Bugs My Nemesis

This post is part of the June Blog Chain at the Absolute Write Forums. 
The topic is bugs.

There are good bugs, and there are bad bugs that plot to interfere with my carefully planned garden with their evil destructive ways. So I created some rituals myself to DESTROY THEM!

See this bug here?

It is the dreaded Japanese Beetle. It’s a ninja bug. It sneaks in stealth like and hides on the underside of leaves.  You can wake the next morning with your gang of plants decimated, munched down so nothing is left but limbs and veins.

Oh, you can try to set a trap, but it won’t work. You’ll just encourage more to come to their aide. You must kill them! Torch them! Obliterate them if you want them gone. I inspect every under leaf as soon as I spot them. I use my handy tweezers, put them in a cup of gasoline—and light it. MWAH-HA-HA! 

Then there is the elusive, hard to catch, Cabbage White Butterfly.

She looks harmless as she gracefully flutters from plant to plant. But don’t let her fool you. She’s a liar, not a butterfly at all but a lowly moth. Her little children are spawns of Hell. The tiny adorable little green caterpillars lie unmoving like a chameleon in the center vein of a vegetable leaf eating its way through to the next stage of its life-- they hide in the cabbage, they blend into the broccoli head, and sometimes you don’t spot them until they are COOKED ALIVE!

I can’t forget my nemesis the Squash Vine Borer.

It lives up to its name and does exactly that. It looks like a colorful fly. They laugh at me as I chase them with my net, but this year—this year will be different. Pantyhose will encase my zucchini stalks down below the soil, tin foil on their tender limbs.

My defense is against its children who will munch their way up from the base through the squash vines until they wither and die. If you’re lucky you can spot an ill vine, slit it with a knife, and with your tweezers pull out the gooey, writhing, grub-thing. Then put them in a cup with gasoline—and BURN THEM!

HA! Oh bugs in disguise, you will find no rest for your offspring here! For I shall protect the fruits of my labor! 

Below are some pics of last year’s recycle bin garden.

 

You can read the other bloggers posts on bugs below.
Participants and posts:
orion_mk3 - http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com (link to post)
Diem_Allen - http://mindovermistakes.blogspot.com (link to post)
Ralph Pines - http://ralfast.wordpress.com (link to post)
articshark - http://www.drslaten.com/blog (link to post)
Lady Cat - http://randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.ca (link to post)
U2Girl - http://ancatdubh.org (link to post)
MsLaylaCakes - http://www.taraquan.com/ (link to post)
SuzanneSeese - http://www.viewofsue.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
robynmackenzie - http://iwanttobeawesomewhenigrowup.com/ (link to post)
Sunwords - http://susannedoering.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
Angyl78 - http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ (link to post)
susanielson - http://somesemblancethereof.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
HistorySleuth - http://historysleuth.blogspot.com (link to post)
SRHowen - http://srhowen1.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
xcomplex - http://arielemerald.blogspot.com/ (link to post)
milkweed - http://www.thistlequill.blogspot.com/ (link to post)

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Read More

Milk Carton Murders 15

 

SETUP:

In case you're just jumping into the story... There coffins washed out of the creek bank during a recent flood. The remains were three girls that went missing 20+ years ago. Dave suspects his dad. Their house had been the last place he had seen one of the girls alive. She was one of many children Dave's parents cared for through the foster program. Dave has blocked memories from his childhood, and the voice in his head goads him to remember. 

Below is part of a conversation Dave is having with his dad. His dad speaks first. As always, the italics is "the voice" Dave hears in his head. (I had to edit down some and mess with punctuation to fit, so I hope it doesn't lose its impact. For those who asked, yes I plan to publish this.)

His father said nothing for a moment, just stared at the blank television. “Dear God, it’s my fault—it’s my fault that she’s there.”

“What do you mean your fault?”

His father didn’t answer.

 Tell me!” shouted Dave. He had never raised his voice to his father before, ever.

Truth or dare time, Davy, truth or dare! I dare you to ask for the truth, all of it—come on, Davy! Don’t you want to know what happened?

Dave cupped his hands over his ears as if that would stop it.

***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone. Thank you for any comments you leave me. Much appreciated!

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

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Milk Carton Murders 14

SET UP:
 The layouts for each missing child that was placed on milk cartons came directly from The Center for Missing Children (which is a fact, by the way). The Wiscoy Dairy in Lamont was one of the dairies that manufactured their own cartons. Dave’s dad Hal worked there until he retired in the late 90s. The remains of the three girls were among the missing children in CMCs database, but their images were never featured in the milk carton program. So who switched the layouts to put them on Wiscoy Dairy cartons and why?

Dave Robertson (my MC reporter) and Investigator Pepper Black are in her jeep on their way to the Wiscoy Dairy to ask some questions. Pepper asks if he’s ever been away from Lamont. Dave speaks first in the conversation below.

As always, words in italics is the “other voice” in Dave’s head. 

“I went to college in Chicago to the school for journalism, almost right after I graduated from high school, and worked at a newspaper there for a while until my mother died and I had to come back home.”

“What year did you go away to college?”

He was just thinking about that himself not too long ago. “I left for school in July of 1996.”

Pepper turned and looked Dave in the eye. “Right around the end time for our burials.”

Ought-oh, Davy boy—you know where she’s goin' with this, don’t you?

He might as well just say it out loud, “Well I’m not some crazed killer if that’s what you mean. Is that why you’re keeping me so close?”

 “It doesn’t mean anything, Dave—just making an observation.”

  ***

The link to the other Weekend Writing Warriors is here. You're bound to find something to pique your interest.

The Sunday Snippet writer's on Facebook are here. Between the two there is something for everyone.

*** 

BLURB:

When three small coffins are unearthed near the Wiscoy Creek during a routine dredging operation, it’s the last thing DAVE ROBERTSON, of the Lamont Weekly Times, expected. Pinned to the skeleton’s clothing are pictures from milk cartons of missing girls.

Dave is stunned to find that one of the girls is Sally―a foster child his parents had cared for through the Friends of Foster Families (FFF) program. Cold case files reveal the girls disappeared over 20 years ago. Knowing his house was the last place he saw Sally alive, he can’t help but suspect his dad.

How can he write the biggest story of his career if his father turns out to be the killer? If the voice in his head would shut up and let him remember, he might figure it out before he loses his mind and his dad is charged with murder.

Full blurb and snippet recap here.

Read More