Category Archives: Poetry

Operation JBE: Status

Posted on June 30, 2017 | 2 comments

Operation Japanese Beetle Eradication (JBE)
Date: June 30, 2017

Subject of Study:
Japanese beetles aka Revolting Beasts

Entomoligists:
– Joseph the Bug Hunter (JBH)
– Jacob the Bug Whacker (JBW)
– Issabella the Scout
– Cheyenne the Soldier
– Melissa (Mom)

Report:
Experiment #1: The beetles in the bug house were not as destructive as I thought they would be.
Status: Failed.

Experiment #2: The containers with dead beetles were slightly effective, but by the time we installed them around the perimeter, there were just too many beetles to combat.
Status: Failed.

Experiment #3: We tried a homemade essential oil spray: cedarwood oil with water. We sprayed one row of kiwi and, while there were fewer beetles the next day, there were again too many to combat.
Status: Failed.

Experiment #4: After seeing that they were leaving the chocolate mint completely alone, my niece had the idea of making a “potion” of mint and water. We pulled a bunch of mint and blended it up with water, strained it and loaded up a couple of spray bottles.

The troops were deployed. This time, we sprayed two of the rose bushes, leaving the third as our control.

Again, it worked slightly, but there were just too many to combat.
Status: Failed.

What do we do now? I’m at a loss. Further research will be needed to determine our next steps. Stay tuned.

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Posted in Education, Garden Stories, Haiku, Jake the Bug Hunter, Joe the Bug Hunter, Permaculture, Poetry, Writing

The Final Experiment

Posted on June 30, 2017 | 3 comments

Operation Japanese Beetle Eradication (JBE)
Date: July 2, 2017

Subject of Study:
Japanese beetles aka &#%!@?s

Entomoligists:
– Joseph the Bug Hunter (JBH)
– Jacob the Bug Whacker (JBW)
– Melissa (Mom)

The Final Experiment

While I believe that one or all of the natural methods we tried would have worked to manage the onslaught of the beetles, I also believe that, by the time we tried them, it was too late and there were just too many to combat.

So, I am going to try organic Neem Oil in an effort to stop them from completely obliterating what is left of the vineyard, fedge and our young fruit trees in the swales.

We are also going to spread milky spore over the lawn to kill as many grubs as we can in the hope of hatching fewer beetles next year.

The potential problem with both of these methods is the cost.

Beetles are laying their eggs all over the 5 acres we own for the entire 8 weeks they are here. That means that next year Japanese beetle grubs will be waiting to emerge from the soil as a full-grown army of maniacal demons.   

If we wanted to cover the entire property, we would need a ton of milky spore to have a chance against such an enemy. 

Does this mean we won’t try it? Absolutely not. I will try everything withing my power to destroy my insect enemy, but we need to be vigilant and prepared with the other methods we have tried in order to stop–or at least better manage this blight.

They may have defeated us this year, but my team of entomologists will be back to fight the battle anew next year…armed with new knowledge and better weaponry.

Down but not yet out
We learn from all our failures
And come back swinging

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Posted in Education, Garden Stories, Haiku, Jake the Bug Hunter, Joe the Bug Hunter, Life, Poetry, Writing

Goji Growth

Posted on June 28, 2017 | Leave a comment

One pair of plants the Japanese beetles have not yet discovered are the goji berries we planted in the vineyard two years ago.

The vines are getting longer and starting to run on the ground, so we’ll be putting a row of wire up soon to make sure they have somewhere to ramble.

I’ve only ever had dried goji berries and the few puny ones that we got off the plant last year. They have a slightly bitter taste. Kind of like a cherry/cranberry/raisin combo. The boys and I like them, but we like a slightly sour berry.

The real benefit of these little pill shaped fruits is vitamins and nutrition they provide. The been shown to boost the immune system, improve brain activity and protect against cancer and heart disease.

They are packed with vitamin C, B2 and A and contain antioxidants like iron and selenium. In short, they are a superfood.

We’ve tried them out of hand. They’d probably be good in cereal or oatmeal too. Many people make a tea out of the berries. We may try that if we get enough this year. The plants are still pretty small, so we may just eat them off the vine again.

Small, delicate and wispy
Quietly growing vines
Leaves not brown and crispy
Flowers and leaves on a vine

Fruit oblong and rosy
Tasty and juicy too
Clumped together and cozy
A delicate, reddish hue

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Posted in Food, Garden Stories, Poetry, Writing

Crowing Contest

Posted on June 22, 2017 | Leave a comment

The roosters are crowing
A contest of sorts
They crow in the morning
They’ve made it a sport

The newer ones start it
Then Pecky joins in
They crow at each other
They cause quite a din

The ladies all flutter
The girls fluff their wings
At four silly roosters
As they crow, call and sing

They started out quiet
Uncertain and muffled
And when they got louder
Some feathers were ruffled

Now it’s a battle
Between old and new
Who can crow louder
The white or the blue?

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Posted in Chickens!, Poetry, Writing

Vigilant

Posted on June 19, 2017 | Leave a comment

This year, I won’t get angry.

I won’t throw a fit and stomp my feet.

I won’t let the Japanese beetles get the best of the homestead.

