So yesterday I went out onto the deck to take a few pictures of the river and noticed a pile of what appeared to be sawdust on the deck. What the...? I looked to the wood overhang above and see something like this...
Carpenter Bee drilling hole.
A bee of some sort was drilling its way into the wood. I have the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it. All I could imagine was an army of these asshole bees turning the wooden deck into swiss cheese and my family and friends plummeting to our deaths when the structural integrity of the deck gives way. So I ran to the interwebs to find out what to do.
The first thing I found was a nice photo showcasing the damage these things do. Their name? Carpenter Bees. I had heard of them before but for some reason I thought they were the bees who nested in the ground. I was wrong, of course, those bees are just a type of bumble bee.
Carpenter Bee tunnel.
The tunnels go deep and the bees return every year making new tunnels until the wood is destroyed. Here is how it works. The female bee is the worker bee, the one who does all of the drilling, while the male circles around protecting her while she works. Looks like they got it backward though, because the male can't sting and the female is so busy working that she doesn't really pose a threat. After the female drills her tunnel, she deposits her eggs and then seals the tunnel entrance back up. A few weeks later she dies. Once the new bees hatch, they eat their way out of the tunnel and the process starts again.
Male and female carpenter bees.
To soothe my conscious about killing them, the interwebs assures me that they are poor pollinators and are even considered pollen thieves because they don't do anything useful with the pollen. As comforting as this may be and as much as these creeps make my skin crawl, I'm still not convinced they deserve to die for doing what nature intended them to.
Carpenter Bee hole and sawdust.
So how do I make them leave? The interwebs insists I spray the tunnels with toxic pesticides, and believe me, it's tempting, but there has to be a better way, right? I spent quite a bit of time researching and many people had good ideas for a natural repellent but no one had done anything that had actually worked. Well, shit. You guys have any ideas?
My poison sumac rash is FINALLY over! I haven't had to use the steroid cream for three days. Now I wait for the scars to fade ( I look like I got into a fight with a cat--and the cat won). I am so relieved to be done with the painful itch.
Today is the kind of day I LOVE. Overcast sky, rain showers, and rumbling thunder. I'm cozied up on the couch wearing jammies and my chunky socks from Tibet and sipping tea I picked up this past weekend at Phoenix Herb Co. in Kansas City. As soon as I finish this post I am going to continue reading/studying the awesome book, Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar.
I took a short video of the rain shower just now.
The river looks a lot different than it did just a few weeks ago. The lily pads are thick this year. Now that the trees have all grown in we have total privacy from the people hanging out at the park, just in time for summer parties. I took a few shots late last week.
Lily pads on the water.
Curtain of trees.
The hole in the tree curtain that lets the light into my sunbathing spot.
More lily pads.
While Mark and I were away in Kansas City this weekend, Penny got to hang out with her friends at Caroline's Pampered Pet Motel. She always gets a new scarf each time she stays.
Penny wearing her new flower scarf.
I hope all of you had a nice Memorial Day weekend. I'm going to get back to my book now!
WARNING: This blog post is a collection of slightly scattered thoughts (and one video) that concern my very limited experience with adventist religious groups. I'm not sure I really reach a point anywhere in this post.
We live in the Bible Belt. No doubt about it. I've even heard people say we are the buckle of said belt. And, beside the ridiculously obnoxious occasional anti-abortion protests in Springfield and the fact that we have a church on every corner, it doesn't really change much of anything. We still have crime, we still all put our pants on one leg at a time, and plenty of non-believers call the Ozarks their home too. Almost all of my friends go to church on Sunday and they aren't actively trying to convert me...they respect my right to my opinions and I respect theirs. We are co-existing peacefully.
Only once in the two years we have lived here have religious peddlers come knocking at the door. The first time, Mark wasn't home and I was napping. The fact that I was napping was very unfortunate for the two pamphlet carrying women knocking at my door (if you know me, you know waking me from sleep is a big mistake). I answered with an unamused scowl on my face, already assuming what they were there for, and snatched the pamphlet from the woman thrusting it toward me before promptly slamming the door in their faces. Rude? Not as rude as coming to my home, unannounced, to read Bible scripture to me. I'm sure if a Satanist showed up at one of their homes unannounced, armed with literature on how Lucifer is Lord and offering free pentagram keychains, they would probably find it offensive and wrong. Hypocritical for sure.
Anyway, as Mark and I left to go to the clinic on Saturday (yes...I FINALLY got steroid cream for my sumac rash) we saw several groups of what could only be Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on neighbors doors. We proclaimed victory that we had avoided them and sped away. When we arrived home this is what we found at our front door...
