Reflections from the Mirror: Invasion on the Waning Cucumber

This Blog's Focus, or lack there of

Edith Wharton said "There are two ways of spreading light ...To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it." That's what this blog is about, how the light of other people and the world around me have reflected off and in me. . .or other things when I need to write about other things, like walking, lizards, or fruit. There will be pictures of plants. All pictures are taken by me, unless noted.

I say what's on my mind, when it's there, and try to only upload posts that won't hurt or offend readers. However, readers may feel hurt or offended despite my good intentions. Blog-reading is a matter of free choice, that's what I have come to love about it, so if you are not pleased, surf on and/or leave a comment. I welcome any and all kind-hearted commentary.

It's 2012 and my current obsessions are writing and walking, sometimes at the same time. And books. I'm increasingly fascinated by how ebooks are transforming the physical book, forcing it to do more than provide printed words on a page.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Invasion on the Waning Cucumber

After a long hot summer, the cuke plant is fading away. Most respectable gardening books recommend getting rid of waning plants that no longer produce, but I like watching the cycle of life in the garden. Call me peri-menopausal, but it seems rude to feast on the bounty of my one-cucumber harvest and then yank the plant simply because it can no longer produce.

So I'm still watering the wilting plant and today it responded by squirming. Closer investigation revealed a colony of bugs. Bugs hatching, bugs in neat little egg cases under the elephant-ear like cucumber leaves, bugs bound together in end-to-end bug lust. Books recommend killing bugs-that-eat-plants (pests) and letting bugs-that-kill-pests (beneficials) live. I don't know if these are pests or beneficial bugs, but it also seems rude to kill a creature in the middle of sex (theirs not mine), so I left them to continue colonizing the cuke plant. But not before I snapped a few pictures.