Rita - the snowstorm of February 2012 found us in Maine, visiting with friends. At home the weight on the bird mesh, covering Jack's tomato room in the vegetable garden, became laden with snow and the weight of it bent all the copper supports. He took it apart that spring and said he wouldn't rebuild it, though it had worked so well for us. That was the beginning of the end and at 82 he just didn't want to fight the crows anymore.
He raised the plants from seed downstairs, under lights, added a bin of compost to the garden annually, tilled it in and raked it, planted the tomatoes (and other vegetables), erected the tomato room every year, tended the garden, swept the path, but in the end the crows won the war. At least we did enjoy it for 20 wonderful years.
