Bugs and leroy

Hello,

What do I have to talk about besides bugs and Leroy? Not much. I went after bugs once again last night. Another zucchini was on the dying path. Perhaps it has the worms deep in the stem that one of the neighbors talked about. I am not sure that I am ready to learn a new gardening skill that involves cutting out worms and replanting the stems. I did find a breeding bug pair that I firmly squashed. The number of egg groups seemed to be smaller. There were also not so many live small bugs around. I will go again this afternoon to keep the elimination process going.

Leroy tells me that he drove a short distance yesterday of about two miles. This is the first driving experience in five weeks. He declared that he felt uncomfortable because he felt he had to be especially on alert. I suspect he will get better and better at that and soon be zooming along like much of the rest of the crowd of drivers. At least he will not be so relaxed that he will be texting.

Leroy had the sermon last night and today. This morning at breakfast he reported that he had a bit of difficulty because he likes to look up a lot. The problem was focusing on the distance and then the near. Either today was not so bad or he had memorized more of what he wanted to say. At least I did not notice so much struggling. He used his eye patch as a pirate for the children’s sermon. He enjoys acting so he was in his element. There were also three baptisms. I was a little concerned about him carrying a baby, but it also seemed not to be a problem. Since the dizziness left, balance has not been a problem. That is so good.

I rode the bike to work yesterday. Because of the bike ride across Iowa the trail was mostly mine. I only saw one wildlife example of note and that was a blue bird which I have identified as an indigo bunting. It was quite beautiful. The predicted rain did not appear so that was also nice.

Paula

New Glasses, but...

Hello,

Yesterday Leroy greeted me without his pirate patch. He had gotten new glasses Wednesday, but they were still not right. When he went back to the Dr. the doctor worked him right in at that minute, basically figured out that the glasses were not right, but he recommended Leroy stop wearing the patch and see a specialist who works with people who have brain trauma, etc. We were able to see that woman today. We were both impressed with her manner and command of the situation. She added a screen to the newest glasses that Leroy has. This screen added some more prism. She also talked about some therapy that Leroy could participate in. it is quite expensive and they demand that you do it for 12 days in a row at exactly the same time. We will think on that a while. Unfortunately we have some vacation planned and we are not sure that it will work. She did say he could wait a while and see how this new screen works for him. Leroy tells me that it is not quite right, but he is working through. Perhaps his brain will change. She also commented that his eye could correct itself. She declared it some type of palsy. She also figured he should wait two or three days before he once again rides his bike or drives.

 I went after squash bugs again. I suppose every day I miss two or three and which is enough to grow, breed, and lay eggs. I did pick another zucchini tonight. There are several on the plants that will be ready in a few days. So I keep telling myself it is all worth it. Plus I hope I am putting a dent in next year’s bug supply. Leroy wonders if these critters have any natural enemies. They certainly are not doing their job if there is something out there that likes to eat them.

Paula

Searching for bugs

Hello,

I searched this morning for bugs. I did not find a single adult, but that makes me wonder because I did find some newly hatched as well as some caches of eggs. Did I miss some adults yesterday? I must have. I know more about where squash bugs like to lay their eggs, but not so much about where the adults hang out. I also feel that I have become quite familiar with the zucchini plant leaves. I even feel that I could recognize some of them in a line up.

I weeded for a while, but did not spend too much time. Leroy told me to take it easy in the garden. Do you think he feels guilty because I am putting in so much time? It has added up to six hours since Friday.  Sometimes I feel guilty because he spends so much time there.

For most of the day I have been sitting in air conditioned comfort even though I believe it is not as hot out as it has been. Because I work tomorrow I will go back to the garden tonight to have another go at those bugs. These bugs are capable of laying quite a number of eggs at one time so it does not pay to relax ones guard.

Leroy has talked about weeding tomorrow night. So we might both go at that time. He also tells me that he envies me because I have two days off in a row. I am not sure how to solve, in fact I cannot solve, his schedule that is all over the place. Personally I think he should take off more time on other days than the weekend since he works enough on the weekend. It does not seem to happen. Something always needs to be done according to Leroy.

Paula

Leroy Update

Hello,

Leroy once again called the eye dr. to learn about the status on his new glasses which were ordered two and a half weeks ago. The Dr.’s office called the supply place to learn that there had been some quality control issues. The glasses are now done and Leroy should get them on Thursday. We are praying for perfection in those glasses so that Leroy can resume his normal activities such as driving himself where he wants to go. It has helped quite a lot since he has used the bike for the last two weeks, but there are some places that are not so easily accessed by bike. We are grateful the he does not have pain with this he just cannot see out of both eyes at the same time. The eye patch is hot and sometimes itchy plus he seems to get quite tired by the end of the day. I have been getting him large print books from the library because he would rather read paper than from his tablet.

