Living in the High Desert and being passionate about gardening can be challenging at times. Regardless of the care I give my plants, Powdery Mildew, white dusty spots found on leaves and sometimes on stems of plants, have always been an issue in my Rose garden during Fall and Spring; possibly due to the cool weather. I have had a few dieback, and lots of Aphids (plant lice) early this year. I use fertilizers on my plants and I have used fungicide to eradicate them and it worked on and off.
My Roses bloom all year round. This Summer, however, I didn’t see a single bloom and I noticed that the plants were a lot healthier. A couple of days ago, I spotted a Praying Mantis on my Camelot Hybrid Tea Rose and I smiled at the fact that it was there primarily to feed, which in turn helped keep my plants disease free.
Praying Mantis on ‘Camelot Hybrid Tea Rose.’
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with Praying Mantises, especially with their strange shape. Though I have always known of their advantages in the garden; I had never witness the marvelous results they produce. The Praying Mantises are wonderful insect control in the garden, as they feed on Aphids, caterpillars as well as other harmful and beneficial insects. The Praying Mantis is an insect which does not discriminate.
Other Helpful Garden Insects:
Green Lacewings
Assassin Bug
LadyBugs
Dragonflies
Predatory Mites
Bees
Centipedes
Damsel Bugs
Spiders
Syrphid Fly
Ground Beetles
Ichneumon Wasp
Trichogramma Wasps
You can read more about the benefits of Praying Mantises here.
About 3 years ago I came across a piece of thick plexiglass which I knew that I wanted, but did not know what to use it for. Time passed and about a month ago, while cleaning the garage, I came across it again. This time I decided to file down the edges to round them off and make it usable. As luck would have it, I needed to place it on a surface to round it off and after looking around for a bit; found myself a tree trunk that was the perfect size.
An hour later and the piece of plexiglass was ready to use and while looking at it from different angles I found my answer. “A TABLE”. I used wood screws to drill it down to the plexiglass and used a drill bit to make the holes on the plexiglass to not crack it. Here is the result. I hope you enjoy it.
Table made with Plexiglass on salvaged Tree Trunk.
After numerous trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot, my wife asked me once again to make her a Primitive Wooden Bench. I had spotted a couple of choice piece on a pile of used wood behind our garage and now was the time to fish them out. I had seen the leg pattern from other benches and knew what they looked like, so I started with them. Once I got the correct angle in place, I cut two pieces of each for the legs and screwed them together to verify the angle.
Once done with the legs I started working on the sitting part and the back rest for it. This two pieces where cut the same size and rounded off to eliminate the possibility of splinters. I used to pieces to unite the back rest to the legs and the rest is history. You can see for yourselves the end result.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Today I am sharing with you, the story of seven siblings (Kenedy, Emer, Jackie, Emmanuel, Patrick, Julius and Genevieve), who are, to the best of my knowledge, a wonderful example of Proverbs 22:6.
If you are like me then you will admit to be drawn to the beautiful faces and smiles of the individuals on the pictures. Yes, they are beautifully made in the image of our Creator. Yes, they are unique and they are my family. What you may know or not know about them is that they have lost both parents; their Father in 1992 and their Mother two years ago, on August 29th, 2010).
Aunt Sarah was a beautiful, gentle, soft-spoken and a woman of noble character; even when she tried to frown, it only accentuated her beauty. She was a Christian who never cheated life; who believed, followed the Words of God and gave thanks in all things. Being in her presence was comforting and when she smiled at you, all you could do was smile back. She was a biological mother to seven wonderful individuals and an adoptive mother to countless. She embraced everyone who crossed her path as her own. She didn’t just tell you how much she loved you; she made sure you felt it. She was a Mother, a Friend, a Comforter, a fervent server of the Lord and she lived a life that some of us can only dream of. She did an amazing job raising her children, who are a great examples of what Proverbs 22:6 is all about.
“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.” – Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)
Kenedy, Emmanuel, Patrick & Julius.
Some might think that in losing their parents they had lost everything. It’s quite the opposite because in losing both parents, they gained new strength. I am not insinuating that they don’t care or that they don’t feel a thing. The pain is there. It is raw, perpetual and it will only ebb with time. I know because I have walked in their shoes.
When my Sister suddenly died in 1998, Jackie was the one by my side. She stood strong by me and showed me unconditional love. She became the other voice of reason; she helped mend the pieces of my shattered heart. She pretty much took over my shadow and kept me sane. Thank you, Jackie, for everything and for being such a loving and caring person.
This is the legacy aunt Sarah instilled in her children – devotion to God, respect for self and compassion toward others.
They were thought at a very young age to walk by faith and to live by hope. They were thought to be kind, especially to the unkind and hope that their love is strong enough to move them.
They are now stronger than ever. Love grows more love and it’s in giving that we receive (St. Francis of Assisi).
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.” – 1 John 3:1 (NLT)
Emer, Jacqueline & Genevieve.
Whenever we forgive truly and love someone with the intend to elevate them, something miraculous happens and our lives are changed. We do not have to love people because they mean something to us; we have to love and respect them because they exist and because God teaches and commands us to love one another.
By JM Perez
