thefutureisred

Photo of the Day: These Are the Ants that Ate My Thyme!

This summer, I bought herbs and flowers from the Salta Municipal Market on Calle Urquiza, corner of Itzaingo. Rosemary, basil, locuto peppers, thyme and lavender. The ants ate all but the rosemary and lavender.

Marigolds, I've been told, are the plants you plant around the edges of your garden to repel pests like ants. Those damn ants -- at least four different species -- not only ate them, they dismantled the flowers, petal by petal, leaf by leaf leaving nothing but sticks.

I don't want to use poison in our garden for many reasons, not least of which we have a puppy and a 6 year old running around, playing. But also, I use the plants and leaves for cooking and to prepare herbal preparations for everything from headaches to facial washes to rashes.

Internet research suggested trying lemon, hot pepper powder, salt and hot water. I tried each one separately and together. All I got was a bunch of plants that looks more like a roast than an herb garden.

Autumn arrived and the ants went underground. We stopped seeing them in the house, and my rosemary, lavender and mint -- a present from a friend, thrived. With renewed hope, I bought more thyme.

Then today, I watered the plants. Within minutes, a swarm of ants crawled from the thyme pot, all carrying eggs.

I'm not sure if I'm in awe or if I want to wage war against them. War, though, doesn't seem like much of an option. I'm hopelessly outnumbered.

And if anyone has any non-toxic solutions, please, please let me know.

It's Earth Day ! How Many Thneeds Do You Need?

Today, the day of the earth, Earth Day!

So how should we feel on this day? SaD at the state of the planet? Rain forests deforestated. Waters full of mucky muck. Or should we be happy and proud that we are maybe, just maybe improving? Maybe, just maybe, we are learning?

So on this Earthy Day today, I'm asking the question: How do we teach our children to honor and protect this planet. It's the only one we've got.

I've talked to Lila about the importance of recycling. About throwing trash in bins and not on the ground. Ask her what people who litter are called, she'll say "Lazy and irresponsible." We've taught her to say that. It's adorable; it really is, but I'm not entirely sure she knows what it means.

Ok, tongue in cheek aside, I read the Lorax. She loves the story, asks for it almost every night, and she truly understands, feels the pain of the loss of trees, fish, birds and barbaloots in their barbaloot suits.

Today, this very Earth day, you'll find a special limited edition online text of The Lorax full to bursting with ideas, thoughts and more for Earth Day.

Some other things to do:

• Collect Recyclables together and either reuse then in a project or take them to be recycled.
• Plant a garden. I turn to Gardening Advice on Twitter for tips.
• Check out the Children and Nature Network. Lots of great ideas for connecting our children to the environment.
• Read and subscribe to Cheap Like Me where you'll learn endless amounts about how to reuse, recycle and conserve, all written by a mom who knows.

Now I am no expert on this subject by any stretch, so I ask you to add your own ideas here as comments or e-mail me. I want to hear from you, because unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

So happy Earth Day to all. Today's the day, we're off to great places, we're off and away.

Oh What A Lovely Day

We spent the day in El Debenir - the hectare of land in Salta where we now live in exchange for work. There's composting, a vegetable garden, dog, cats, lots of plants and medicinal herbs, a playground and plenty of room to roam between our casita, the geriatric home being built and the main house. Today Lila and I made lentil soup, then picked tomatoes, basil and lime from the garden for a salad. Then, we started a paper making project. We found pieces of wood for the frame and started soaking old supermarket circulars.

 Then Lila put on her tutu and shirt and danced while I sang Baby Beluga. Then all three of us took the bus to a nearby heladeria with a play area. When I got back home, I worked on my Hot Momma case profile. The Hot Momma's Project is a collection of cases as part of a leadership program housed by the GWU School of Business. It's been a long lovely day, and I find myself here as the day turns into tomorrow, feeling for the first time since we arrived in Argentina, a little bit more relaxed and normal.