Today started like an ordinary Saturday. I had cleaning to do, but prior to starting cleaning the kitchen, I caught up on making sugar water for my young hives. It’s always a bit messy to do a 1:1 sugar water for 16 quarts, so I do it before cleaning. If someone looked at my stash, they would think I was making moonshine. Moonshine in Mendota! I’m sure it’s been done.

I don’t mind cleaning. I was listening to music and singing. I cleaned the potrack and I took a picture of it. I can find things in pictures that I can’t see in the room. Potracks are no longer in style, but as my dear mother would say “who the hell cares.”

My potrack adds a certain charm to the kitchen.  My look at how orange my natural cherry cabinets look?   Must learn how to do better with lighting when taking indoor photographs !  Always so etching to learn.

Oh I do love a clean kitchen even if it appears orange in the pictures!

I get lots of questions about these red and yellow curtains. I’ve got just a little fabric left and when someone asks me about them, I mail them a swatch.

My day was going so well. I was channeling Donna Reed without the high heels, necklace, or hairdo. I decided to go out and pick some basil and do a little flower arrangement. I have lots of basil so I use it as flower filler as well as a herb.   This is when it happened. I saw the Japanese Beetles on my basil and my green beans. Look at the damage in the picture below. This was not present yesterday.

I hate them.  More damage.  Grrrr…

It is no wonder I have so many skunks. The skunks like grubs and before these Japanese beetles were flying, they were slugs in the ground  It’s war.   Murderous thoughts started in my head.  I had motive.  I had the bucket, the soapy water, and I had the desire for Beetle Blood.   I picked or shook them off into my bucket of sudsy water and watched them drown.  Did not even feel a tiny bit bad.

It’s dark at 2:40 am when I am writing this, but if I could see, I’d be out there checking to see if there’s any more.  I will drown everyone one.

Chickens love these things. I’ve decided I’m going to get some chickens.