We have a wasp problem, and don’t want to use pesticides to kill them. Well, actually, we don’t really even want to kill the rotten little beasties…. they are part of the grand plan of nature, after all. We just don’t want the little stinkers to set up shop around our house, barn, hayshed, tool shed, garage or the farm machines. Is that too much to ask? LOL!

So, I designed a pattern for a fake wasp nest to trick them into to bugging off somewhere else.

So far, the crocheted wasp nests seem to be working! The deck has been wonderfully wasp free, and Jim hasn’t seen any more of them in the tool shed or hay shed.

Our daughter, Chloë , got inspired and has designed a sewn fake wasp nest. I haven’t heard from her about how it’s working at her house, yet.  Will need an update from her on that.

Jim decided that he’s interested in the family ‘anti-wasp campaign’, so he turned a fake wasp nest on the lathe:

It’s hanging in the barn, and when I was out there, taking pics, didn’t get buzzed by a single one.  Good for the horses!

We shall see how this goes…. hopefully, the wasps will avoid us. There are some kinds of beasties that are just not a treat to hang out with.

Now, if I could just make the mosquitoes hang out somewhere else!

And, oh yes, about those spiders! eegads! there was one the size of a moose in my undie drawer yesterday!

Ah, life down on the farm…..

:o)

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

OH!!!!! I am just delighted! After reading my posting about Hinka Osinga’s spectacular crocheted model based on the mathematics of the Butterfly Effect,  Kristi found the actual pattern for it!

I’ll never have time to do it, but I love it that now I COULD!

Here’s the pattern URL: Crocheted Mathematics of Chaos Butterfly Model   by Hinka Osinga and Bernd Krauskopf

thanks so much, Kristi! Wheeeeeeeeeee!

The Crochet Liberation Front on Ravelry awarded me their hookalicious award for kewl crochet for my earth friendly design for a crocheted market bag:

I love it that they GOT my pun: It’s a♥ GREEN ♥bag that’s all about ♥ loving the earth! ♥

I am tickled pink. When I was nominated for a Fabbie award, I made myself a trophy.

I figured that I always celebrate with a really great cuppa tea (green chai perhaps?) so why not carve myself a crochet hook with a teacup on it? Makes sense to me.

So here’s my award to me… and excuse me while I take a spin around the grungie old carpet (not red, alas) and bow to my adoring cats and dogs. After all, it isn’t every day that you get an award! (grinning from ear to ear)

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay(c) 

Terri posted a wonderful entry about Earth Day on Salt Spring Island: Earth Day Weaving

and mentioned to her mom about all the ‘R’ words that I used to use in the environmental puppet shows that I wrote, built and performed for 20 years or so….

A few of the ‘R’ words that I used to pitch like mad in the puppet shows:

Re-think: Has to be the most important as we Re-consider how we treat our beautiful blue planet.

Re - use

Re claim

Restore

Re-create

Repair

Renew

Reduce

and of course: Recycle

And, there are other earth-keeping words that begin with the letter ‘C’ (ROTFLOL…. it’s starting to sound like Sesame Street!)

Compost

CREATIVITY

Caring

Compassion

Connection

Committment

Contentment

and ‘G’:

Greening

Gardening

Grace

Graciousness

And the letter ‘e’:

Einstein

Environment

Excitement

And, ‘I’:

Inspiration

Intelligence

Integrity

and ‘h’

for HOPE and HOME and HERE and HOW?

How many other words and concepts of stewardship can you add to this list? I’ll start the list with:

‘ACTION’ because my mother always said:

‘Actions speak louder than words’.

So… let the earthkeeping begin!

PS: Yes, I wove the Earth puppet, and the ‘R’ puppet was made with reclaimed stuff.

Terri Bibby, Saori Master, added these words in a comment and I thought that they were so important that I didn’t want anyone to miss them:

“S” - sustain, sustainability, support, stewardship, stand (as in stand for what you believe in), stop & start - many uses for these, share, Saori (Yay! - using up all the bits & pieces, and of course the creativity from your list)

and I add: SEE to the list of important ’s’ words

and sisterhood, and family and kinship…

Synchronicity is amazing.

I was just reading about the common root of two opposing words:

Hospitality vs Hostility

and then the link for this amazing and beautiful piece of work was sent to a list that I belong to:

Lace Fence 

I am awestruck by the lace fence. As a lacemaker, I KNOW how incredibly difficult creating the lace fence had to have been. The technical virtuosity is stunning.  It took a great deal of power to manipulate the wire to create the lace on that scale.

But, the metaphor behind it is  equally, or perhaps even more powerful.  It’s a potent reminder that we really can approach our environments in more mindful ways and create more beauty.  Functional DOES NOT have to equal ugly.