The Case of the Missing Peppers

This year we have a lovely garden in pots on our patio. We are growing tomatoes, peppers, basil, oregano, mint, parsley, lettuce, thyme, chives, and borage (an edible blue flower). So far, our garden has been thriving, with beautifully healthy tomato plants bursting with green tomatoes, and pepper plants drooping with baby poblanos...until 3 days ago...

Thai Red Dragon Pepper Plant & Poblano Pepper Plant

Our poblanos starting disappearing! We used to have 6 or 7 young peppers, and a few days ago, it looked like we were missing some, but I put that thought in the back of my mind, thinking that I miscounted or something. Then the next day, there were only 3 remaining...now I KNEW we had more than 3! There were no remains, it was as if someone had picked them and taken them away. Thinking our culprit might be a nocturnal friend, I left the patio light on all night as a deterrent, only to awake to 2 remaining peppers! Our little friend is not scared of the light...

I left for work, and when I returned home, there was only 1 lone pepper left.

The lone survivor

I stood at the window, trying to figure out what could be stealing my peppers, when the culprit appeared! Ha! Caught him red pawed!

He makes his entrance...
Not my last pepper!!! That's when I scared him away (from inside my house, I'm not going out there!)

I think it says somewhere in my marriage license that it's the husband's job to take care of all rat issues, so my detective work is over, and now I leave the rest to Scott.