I was whining to the spousal unit the other day about how I don't understand why our deer cage hasn't kept the deer from eating my azalea by the pond.

Up until about a week ago it was fine, covered with blossoms. Then I noticed that the blossoms were disappearing. And disappearing. And disappearing.

So frustrating.

This morning I got the answer as to why the deer cage isn't working: it's not tall enough to keep a moose out.

Jumping jiminy.

Here's some perspective on the size of the thing. That stick on the far right of the azalea cage? I went outside and measured it: it's 110 cm (just over 43" tall). Um, yeah, the moose was that big. Looked like a horse, really.

The spousal unit almost gave me a heart attack. He rocketed outside and yelled at it. Moose will charge if they're alarmed and I had visions of the spousal unit becoming pink squishy stuff between that moose's hooves. Fortunately, the moose didn't see him as a threat and quietly ambled back into the woods.

Whew.

What really surprised me about the moose's disappearance was how utterly silent it was. When deer head back to the woods there's all sorts of noise�brush snapping, twigs on the ground cracking, a regular cacophony. The moose was utterly silent and almost instantly blended into the woods. If I hadn't been watching it, I don't think I would have picked it out in amongst the shadows between the trees.

Makes me wonder how many times I've been out in my gardens unaware of a nearby moose watching from the woods.

I also wonder what else I miss that's there in plain sight to see, if I happen to be looking at the right place at the right time. If the spousal unit and I hadn't been looking out the window at the crab apple blossoming we'd never have seen the moose.

Well now I know how to protect my azaleas. That moose was about five feet to its shoulder, then add some for the neck and head ... looks like it will take a cage about eight feet high.

Yeesh.

--Marn