Fire in the Hole
free download:Video Game / Prime World Wallpaper - submitted by torinoGT - ID 326501
This is the time of year I watch my roses bloom bigger than my FACE, I smell my gigantic honeysuckle every time I step out my back door, and I get to plant all my seasonal veggies from seed.
So a few weeks ago I went out to the garden to till and get those seeds planted. I noticed a TON of fire ants along the entire line of the above ground garden Adrian built for me last year. They were in between the soil and the wood that surrounds the garden itself...and they were just about as 'happy' to see me as I was to see them. As I was crouched down trying to assess the damage, I felt a far-too familiar burn on the top of my foot. I looked down and saw three ants curled up and chowing down. OUCH!! So then I end up standing there (five feet away) for ten minutes scratching the spots that were stinging, rubbing the top of my foot on the back of the opposite leg, smacking the whelps, and cursing the ants straight to the fiery pits from whence they came.
Of course, I wanted to run straight to the garage and grab the chemical-ridden ant killer that Adrian purchased last Spring. As I stood there scratching, I started to day dream about coming out of the garage in the style of the movie 300 - in slow motion, of course - wielding and waving the open bag of fire ant killer over my head, it spilling all over the place, and every ant coughing, gasping for their last breath, falling on their backs and dramatically dying. I then drop the empty bag to the ground - still in slow motion because that's awesome - put my hands on my (much smaller) hips (it's MY day dream, I can have little hips if I want!), and let out a scream of honor and satisfaction, knowing I had saved my garden - and the world, obviously - from the diabolical evil of the Fire Ant Kingdom.
Back home on earth, I came to and realized I had to do something ELSE. I pride myself on a total organic garden; that includes soil, seeds...everything. I peruse every soil I buy, checking for metals, chemicals, or anything that doesn't match the organic label. (Yes, believe it or not, America, the FDA allows the label even if it's not completely and entirely organic...GASP!) The last thing I wanted to do was sprinkle chemical ant killer on the plants and seeds, and then feed them to my family or ingest them myself! So what the heck was I supposed to do??
(You guessed it. I put it in the "Googla") I Googled for a while, really wanting to compare notes, websites, and suggestions. "Kill the ants in my garden naturally." I decided to try a few of them out. So I put another ant mound I found out back to the test. On it, I put sugar. (I used organic, of course, for testing-purposes). This was supposed to kill them AND make your fruits and vegetables sweeter as they grew. Sounded like a fine side effect to me. They ATTACKED the sugar. Oh, yes, My Pretties...eat, EAT!! This was to take three days. I patiently checked every day, fully expecting the mound to be inactive. It was three times bigger by the third day. Apparently, organic sugar is like steroids for those little boogers.
Next - grits. This was supposed to be carried by the ants down below (to the evil lair that holds the wicked queen) and then literally blow them up because the grits cannot be digested. Sounds like another day dream waiting to happen. So I searched for organic grits. If I purchased regular and any of the grits were left on the soil, then it would be processed yuk growing into my cherished organics. Finally, I found some. Way too expensive to purchase just to sprinkle on ants. So even though I wanted to hang out and watch them blow up, I couldn't justify the pricey purchase.
Third time's a charm! COFFEE GROUNDS. This is the easiest, best, and least expensive way to get rid of those vile creatures - especially if you already drink coffee! I buy the store-brand organic coffee for us to drink so as soon as was done making coffee (we don't have a fancy-schmancy kuerig coffee maker), I let the grounds cool and took them out to the garden. I sprinkled them around the entire perimeter of the garden and then throughout with whatever was left. It didn't even take a lot. Not only did it kill the fire ants (death by caffeine, perhaps?) it acted as a natural growth agent for the veggies! (New compost item!!)
When you have something biting you over and over again - slowly destroying the things that nurture you, and you're tired of the pain and heartache, you must ask yourself what its worth to you. If quick fixes are only addressing the symptoms, it could be poison. Stay at it - naturally, organically. In the end, you'll overcome...and the best part is, you will see the growth in you because of it.
A Yolk with No Punchline
My friend came over this morning to have a lovely cup of organic coffee and a veggie frittata I made for us to share. I hardly ever get to see her or talk to her. (There's a ton of you out there that share a similar relationship with me, and for that I apologize. You know who you are) But when I do see her it's like we were never apart, and that's a good friend.
We hugged, prayed, had some small talk, laughed, and then shared some interesting conversation. She shared about how her pregnancy is coming along (she is radiant) and also how her husband is doing. He suffers from sleep paralysis and a benign tumor on his pituitary gland and has been working very hard to get his health in a good place.
Recently, I had a dear friend lose her husband in the military. They have a small child. She is one of the strongest people I've ever known - and so graceful in her mourning, but of course, struggles as a now-single mother to get their life in a good place.
Here I sit, sometimes feeling so sorry for myself with all the attack we've been under, and yet I hear these things and I am reminded that someone else is always going to carry a greater or heavier burden and I should be grateful for what I do have - because our health or even our life could be taken from us at any time.
We are so strong and so delicate at the very same time. For Cameron to have the accident he had and still be alive shows the strength in us; and the friends I've mentioned who suffer in very different ways show how fragile we are as well.
It's like the eggs I used to make the frittata this morning. They break so easily, like us. But as I cooked them, they got stronger - harder to break. I think when we suffer, it's God's way of 'cooking' us and making us stronger.
How eggsellent!! (Couldn't help myself)
PS: Quick & Easy Frittata for Two
6 sliced mushrooms
1/2 yellow bell pepper, rough chopped
1/2 seeded and finely chopped jalapeno
About 1/2 cup parsley, rough chopped
4 eggs
1 slice cheddar cheese
Pour about 1 tbs (you can just eyeball this measurement) extra virgin olive oil into a small pan. (I use my cast-iron skillet because it's non-stick and oven friendly and also makes for a really cute presentation, but you can use any small frying pan and just put foil over the handle when the time comes to put it in the oven) heat the oil over medium heat and then put all the veggies into the pan. cook them for about 5 minutes or until just soft. While the veggies are cooking through, take the four eggs and whisk them in a small bowl. Add about a tbs of water and put aside. (Slightly) salt and pepper the veggies and stir (wait until this part to salt so the moisture doesn't come out of the mushrooms), then add the eggs. Lower the heat to medium-low and let the eggs and veggies cook together for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Break up your slice of cheddar and carefully place the pieces on top of the egg mixture and do not stir. Pop your frying pan in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, checking it to make sure it doesn't over-cook. Take it out and let it sit for about a minute or two.
I sprinkled a little fresh thyme over it, sliced an apple and put a few pieces on each plate, and served the frittata by cutting it in half at the table.
It was nummy and that's no yolk. HAAA!