Mandura Sexta

Meet Mandura Sexta.  Commonly known as the tobacco hornworm. These were found in my tomato plants. There is a tomato hornworm that looks quite similar, but after much comparison we determined these are the tobacco variety. They are about three inches long. As you can see one of them was covered in these little, white, eggy things. After an extensive search we finally solved the mystery.

Excerpt taken from the University of Florida web page:

Even though it is still capable of movement, this hornworm larva, is already "dead." The white capsules on its back, frequently mistaken for "hornworm eggs" by many gardeners, are actually Hymenopterous wasp pupae of the Braconidae family. These wasps fed on the hornworm while in the larval stage and are now pupating into adults. When home gardeners find hornworms in this stage, they should let them be as they aren't capable of more damage. And when they emerge, the adult wasps will hunt for other hornworms to parasitize.

Gross, but cool.

 

Reach

To all of the amazingly creative, intelligent people in my life, I offer the following words of wisdom:

“Follow your dream, even when you temporarily have to let it go in order to find work or pay the rent. Always be ready for an opportunity to break out and lead the life and do the things that genuinely inspire you...Do not be afraid."

Jane Goodall, chimpanzee researcher.” (Esotera, February 2005) 
                                

                                 

Garden success

As you can see from the pictures our garden was an overwhelming success. We have really enjoyed going to the garden to get our salad makings. The cucumbers and tomatoes have done very well.

We have made many salads, batches of fresh salsa, and Retta's favorite...refrigerator pickles. She earned the right to use a sharp kitchen knife to cut her own cucumbers, so the more pickles she makes, the more she gets to use her knife. 

The last several weeks the garden has been overtaken by bugs and I have exhausted the natural tricks to try to control them. It has been just too hot and humid. The bugs are wild (and now the lizards and snakes). They have pretty much devoured what was left of the garden, except the hot pepper plants. I gave up the fight. I think we were all growing a little tired of caring for the garden, so it is time to give it to the bugs.

Ummm...that acorn squash, baked with brown sugar and butter (the comfort food version), was sooo good. It healed my weary soul.

                                                  

Native American Pow Wow

Last Saturday Anna invited us to attend a Native American Pow Wow in Alexandria, Va. It was very small and intimate. Much nicer than the huge festivals in DC.

We enjoyed seeing the dancers and were impressed with their stamina. It was a very hot day, 98 degrees and very humid. These men and women were dressed in heavy buckskin clothing. I honestly don't know how they managed. The woman in the red dress, who appears caucasian, is a Cherokee princess. She is not full-blooded Cherokee but has enough of a bloodline to be recognized. She was struggling, she looked ill. That European blood gets ya on these hot days! Poor thing.

The drumming was phenomenal. Musa loved it. We felt reconnected to the Earth.

After a great time listening and watching Native Americans, we decided on dinner at the Montana Grill. When I walked in felt like I was back in Red Lodge. (Hey, Carla we need to take Retta to the cabin) Musa and Butch ate their first bison burgers. They're good!

Musa came home with newly inspired ideas for his necklace creations.

Thanks Anna, we had fun.

                      

 

Nature's Precious Moments

Retta worked hard to keep her sunflower growing this summer. She watered it, talked to it, fed it. Imagine her delight when this beautiful butterfly, which she had chased around the yard, landed on her sunflower. The butterfly waited for us to run and get the camera, and then opened her beautiful wings, as if posing.

Moments like this are not as rare as you think. You just have to be free enough to notice them.

We're Back

I know, I know, I know...I always say we are ready to start making regular journal entries and then I disappear again. Hopefully, I mean it this time.

                                       

It has been a long, hot summer. I have complained enough about this so I won't bore anyone with more details. Trust me, for those of us that don't do to well in hot humid conditions it has been rough. Throw in a 3 week illness and Dad's unemployment spell and it has been a summer to forget.

