Thursday at SHARE was so busy, basically non-stop food orders, end of the month coupled with cuts in food assistance because this administration says no money for food but plenty of money for vanity projects (fucking cage fight on the south lawn of the White House, a ridiculous triumphal arch, his butthole mouth face on a new $250 bill, and war). A handful of A and B (one or two people), mostly C and D (3 - 6 person household), and one E (7 and up) the very last of the day. I heard one of the guys ask for a count and Giruard said 40 and I know there were a few more after that. So four hours of constant filling the baskets that had been emptied by the guys filling the food orders and the larger orders, those baskets are heavy. They bring me the empty baskets (one for As and Bs, two for Cs, Ds, and Es) which I refill with canned goods (soup, vegetables, beans, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, fruit, meat, fish), instant mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, pasta, ramen, snack bars, instant oatmeal, crackers, juice. Then I carry the filled baskets over to another table where one of the guys puts them back on the shelf ready for the next food order. That’s not all they get. The guys have their own items they put in the cart; dried pinto beans, rice, bread, desserts, snacks, cereal, various drinks (including soda), milk, eggs, dried fruit, produce (whatever got donated that day from HEB and Walmart), various miscellaneous items that get donated. We don’t have everything all the time but that’s what they generally get. I’ll try to remember to take some pictures next week.
Anyhow, I did not sit down one time for four hours and when they finally locked the door I was tired! Basically useless until about 4:30 when I went over to feed the kitties and then looked at the fence between the shop property and the neighbor. And dammit! Turn my back on that fence for 5 minutes and the wild grape, briar, and virginia creeper is taking over so I got out the long handled nippers and got to work. Yesterday, after I picked up all the fallen dead branches in this yard from the storm earlier this week, I went back with the small nippers and get the rest of it and got four sections of the fence cleared before I ran out of shade. I’ll work on it some more today taking advantage of the dry days because it’s feast or famine these days, drought or deluge. Last Monday night a thunderstorm which started with distant rumbling until it was right on top of us with one very bright and simultaneous strike and then again Tuesday night a thunderstorm that sat right on top of us for four hours with constant flashing and rumbling accompanied with high winds. More thunderstorms predicted for next Monday and Tuesday. And we all know what the rain brings…unrestrained green growth and mosquitoes.
Steve Reed of Shadows and Light asked what mosquito dunks are so for those of you who live in bug free paradises, they are little donut shaped biological mosquito control discs that float on water and kill the larva; safe for fish, birds, animals, and people.
I break them up depending on the size of the container of water. The minnows will eat the larva and I never see any in the rainwater tub but I tossed a little in there anyway, better safe than sorry. The old turtle pond is so filled in with water plants now that I’m not sure the minnows can even get to the larva so it got treated as well.
Here’s some interesting trivia about mosquitoes…Those that make it to adulthood outside live an average of 2 to 3 weeks, one trapped indoors can live up to a month but depending on the species they can live up to 30, 40, 60 days outside. If you are waiting for winter for them to die off you may be disappointed. Some species can go into hibernation and survive 6 to 8 months. Only female mosquitoes suck blood and then only to lay eggs after which she can lay up to 300 eggs at a time which take 8 to 10 days to hatch. Every day nourishment for adults requires sugar which they get from nectar, fruit juice, and plant sap. While unaffected themselves, mosquitoes can transmit diseases from one human to another which include malaria, dengue, west nile, chikungunya, yellow fever, zika, and heartworms in dogs. Fortunately most of those diseases aren’t evident here. In case you were wondering how mosquitoes mate here’s a picture courtesy of earth.com.
I’ve started on the drawing for my little art project but not finished yet. This is the design part of the process, what I want the finished piece to look like. Once that’s done the next step is to divide it up into layers…foreground, middle ground, background. It will have at least four layers I think but that’s all I’m ready to share right now.
Somehow I missed knowing about mosquitos love of fruit juice. That makes sense, of course, and it also explains why I find the occasional mosquito on the kitchen cabinet if I've missed wiping up a drop of orange juice. I finally started emptying and refilling the bird bath/water bowl every other day. Apparently that's enough to keep the critters from using such as a place to multiply. We didn't get as much lightning and thunder with those storms, but they came close: there were some terrific ones just across the bay in Chambers County. Now, it's just hot, but at least it's not mid-summer hot yet.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea either. I looked them up initially to see how long they lived. disheartening answer. Too long.
DeleteCodex thanks Ellen didn't know that either. Noticed that new midges like acidic fruit. Didn't know it's part of their life cycle.
ReplyDeleteLearn something new every day, right?
DeleteI used to be super attractive to mosquitoes but I don’t think I am anymore. They don’t ignore me but it used to be the case that if I was in the vicinity everyone else was ignored. We don’t have a huge problem with mosquitoes here. Normally too dry, but we do have plug-ins in the house during open-window season. Mosquito dunks are wonderful. We used them in Connecticut. The turtle pond looks so lush and happy.