A world government? Earth's new ruler? These people are delusional! Not to mention they always bring a child along with them to look up at you with innocent eyes (I suppose that is to make it harder for you to slam the door in their face). Jehovah's Witnesses are one of many Adventists groups (cults according to some). Adventists focus on the book of Revelation and the End Of Days, or the return of Christ. Some call them 'Preppers', as it would seem they spend their entire life preparing for the end. Remember David Koresh? Yeah, his group traces their roots to the same starting point as Jehovah's Witnesses do. I don't claim to know a lot about adventists or the difference in the different groups, but I did live one block away from the IHOP (international house of prayer) for the last year I was in KC (they are a HUGE prepper cult) and I was also picked up off the side of the highway once when my old Volvo broke down. The family who "rescued" me were Seventh-Day Adventists. They drove me off into the forest to a literal shack they lived in and let me use the phone to call for a ride (no, I didn't have a cell phone...believe me I got one very shortly after). We were experiencing a blizzard that day and I was traveling to Springfield from Kansas City. I was stranded in these people's home for three hours while my best friend, Alicia, struggled in her Honda Accord through the snow storm to come get me.
The first thing the little girl in this family said to me was, "Queen Jezebel wore make-up". As she stared at my fully made up face. I was 22 at the time. Had an eyebrow piercing, and a Buddha pendant hanging around my neck. I had just smoked a joint when my car completely quit running on the bridge over Truman lake. I was standing in the small space between the ledge of the bridge and my car when, like the beginning of a bad horror movie, it began to snow heavily. I felt grateful that I had been picked up by a family instead of a trucker. But at that moment, standing in the middle of these people's shack with their kids looking me up and down like I was an alien, I was starting to get nervous.
The husband had a broken leg in a cast. He sat at the table talking to me about a 10 day event coming up that was all about the End Of Days and the book of Daniel or something. I kept insisting I had a job and places to be and couldn't go to anything like that. Then his ten year old son told me that he was home schooled and hated it. And the daughter who was maybe 4, chimed in that she didn't like her dress because it used to belong to someone else. It was painfully awkward because the parents were still sitting there, so I asked to use the restroom. They only had a bucket and a roll of TP. I decided to wait until Alicia arrived.
About every half hour that I was at their home a timer over the oven went off and they stopped whatever they were doing to pray. When they were praying I was glancing out the window nervously, planning my escape if things got too weird. We were so far back in the woods and the snow was getting really deep. I was starting to panic.
The wife was making dinner and offered to feed me. Tater tots, french fries and chicken nuggets, all microwaved. She explained that they were on food stamps and running low on food. I felt terrible eating what little they had but knew better than to refuse when someone is showing you a kindness. The poor kids looked miserable. The "toys" strewn about on the floor were dated and looked like garage sale leftovers. No TV, no real bed. The husband mentioned something about not being able to work because of some religious restriction. The whole situation was self inflicted. The kids being the only victims.
Eventually Alicia reached me, and the family sent me off with several books about The Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Get it? The musical notes indicate that the title is to be sung to the theme from The Neverending Story, substituting the word sumac for story. No?
I decided to go to the clinic again yesterday. I just couldn't take the itching. The Gods must really not want me to get a prescription treatment though because this...
I couldn't wait another day in the off chance that the clinic might actually be open one day so I went to the Ozark Herbalist. I picked up a bar of calendula soap, calendula itch cream and an oral homeopathic medicine called Rhus Toxidodendron.
Goodies from the Ozark Herbalist
They are helping soothe the itch but the rash is taking its sweet time to run its course. Today is day 13 and my arms still look like I have a flesh eating disease.
Rash on right arm.
They look like burns.
I think it goes without saying that I am going to have to put the garden excavation project on hold indefinitely. I don't want to go anywhere near those sumac plants.
BLIND OBSERVATION
Place an object or a series of objects in your pocket. Describe them using only touch.
I chose three items from around the house and stuck them in the oversized pocket of the pajama bottoms I am wearing. This is how they feel to me (the objects--not the pajama bottoms).
Object 1: cylindrical, tubular, solid yet it gives if you press on it, textured but smooth, hollow, open at both ends, roughly three inches long and the tube is just smaller than my pinky finger.
Object 2: solid with no give when I press on it, smooth with a few spots of light texture that feel like pits, flat on one side and curved on the other. Object fits in the palm of my hand and I can easily close my hand around it.
Object 3: solid with no give when pressed, smooth flat surfaces that come together in sharp lines, object feels tetragonal with points on either end, it is small--about the size of a grape.