But as things cycle, the temperatures are dropping, Dad's working again and the illness has passed. The season hasn't been a total loss. We have lot's of fun swimming, gardening, making swings, lots and lots of bug identification, thank goodness for the What's That Bug site (thanks Aunt Carla). We have had some great times with friends, caught up on some reading, finished three seasons of Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. Musa, Retta and Dad have had some marathon nights of a Playstation dirtbike game. Musa has learned that drawing and beading helps calm his head. He has made some cool necklaces and was inspired to create some different ones after attending a Native American festival.

I will be posting several entries from our summer fun, to catch up for all the ones I missed.

I am so glad to see September peeking around the corner.

                                            

                                

Penguins

Musa 9, Retta 4, and Mom (48 egads) just returned home from the March of the Penguin movie.  

On the way home I asked Retta...."Did you like those birds?"  

Retta:  "Mom, those weren't birds they were Penguins."  

Me: "You are right they are Penguins, but believe it or not they are birds, they just can't fly"  

Retta: "That's weird...birds that can't fly."  

Me: "Yeah, can you think of another bird that doesn't fly?" (thinking of an ostrich)  

Retta: Thinking quietly for a minute, then says: "Yeah a dead one"  

There you have the simple wisdom of youth.   

                                    

 

                                                                                                        

Rays

As I slowly continue to heal from whatever nasty virus put me down the learning has continued. It is a good reminder that kids don't really need to be taught, they will go on learning with or without us.

We have enjoyed everything from Rachael Ray to sun Rays.

As I sat miserably in my overstuffed big chair watching the Food Network, I realized I had a little companion, Retta, sitting next to me watching a marathon of Rachael Rays' 40 Dollars a Day show. Retta couldn't get enough, when she watched the episode about DC, she was begging to go to the tea house and try the scones. She realized that DC was near and recognized many of the landmarks. She now gets paper and pen and wants to play Rachael Ray. "If we only have 40 dollars, then this is how much we can spend on dinner and lunch." She adds and subtracts numbers and looks on maps to find new places to go.

Hmmm...free social studies, science, (she loves when they go to the kitchen and show how the chefs make the food) math, history, geography curriculums all for free. No coersion, no worksheets. Just natural plain old genuine learning.

One of the days I couldn't get out of bed the kids were sitting in the bed talking with me. Musa noticed the dust particules in a sun ray that was coming in the window. This lead to discussions of the suns existence, how old the sun is, what will happen if the sun gets stronger...it also lead to reminders of the book Horton Hears a Who and the universe in a dust ball, what is an universe, do we have the responsibility to protect all universes, both known and unknown, and then a long discussion about about war and problem solutions and finally ended up with a rhyming session with the word ray.

The suns' ray

Is the color of clay

During the day

As we play

Rachael Ray

Hooray

All is not lost when Mom is ill, much is gained.

The real meaning of Shirah

Shirah

Shirah is an extremely fluid symbol. It helps to clear the energy channels allowing the whole system to become more fluid so that it would be less prone to holding old patterns and forming new ones. It is said to be especially beneficial to the patterns stored in our neural and muscular structure. Shirah helps us to connect with the divine flow and reminds us that “All is good”. It is a nurturing symbol. To my wife it is like a message from the universe saying: “You are taken care of. Everything will be ok.” Letting go of whatever patterns we have limiting ourselves allows us to experience that harmonious flow of being.

You can draw it into the root chakra and solar plexus. Intend it to rotate and imagine/visualize the pattern shown on the next page.

Resurrection

Hello all. I have risen from the dead. I was bedridden for two weeks with a nasty bad virus. Upon further discussion with my doctor on Friday he beieves it is quite possible that I had West Nile. Whatever it was, it was the sickest I have ever been. I am still really tired, but every day I get a little stronger.

Because my husband just started a new job he was unable to take any time off, so the kids were really on their own. They did so well. They are so self sufficent. I have to believe this is because they are homeschooled and have had a free environment to grow and explore.

So, we are off and running again. As my body heals I feel a new sense of creative energy and look forward to all the projects to come.