I have gone back to the community garden and checked the zucchini for those bugs. I found several egg batches which I tore off and stomped, some groups of almost newly hatched youth that I sprayed with soap and water, and some adults that I caught and stomped on. I was delighted to get a mating pair ground into the dirt. That pair should reduce my find tomorrow. It takes quite a while to look under all these leaves, but at least only one plant has died and the others, in spite of some torn leaves look quite healthy.

I am not a Hindu with a reverence for all of life. It bothers me a little how much satisfaction I derived in the death of others, even if they are insects. We always make excuse when they are a “lesser” species, but is that right? Is that how people who kill people manage to do that? They put the victims in the category of being lesser and so of not so much importance as they are themselves? I suspect there are no easy answers.

Paula

50th HS Class Reunion

Hello,

I was too young to go, but I went anyway and did not tell any of my former classmates who never guessed. I remember when my mother went to her 50^th HS reunion and she was quite old. We rode on a float in the Elizabeth parade, as mom had and had lunch with classmates. One of our former teachers was also able to join us. It was a great time to catch up on each other’s lives. Four of the class has died. I remember mom talking about the small number of people who were still alive in her class. My class was 28 people when we graduated so that is not such a large percentage gone.

We had a nice visit with my brother and then drove on home to beat a coming storm, but drove right into it instead. The rain came down in torrents, wind blew and lightning flashed. The announcer on the radio kept talking about taking shelter, but there was none to be had for some miles, consequently I kept driving slowly hoping I would see some open business so we could get into shelter. We finally found a place, but the rain was coming so hard that we sat in the car discussing whether we wanted to get out. The announcer said the storm center would be past in eight minutes so we decided to sit a little longer. Sooner than the prescribed time the rain, wind and lightning became less intense allowing us to drive on in relative comfort. The warning had also talked about flash flooding so I was especially careful going into the lower places which had quite a lot of water, but it was not excessive.

We talked about the last big rain storm that we drove in when we were in St. Louis. It seems to have been the ultimate storm. Or at least we hope it remains the ultimate storm. At times we drove under an over pass where the water came off the upper level in sheets. At least this time it was just the rain even though there was quite a lot of it.

Paula

Bug Killing

Hello,

 I went on a bug killing mission again this afternoon. I employed my learned skills whether they were correct or not. I looked all over the plants and only found two adults that I promptly killed. One of those adults was a female in the process of laying eggs. The number of egg patches surprised me since I saw so few adults. Most of those egg patches I tore off part of the leaf as I threw them on the ground and bore done hard with my swirling foot. Hopefully that was adequate to eliminate them. I did spray some of the eggs with soap, but could not remember if that was to work or not. At any rate most I just tore off. Then there were some youngsters that were newly hatched or hatching. Those got the full spray treatment and died almost immediately of suffocation. Who knew this could be so satisfying. I am sad to report that one plant has died. Wondering if I used too much spray on it, or if the bugs were too infested in it? I have great hopes that it will not be joined by many others.

We with our downstairs friends are planning a block party again. The idea is simple we just provide watermelon and something to drink along with great conversation and a place to sit. When it was announced at the neighborhood meeting someone there thought we should invite the entire neighborhood. I guess we are doing that with a little bit of anxiety on my part, but I know that everyone seldom comes to anything. In fact that would be an amazing result. So it will surely be a size of group that we can handle.

Paula

My Neighborhood

Hello,

I headed off early to the garden, but not as early as I would have preferred because I hung out two loads of clothes. As I approached a small park I saw two people in the park with a number of dogs or maybe one was a cat. The woman was yelling at a dog that was running free while the man had hold of two more. That loose dog ran across the street, stopped at a hedge to check out the aromas before it headed a little farther on. I wondered if I should help, but then the two people moved back to a house with a beautiful wrought iron fence around it, deposited all the dogs, the man grabbed the gate and swung it shut. The woman grabbed a small white dog that I thought might be a cat and proceeded after the dog across the street which was being pursued by a man who had been driving by. I felt a little guilty as I realized I should have gotten on the move right away and followed that dog. As I came up to the guy at the gate he explained that he had come to service something at the house and accidently let the dogs out. I looked up them to see the woman holding the small white dog and crouched over holding the collar of the dog that was larger, but still quite short. I then went over and asked if I could help. She gave me the small dog and gathered up the other that surely weighted 40 or more pounds.

From a guided historical walk in the neighborhood I learned that this house was the start of the idea of a funeral home, although it is a private home now.

At the garden more excitement was in store as I spotted the squash bugs had returned to feed and breed. I went back in the afternoon armed with soapy water in a spray bottle. Between tearing off eggs, spraying small ones, and squashing adults, I figure I did a little damage to the population. The problem is I should go back tomorrow, but I have to work and do not know if I can manage that task as it took me almost an hour as well as lots of courage to grab those first adults and kill them. In the meantime I found three zucchini that I had missed on the morning hunt. Luckily there were people out and I gave away all of them. Again I found someone who did not know what to do with a zucchini. I think I am educating the neighborhood. Now if I could just find someone who would like to learn to weed, life would be easier.

Paula