better solution for those slugs.

Cheers

Here it is August 21 and fall is in the air. I have noticed the changing of the color in the stands of sumac. These are always the first to change. I think this is a bit earlier than normal, but it may have to do with the increase in cloudy weather we have had and the amount of rain.
The Minnesota State Fair starts on the 27th, which is the day I usually go. Hopefully the weather will cooperate on that day. School here starts on August 31. St. Cloud State University started its move in day for freshman on August 20 with classes starting on August 24. Three more signs of approaching autumn.
Usually, by this time of the year I am only mowing my grass at most, once every two weeks, but this year it is still as lush as in the springtime, so it is getting mowed about once every 5-7 days. Might be big thundershowers later today and if so, I will be shutting everything down.

Cheers