ReplyDeleteCodexto Mitchell mozzies locate you by increased co2 exhalation. Fizzy drink endocrine disorder etc.
DeleteWe've really needed the rain and we're still getting storms but I could really do without the mosquitoes. I may have to thin those water plants out a little.
DeleteSo far it has been coolish here for most of the spring and the biting insects haven’t been much of a problem - yet! They will have their day!
ReplyDeleteThey obviously have a place in the ecosystem, though I can't imagine what or I think they would have died out long ago.
DeleteMosquitoes are actually very interesting creatures, the only problem is that they buzz, bite us, and transmit nasty diseases.
ReplyDeleteIs there anything productive they do or are they just here to make us miserable.
DeleteI have a length of fence that confederate jasmine grows on and which now has a few tree-sized cherry laurels growing up on, completely wrapped in the jasmine vines and the Virginia creeper vines which I have allowed to also take hold.
ReplyDeleteI despair.
But not as badly as I despair at the complete insanity going on in Washington and everywhere else that man touches with his uncaring power. Of course people need food and can't afford it. But hey! Cage fighting!
I can't.
today is the third day in a row I haven't worked on the fence. By the time I get out there again this weekend I'll probably have to re do those 7 sections.
DeleteThanks for clarifying on the mosquito dunks! It's great that they're not toxic to the fish. That's what I was worried about. (But I know you're careful about such things.)
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, I do love living in a country that is virtually devoid of mosquitoes. In the northern UK there are blackflies which as I understand it are pretty miserable, and I get bitten on our patio in the summer by a kind of tiny flower bug that always gives me itchy welts. So even without mosquitoes, there's always something.
Bravo for all your work at Share. You are doing what this miserable administration cannot (or will not).
I would not mourn if the last mosquito dropped dead. But surely they have some unknown function besides making us miserable.
DeleteI remember one time in Zambia I was with my mom and grandmother down near Victoria Falls. The house we stayed in had a porch & my mom & I stayed out there for HOURS talking. The next day I counted over 30 mosquito bites - but just on one leg. So bizarre!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine getting 30 mosquito bites and not knowing it. I'd be slapping myself silly trying to kill them.
DeleteYou are doing good work at SHARE. I've been looking into our local food distribution charities and need to take the next step of volunteering. It feels important to do right now...
ReplyDeleteMy brother works in the big distribution center up where he lives, equivalent to the county food bank in Victoria that we buy stuff from. The big distribution centers repackage food that later goes out to the local food banks like the one where I volunteer.
DeleteWe don't have mosquitos here, just about one thousand different types of midges, they are afraid of nothing.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was in Scotland visiting some cairns we got there late in the day and midges were swarming and they bite. I think I'd rather have mosquitoes that I can see and kill when they land on me.
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ReplyDeletedein Beitrag hat mich gleichzeitig erschöpft und beeindruckt zurückgelassen – allein beim Lesen spürt man schon, wie intensiv dieser Tag bei SHARE gewesen sein muss. Es ist erschreckend, wie viele Menschen inzwischen auf solche Hilfe angewiesen sind.
Und trotzdem bewundere ich deine Energie. Nach vier Stunden voller schwerer Körbe und ununterbrochener Arbeit noch draußen den Zaun freizuschneiden und sich um Tiere, Garten und alles andere zu kümmern, zeigt eine enorme Kraft.
Zwischen all den Gewittern, Mücken und politischen Frustrationen blitzen aber immer wieder diese kleinen, lebendigen Momente auf, die deinen Beitrag besonders machen: die Elritzen im Wasser, das wilde Grün nach dem Regen, dein neues Kunstprojekt.
Ich hoffe sehr, dass du trotz all der Erschöpfung auch ein wenig Stolz empfindest auf das, was du tust. Für viele Menschen macht diese Hilfe vermutlich einen gewaltigen Unterschied.
Und jetzt bin ich neugierig auf dein Kunstprojekt geworden. 😊
Liebe Grüße
Anette
translated:
DeleteYour post left me feeling both exhausted and impressed—just reading it, one can sense how intense that day at SHARE must have been. It is sobering to realize how many people have come to rely on such assistance these days.
And yet, I admire your energy. To still be outside clearing the fence—and tending to the animals, the garden, and everything else—after four hours filled with heavy baskets and ceaseless work demonstrates tremendous strength.
Amidst all the thunderstorms, mosquitoes, and political frustrations, however, those small, vivid moments keep breaking through—the kind that make your post so special: the minnows in the water, the lush greenery after the rain, and your new art project.
I truly hope that, despite all the exhaustion, you also feel a sense of pride in the work you do. For many people, that assistance likely makes a world of difference.
And now, I’ve become curious about your art project! 😊
Warm regards,
Anette
The end of the month is usually the busiest day because people have already spent their food assistance money which our government in all it's cruelty has cut. We're seeing a definite increase in people coming in. I don't deal with the people who come in. I may get physically tired but I think that would be even more exhausting emotionally.
DeleteI don't know about strength but I so have a lot of stamina like most women. You just do what needs to be done.