Ants Begone! Diatomaceous Earth...

We have ants! As my kids sit here and watch Born Free, I realize that I want all of us in Nature to live in harmony and to truly be free. But, that unfortunately doesn't really apply to uninvited guests like big, black, fast, scuttling ants in my kitchen. Sorry, but it doesn't.

They arrived a few days ago and seem to have settled in, establishing all sorts of scented paths so their buddies can find their way and also move in and have a party in my cupboards and across my floor.

(Pictured above, an ant in Mexico--beautiful and not in my kitchen...)

My husband and I stomp on them when we're in the kitchen, which is not really an organized form of pest control, but it is effective for the ones under our heels. My son hates this.

He earnestly questions whether we think that the ants know that they're in our house and if they mean to bother us. It's all about intent for him. And, I do see the justice in that. It's not their fault and I wish them no harm, in principle. If they could just go away, I would be fine with that. But, since my son is right--they don't know that they're in our house, they won't feel the territorial pressure and go away from our turf. If I could mark our territory to make them back off I would. But the only scents I have are old perfume that I no longer wear, and lovely essential oils-- lavender, tangerine, clove, tea tree, eucalyptus-- that I use medicinally. That won't work.

I have, however, found something that seems to be working. I have liberally sprinkled Diatomaceous Earth all around our kitchen baseboards. Diatomaceous Earth is a powder comprised of ground up fossilized sea creatures. It feels like flour to the touch, but is quite abrasive and when pests walk through it or have it sprinkled on them, it cuts their skin or exoskeleton. After that, they succumb to extreme dehydration and die.

Sounds awful doesn't it?

Besides being effective, which is apparent today in my relatively ant--free kitchen, it is completely safe and non toxic. You don't want to breathe it in as you sprinkle it, as it can irritate, but other than that it is harmless unless you are measured in millimeters and then it is biological warfare.

In 3, 2, 1...

Blast off!

My son has been waiting to shoot off this rocket since he got it as a gift at Christmas. On Saturday morning, we went to a big, nearby park.

I give you, my son, the rocket scientist.

My son and his assistant setting up the gear.

Hooking up the battery...

Ready to go. Note the homemade launch pad.

Quickly getting out of the way...

Ready to make contact... in three, two, one...

BLAST OFF!

(Look at the faces--Who is the kid in that picture? It's a tie.)

Trying to spot it in the sky...

Spotted it! Filming and running at the same time...

It's coming down...

There it is!

It landed!

Let's do it again!

No damage. My son just needs to repack the parachute.

Ready to go again...

In three, two, one... BLAST OFF!

Blasted...

Found It! 60 Minutes Swine Flu Segment

I thought I had lost this video--that it had been removed. I'm impatient and looked again and finally found it. Here it is again, just because.

I Don't Like Mikey

Yesterday afternoon, my daughter got thrown from a horse.

Part of the class my daughter takes involves grooming a horse, tacking, and then actually riding. After the ride, the kids de-tack (is that a word?), groom again and then hook up a lead rope to the horse and take the horse back to its stall.

This all takes about two hours and my daughter likes it very much. She feels in charge of the horses and feels affectionate towards them. Hoof picking and strapping on the girth and riding a giant horse or pony is a great lesson for an 8 year old girl. She can do it. She can control things. She is strong and when riding has great poise and feels at ease sitting up on these giant beasts.

Yesterday, it didn't go as planned or as previously experienced.

My daughter's horse yesterday was Mikey. I didn't know, but parents told me later, that Mikey is a skitterish horse and threw a girl last week--we weren't at that class. Instead, we were at my kids' dance recital where both kids received an honorable mention badge for only missing one class. My daughter has been wearing it constantly and pretends she is Hermione Granger with her prefect badge.

As my daughter was riding Mikey around the ring, doing a good job trying to "stay on the rail!" someone drove by too quickly near the stable (there is a strict 5 MPH speed limit around the stables, for good reason) and Mikey got spooked. He started to run and my daughter was able to stay on, pulling as hard as she could on the reins, commanding in a loud voice "Ho! Ho!" But, Mikey kept running and on the next turn my daughter came tumbling off.

Standing outside of the ring, I waited a moment to see if she would pop up and shake it off and then I saw that she wasn't shaking it off. Her teacher told her, "Lie down! Stay down." The other kids all stopped their horses and I ran in to my daughter.

She was scared. She was crying in that can't-get-a-full-breath-totally-shaken kind of way that is thankfully rare and is so heart wrenching to me. I held her and talked soothingly to her. I asked where she hurt and said that I bet that was scary--it really was.

She landed well--on her bum--and was physically OK. Still, thank God for helmets.

After calming down somewhat, she went to sit with her teacher in the center of the ring.

Later, on the ride home, she told me that her teacher told her she was a good girl. That she did a good job trying to control that horse and did what she should do when she fell. I heartily agreed.

The stable got Mikey out of there and someone quickly saddled up Haley so my daughter could ride again, hence the saying "Get back up on the horse." I took my daughter over as they saddled up Haley so she could talk to the horse and feel OK with the idea of riding again.

Haley is a nice horse and my daughter bravely finished the lesson riding her. As my daughter rode around the ring, I could see the strain on my daughter's face as she tried not to cry and actually do the things she needed to do in her lesson.

When we got into the car to drive home, my daughter released all of the tension from trying to keep it together and she cried. I kept holding her hand behind me as I drove and told her how brave she had been--in handling Mikey and keeping it together and riding Haley--she got back up on that horse! I told her that if there really was a Hogwarts, and if she went there, she would for sure be sorted into Gryffindor--undoubtedly. She is a brave girl--one of the bravest people I know.

We got home, I put her in a bubble bath with a few drops of cheering tangerine essential oil and sat on the floor and read her a book.

My daughter doesn't like Mikey. I don't like Mikey either.

My daughter, last year, with La--an ancient pony, with only one eye who would never throw a kid off during a lesson... unlike some other horses I could mention!