What a difference one year makes. Last year, mid September, was hot and sticky. This year we have had some days of high humidity, but our temperatures have been very mild.
My Own Little World
It was the 15th of September 2007. For the first time in who knows how long, I slept all the way through the night. The cooler fall temperatures kept the inside of our home at comfortable 74 degrees.
I woke up to the loud croaking of our neighbor, Mr. Bull Frog.
Mr. Bull Frog resides down in the hollow creek bed just a few feet from my bedroom window. His long croaks sounded strangely satisfying.
I looked at the alarm clock next to my bed, 5:30. I knew that I would not be able to go back to sleep and decided to get up, go out and get the newspaper.
As I opened the front door, the cool northern breeze enveloped me, cooling my still bed-warmed body. I stood there enjoying the breeze as it tickled my skin, goose bumps popping up over my entire body. It was a great feeling that brought a sense of comfort to me.
I closed the door behind me and walked out to the yard. As I made my way down the sidewalk I noticed the quiet. No cars in the distance, no dogs barking, no kids screaming.
“Buuuuurrrrock, Burrrrrrooock.” Mr. Bull Frog greeted me, breaking the early morning quiet.
“Good morning to you too,” I answered as I looked to the west in the direction of the creek.
I must have moved too quickly and lost my balance. As I tried to regain my composure, I looked up to a full sky of small lights. The clear crisp air seemed to magnify the stars. Finally, I regained my balance and gazed at the million lights above.
In the city’s night silence I stared in awe, grateful for the beauty that surrounded me.
A scene as the one I was witnessing seemed to be a blessing, for I do not know when was the last time I had witnessed so many stars while surrounded by city lights.
“Buuuuurrrrock, Burrrrrrooock.” Croaked Mr. Bull Frog as if reading my mind.
“Yes sir, you are part of the beauty that I am witnessing.”
The breeze picked up sending a new chill throughout my body. The sycamore across the way rustled its leaves. Was it greeting me?
My resident mockingbird began to sing. Mr. Bull Frog croaked. The breeze rattled the leaves, music to my ears. The swallows came out of their hiding place, under the bridge next to my house, and darted around adding more delightful tunes to my early morning reverie.
I wanted to run back into the house and gather my family. I wanted to shout and wake them up: “Come and admire the beauty of this morning!” As I turned back towards the door I faced the east.
The sky was changing, no longer a dark color. Now the horizon was purple and blue. I became selfish. I was not going to risk the ire of my family to ruin this magnificent morning.
My selfish pleasure was rewarded as the sun began to rise over the horizon. The blues changed to orange and then red. The top curvature of the sun rose higher. Now half the sun was visible, above it the clouds became illuminated by the rays as they pierced through the cotton puffs. It was a beautiful morning.
Finally a car passed by. The horn was honked… the pleasure was gone. I was back to reality. I realized that I had been out in the yard for quiet some time. I quickly picked up the newspaper.
As I walked back towards the front door I slid the paper out of the plastic wrapping and looked at the cover of the front page. OJ was in the news again; Bush was being criticized one more time… I closed the paper. I felt an itch on my nose and went to scratch it. A not at all pleasant fragrance immediately entered my nostril; a sticky substance covered the tip of my nose and my index finger. I looked at the plastic cover that protected the newspaper. Dog POOP! The plastic wrapping that protected the newspaper was covered in dog poop. I held my breath as I used my t-shirt to clean my nose and fingers. I ran to the bathroom to wash my face with soap and water.
When finished washing, I took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom and was greeted by Alfred my fat and old dachshund. Wagging his tail he seemed pleased to see me, as I bent down to pet him he bit me as if saying: “I don’t want to be petted, I want food.” As to emphasize he barked: “Now!”
Sandra woke up. “What is going on?” she seemed to growl.
I did not say anything. I walked out of the room and out of the house. Even though cars were now passing by the swallows still darted nearby, the mockingbird sang loudly, the sun in all its red glory was now visible over the rooftops. In my little world all was good again.
Despite my dog and the rest of my family with whom I share my little ecosystem, I still love my little world in which I live. In here, I do not have to worry about world events if I do not want to. I do not have to think about my business. My home is my castle where
I have tried to create my own little world, if just for a few minutes a day I can enjoy my time as I please.
I have worked hard to create my little world. By promoting plants that provide food or harbor for birds I have attracted mockingbirds, cardinals, hummingbirds and more. Even though I cannot control the pollutants that go down the creek, I can choose what sprays I use that will kill mosquitoes, but not all insects and reptiles or Mr. Bull Frog.
Of course having a terraced lawn helps control the creek’s flow away from my yard thus providing safe haven for many of the critters that may be otherwise harmed by the pollutants flowing from up stream. Not everyone can be so blessed. Many of our neighbors still use chemicals that may leach into our properties because of proximity or the grade given to the properties at time of construction.
Organics have become more and more popular causing many large chemical companies to get involved. New products are being found and or developed to help control diseases and insect infestations. The cost of these products may be only pennies higher than the standard chemicals those generations of gardeners before us were used to.
Many people come into Rohde’s and applaud us for being pioneers of the organic movement. We appreciate the “title” but know that it does not take one person or group of people to change the world. It is because of the interest of our customers whose desire, just like ours, to create an environment where they can feel safe, if only for a few hours a day, that gives us at Rohde’s the opportunity to provide the products and services that have afforded us the title of pioneers.
Some of the products that have become readily available follow. Click on each.
Organocide has become our replacement for dormant oils. The sesame oil and fish seems to be thick enough to suffocate even some of the larger plant pests such as scale.
It also controls other plant pest as well as some plant diseases.
Plant Wash. Our friends at Lambert’s recommended this product to us. They have tested the product for several months and found it to be an excellent remedy for plant disease. This year we had terrible outbreaks of sooty mold, black spot and powdery mildew that were controlled by one or two applications of Plant Wash.
EcoPCO products have been around for several years and have been a staple to our organic program. However in the last few years they have developed a water soluable product that aids in control of insects such as mosquitoes and other pest.
Just recently EcoPCO developed a product that we have began to use for mosquito control. This product EcoPCO IC 2, is based from Rosemary, Peppermint and Wintergreen oils. The product smells wonderful when applied but quickly breaks down to become odor free.The product works to control mosquitoes for up to three weeks and in many cases we have not had to reapply this product for five weeks. It’s non-toxic to birds, reptiles and Mr. Bull Frog.
This year we have had fewer mosquitoes on our property with fewer repeated applications then ever before. My family has enjoyed our ecosystem more this year and has been able to stay outdoors for longer periods despite the record rains.
Spinosad stays on the leaves of plants for long periods. As aphids, spider mites webworms and other leaf chewing pests digest the treated plant, they become sick and die.
Beneficial insects do not eat leaves but other insects and therefore are not infected. Spinosad does not affect reptiles either.
There are MORE organics out there now. Let your neighbors know about Green Sense products and the new organic products now available. Let your neighbors know about Rohde’s or other nurseries that deal in organics. Let your neighbors know about the non-toxic lawn care products available.