I thought about revealing what the items are but then decided it would be more fun to keep it a mystery. If anyone guesses correctly though, I'll post a picture of the item. Anyway, this was an easy exploration and provided me with a short distraction from my insanely itchy sumac rash. INSANELY. ITCHY.
I just realized this post has no pictures. That just seems wrong, so here is a cute picture of Penny.
Wow! It has been so beautiful this past week! Okay, it was a little hot in the afternoons- but bearable. Nice in the shade. Great if a breeze was blowing. Oh, who am I kidding? It is only May and it has already been in the nineties. Time to start packing for a permanent trip to Hawaii! Until then, here are some random updates about the first seven days of May.
Mark and I took a walk at Nathanael Greene park the other day. If you haven't been in awhile, it is looking really beautiful. Tons of gardens, fabulous walkways, a butterfly habitat and much more! We went into the butterfly habitat and I got some shots of the cocoons. I can't wait to see the different types of butterflies and moths that hatch!
Butterfly and moth cocoons
Cute little cocoons.
Last Saturday we drove up to a small town right outside of Jefferson City to celebrate my nieces's birthdays at a horse ranch. One birthday in April, the other in May, so my sister decided one party to rule them all! We had a good time hanging out with the family.
Mallory and her trusty steed.
Horses are Autumn's favorite.
Last night was Penny's 2nd birthday! We sang her the Happy Birthday song and gave her special minties treats for a gift. I'm pretty sure she had no idea what was going on but me and Mark had fun! Also, I could have sworn that her puppy food was for 0-24 months but upon further inspection it turns out it was for 0-12 months...so, a year late, she is now graduating to adult dog food. :D
Happy Birthday!
Big Dog Pellets!
This morning when I woke up my "nettle stings" had gotten worse, which isn't really possible. I started to consider that maybe something else was going on, so--like an idiot--I decided to self diagnose via the internet. Five minutes later I was convinced I had scabies (mites) living in my skin. Hideous!!! Repulsive!!! Wait...why does poison sumac keep coming up when I type in the description of my rash? I've been exposed to poison ivy/oak/sumac many times in my life and I was convinced I didn't have the allergy. I decided I better go to the walk-in clinic and have a doctor take a peek at it. Note: the following photo is the least repulsive of the rash areas. You're welcome.
Scabies or Sumac Rash?
Unfortunately, when I arrived at the clinic this is what I found...
I don't think the rash will kill me by tomorrow and I didn't want to drive to Springfield so I decided to buy some over the counter poison ivy foam wash. I think it's more likely that I have a reaction to the plants we were clearing in our "garden" area, and not scabies, so I'm trying the foam.
Can it be this easy?
When I got home I Googled sumac plants to see if they looked familiar (I know. Might have been smart to do that BEFORE I started whacking down the small jungle in the yard). Turns out pretty much everything I was ripping, digging, and cutting from the garden space were poison sumac plants. Fabulous. I honestly didn't even think about sumac being a threat because I've never been susceptible before. Guess I am now.
Poison Sumac.
I was actually admiring the white flowers on the sumac plants a few days ago when I took Penny outside to do her business. Good thing I didn't touch them or try to smell them! FYI: the berries are poisonous too. Learn to identify these plants and keep children and pets far away from them.
Sumac Flowers.
Well...that has been the first week of May. Onward and upward!
Happy Cinco De Mayo! I had a busy week and didn't have much time for blogging, hopefully I'll be able to write more this week. The hubs and I worked on our garden project yesterday and I wanted to post some photos. We were out there for about four hours before we stopped. It was ninety degrees!
In the photo below you can see that we are starting to clear out the top tier. You can see the side of the house!
I worked on the bottom tier removing rocks and plant roots. It looks so much better but is far from done.
The rock pile is growing!
Mark started by clearing the stairs. They were covered in leaves and ivy vines. Before we know it we will actually be able to use them!
We have accumulated a huge pile of brush and will need to find someone to come haul it off.
Of course during the rock removal process I ran across all kinds of neat rocks and shells. I put some aside to clean up and take into the house. I love the stripes on the little rock below.
I also found about five of the really sparkly rocks that look like geodes only they are flat. I haven't cleaned them yet but they are really pretty in the sunlight. My iphone couldn't capture the sparkle. It looks like I'm holding a piece of toast!
Well, that's all I have for today. I am really enjoying working on this space and even the nettle stings aren't going to discourage me. Enjoy a taco and a margarita tonight! Thanks for reading!