We’ve learned from our mistakes.

1). Using a “trap” to attract the beetles away from the plants ends up doing more harm than good.

Sure, the traps work as advertised, but they draw even more beetles to the property than would otherwise be there.

Last year, we filled several 5 gallon buckets due to the traps, but it made little to no difference in the damage they did.

2). Waiting until the beetles have overtaken every tree, bush and shrub means having and overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and frustration.

Last year at this time they were horrible. So far, they haven’t been as bad.

We are staying ahead of them this year. Every beetle we drown is a beetle that won’t reproduce.

Each morning and evening we go out on patrol. It is a family chore. We work together as a team.

Ray and I are armed with buckets of soapy water.

Joe and Jake are the spotters.

We are ahead of the game, at least for now.

Looking at pictures from last year, they are not as bad. There are fewer beetles and the damage done has been minimal…so far.

We will be vigilant.

We will stay the course.

We will win.

Back to the battle
Japanese beetles invade
We will win this fight

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Posted in Garden Stories, Haiku, Poetry, Writing

Cattails

Posted on June 15, 2017 | 3 comments

Out by the pond
Out by the rocks
A new plant is growing

Out in the swales
Out by the edge
Where water is flowing

They sway in the breeze
They dance in the wind
A myst’ry worth knowing

And then they emerge
Those fuzzy brown stems
The cattails are showing

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Posted in Life, Poetry, Writing

Day of Dirt

Posted on June 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

Yesterday was a day of dirt.

Digging.

Shoveling.

Crushing.

Ray and a team over at the neighbors started transporting dirt from the greenhouse to our yard.

Joe and Jake helped by stomping and crushing the pile.

Meanwhile, I dug holes and transplanted raspberries and seaberries out in the swales.

There are seaberries coming up everywhere in our fedge. They run under the ground and pop up in, around and between other rows.

The root system runs wild under the ground from plant to plant. This means that when you dig one plant up, you usually end up with two or three all strung together.

It wasn’t until I’d dug up the third plant that I’d noticed the nodules.

All of those bumpy white nodes that look like a cluster of eggs are packed with nitrogen. They are just waiting to spread and feed the plants and trees around them. Pretty cool!

After all the raspberries and seaberries were in their new homes, I mixed water with some Superthrive, a liquid multivitamin for plants, and gave them a good soaking.

By the end of the day, I’d transplanted 10 raspberries and 8 seaberries and we had a large chunk of dirt in our backyard.

Playing in the dirt
In the hot summer sunshine
Gives me a warm glow

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Posted in Garden Stories, Greenhouse, Haiku, Life, Poetry, Writing

The Arrival

Posted on May 26, 2017 | Leave a comment

They are sneaky. Bzzz!

They are stealthy. Swish-swish!

They are silent. Pshhhhh!

They are…the pollinators, and they have arrived on the homestead.

Yesterday, the vineyard and fedge were mostly green, but today white and pink flowers are opening and vines and branches are stretching out to entice the lovely pollinators as they soar through the air.

Of course, I’ve yet to actually see any of them, but the evidence is undeniable.

Young milkweed growing in the vineyard. THE VINEYARD! Also, there are a few in the fedge.

Flowers are bursting from the blackberries.

Pinkish-white bulbs are opening on the kiwi.

The grapes have already grown beyond flowers to tiny green grape-lings. (Not sure this is actually the correct term, but it should be.)

The fedge is the same. Blackberry flowers stand out like white dots all over the vines and the thorny blackberry is already starting to show signs of fruit.

While all of this life bursts forth in the fedge, the autumn olive is suffering. It’s supposed to be invasive, but every year, it tries with all its might to die.

The growth has been faster on one side for the past two years now, so I’m not really worried yet.

I am, however, a little mystified. Here I thought we’d be digging up runners of autumn olive and transplanting them to the swales all year every year, but we are lucky we’ve kept one alive.

Instead, we are digging up seaberry and transplanting that to the swales.

Because it is coming up all over the place in the fedge. It’s running into the aronia and trying to take over the blackberries.

I sure hope the berries are as tasty as people say.

Pollinators here and there
Of every shape and size
Moving pollen everywhere
While flying through the skies

Some are tiny little bugs
They fearlessly take charge
Taking sips and great big glugs
They get to be quite large!

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Posted in Garden Stories, Poetry, Writing

Beauty

Posted on May 17, 2017 | 1 comment

I walk around
I wander over pastures
I see the world
So beautiful and bright

I see my boys
I hear their joy and laughter
I want it all
To stay like this always

The wind blows soft
It flutters through the grass
This land I love
This life I live

The sun shines bright
My world is bathed in gold
I stand enthralled
I kneel in awe

1 Comment

Posted in For the Kids, Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Rise of the Kiwi

Posted on May 13, 2017 | 2 comments

The kiwi is coming!
The fruit has appeared
We’ve waited four years
It’s finally here!

The leaves are all over
The vines are all strong
They’ve grown quite a bit
They’re twisty and long

The leaves are concerning
The edges are black
But most are still vibrant
They’ll pick up the slack

Our only small worry
Our only great fear
Will Japanese beetles
All be back this year?

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Posted in Garden Stories, Poetry, Writing