Tired Garden

Our oceans have been destroyed. We have over fished, spilled oil, tossed out trash, and otherwise taken these beautiful homes and turned them into sewage. The BP oil spill is mostly contained, but we will be cleaning up after it for years. China is doing a better job at fixing their spill. Remember Exxon Valdeez? Are we done with the repercussions of that spill?

What about fishing? We have fished whales to near extinction, because we wanted their blubber for oil. Many sharks are endangered because we want to eat them. Killing off these killers has allowed smaller species to thrive and kill off others. The ecosystem is changing and plummeting. Yet we keep drilling for oil and we keep eating all the fish.

There is not much more that the oceans can take. If we leave them alone, mother nature will fix out mistakes, but it will take thousands of years, if not more. What can we do? We can slow out consumption of fish, favoring farm raised (albeit not as good) fish. We can cut down on out oil consumption, or eliminate it all together. More importantly, we can fight to pass laws that will protect the few remaining sanctuaries for what species we have not already damaged.

On such area is the Ross Sea. Dubbed The Last Ocean, the Ross Sea is adjacent to Antarctica and was not even discovered until 1841. The intense cold and ice flows make getting to the area difficult. International treaties have stopped any oil drilling in the area, but fisheries are now fishing the Antarctic Toothless, better known as the Chilean Sea Bass. Despite making very little to no profit on these giant fish, the fisheries are still hunting them and bringing in boatloads in a short time. Are the fisheries going to ruin the last remaining ocean, or are we going to step forward and protect them?

We use Netflix for renting videos at home. We pay very little and get the videos in the mail when we finish one. Some people have come along and followed in Netflix footsteps for other products done the same way. What do you think of these options:

Bookswim. You get books in the mail. Read a few and then send them back for the next batch. You rent 3 books at a time, returning 2 at a time, for $23.95. Plans go up from there. Seems a little expensive when most of the books I can get from the library for free. If you can find your college text books on the site, it may be worth it, other than that, I don't think so. What do you think? They have a $9.99 for 1 book option, but you have to pay shipping.

Gamefly. You get games in the mail. Play them as long as you want, get a new one in the mail when you return it. At just $8.95 for first month ($15.95 per month after that) you get one game at a time. A little more than a movie at Netflix, but not a bad deal considering how much games cost new.

A competitor of NetFlix, GreenCine offers a different selection of videos than NetFlix. From their site: "GreenCine offers the best selection of independent films, cult classics, international releases, documentaries and other esoteric fare, including rare titles available at no other service." Basically, if you want the standard fare, pick NetFlix of Blockbuster. If you want more independent stuff, take GreenCine.

It seems that the mosquito population has increased this year. I am itchy all over. Mosquitoes are one of the biggest nuisances I can think of and I thought I'd share some information I have collected on how to limit their bite.

The first thing to do is to keep the mosquitoes from reproducing. Mosquito larva live in standing water, so if you have any standing water, dump it. If you can't dump it, use one of the ways below to keep them from laying eggs in the water.

Mosquito Dunks are a non-toxic method of controlling the larva. It kills larva, but is safe for birds, fish, cats, dogs, etc. Just drop them into your bird bath, pond, water barrel, etc. They last 30 days and will cover 100 square feet. Dunks are not a quick mosquito control method. If you want something that will kill the pests today, then you need Mosquito Bits. They work the same way as the dunks, but within 24 hours, instead of 2 weeks.

Another good long term mosquito control option is fish. Some fish will snack on mosquito larva, and get rid of them that way. In Portland we have a place called Vector and Nuisance Control. It is their job to control the population of mosquitoes and other pests. Anyone in Multnomah County can drive up to their door and ask them for mosquito eating fish and they will give you a bag full. If you don't live in Multnomah County check for a Nuisance Control in your neighborhood and they may have some fish for you too. I got 10 for my pond.

Both those methods work for controlling them once they are born, but what about when you are sitting out on your deck and getting swarmed by them. Or, like us, trying to enjoy a Movie in the Park and they attacked. Ouch. Well, there is Deet spray (like off), but if you want to avoid the harsh chemicals, there are some natural alternatives. If you want to control mosquitoes on you and you do not want to use deet, there are a couple of options. One is Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent Pump Spray. This is a spray with plant extracts. Like deet sprays, you spray it on your skin. It, unfortunately does not work as well as deet. But if you are trying to avoid deet, you can use it. I've also heard that eating a lot of garlic will help. I've had mixed luck with that. You don't want to eat so much you stink either. If you know of any other methods for mosquito control, please share!

Prayers have been answered. Alisa Maier had been abducted from in from of her home Monday by someone in a dark four-door sedan. Prayers went out across the nation and the town gathered for prayer. 24 hours later and 70 miles away Alisa Maier was found after the dark sedan back fired and bystanders saw the girl wandering around the Fenton, Missouri car wash.

Thanks everyone who prayed for Alisa Maier and her family. Praise God for answering those prayers and safely returning the little girl. Pray for the little girl and their family, as they will continue to recover from this traumatic event.