Wednesday, August 13, 2008

About Me





I guess I should tell you a little something about myself. I had a friend read my blog to give me her opinion and she asked me if I really thought I was crazy. No I’m not certifiable but some of the things I do, some people might think is totally nuts.

I have a bucket next to my shower to catch the water while I wait for it to heat up. I then use the water for plants or just dump it into the washing machine. I have been known to stop the washing machine before it drains and drain it by hand to use the water on plants. There is nothing in my laundry soap that can hurt the plants and during a drought or if you live in the desert it is a good way to get extra water to keep trees and bushes and ornamental flowers alive. Unless you have a very small lawn this won’t help grass much and if you live in a desert what the heck are you doing with grass anyway?


I walk my kids to school everyday. Now you might not think this is so crazy but I did it in Arizona summer heat and Arkansas icy winters and rain storms. So far there hasn’t been a day bad enough that has made me say let’s take the car. Never underestimate the power of a good umbrella. It keeps the rain and hot sun off.

I’m an avid composter. Once again you might not think this is nuts but we move ever few years and I rarely get to see my compost put to good use. I pass the rich earthy stuff to the next home owner move on and start again. You might ask why I would do such a thing. Well, what good is it doing in the garbage? If I create the compost and it is used by the new owner it is still helping the local environment. Fewer chemicals get dumped on the lawn or flower beds to feed them and while I’m showing them the compost pile I get the chance to show someone else about composting.


Now probably the craziest thing I believe. I DON’T THINK THEY SHOULD BE SPRAYING FOR MOSQUITOES!!!!

Why should we spray toxic poison into the air for these pests? There are other ways to control the population of mosquitoes other then poisoning every living thing that might be around them. That includes birds, dogs, cats, fish that eat mosquito larvae, every other bug (doesn’t anyone notice the lack of fireflies lately), and Most Important our CHILDREN! Why the hell are we spraying poisons around where our children live and play? You might say that it’s just enough to kill the bugs that are bothering you but keep in mind they do it every night for the whole summer. So every night all summer long our kids get exposed to something designed to KILL.

Now my suggestion for a solution, first stop spraying the poison. Then make sure you empty any standing water. This means checking your yard after it rains to make sure there is no pools of water for them to lay their eggs in. Next try one of these suggestions to keep you from getting bit.

1. Stay inside in the morning and at night.

2. Keep clear of damp and dark areas.

3. Use insect repellent when your going to be out for long periods of time.

4. Wear bright or lightly colored clothing.

5 . Wear long sleeves and pants.



Last provide an environment friendly to mosquito predators. Try providing homes for bats




purple martins


and other birds that love to put the bite on those pesky buggers. If you have a backyard pond make it an environment that you can keep larvae loving fish in or that will attract frogs and toads.


Think about it, If we poison mosquitoes, we poison every one of these animals that eats them. If we kill the predators that eat the mosquitoes there is nothing there to reduce the pest population when it springs back from the poison and THEY ALWAYS SPRING BACK FROM THE POISON!

2 comments:

Mom said...

Thank you for sharing this bit of information. I just started composting this year - because of you.

I missed your posts while you were away. Just wanted to let you know.

www.momstop.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

No you are not cheap, you are smart to recycle instead of wasting water :)

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