Can We Talk 2

Geraniums and Bees

         I've discovered I've handled my geraniums incorrectly. I was right to break off the dead leaves and finished blooms, but then I dropped them onto the top of the pot, thinking it would be like natural mulch. According to the video on YouTube that I watched yesterday, that is a no-no. You must not leave the debris on the top of the soil. So I went out and cleaned the pots and filled an empty pot with stems, etc.,

         I went though all the other plants and herbs, too. I don't know why I was leaving spotted leaves on the sage plants. I knew they'd never be green again and ready for harvest. But the tops of the soil were covered with withered leaves. Again, I think that probably is bad, holding in bacteria and infesting the soil. So I cleaned those plants off and used the leaf blower on my deck.

         Right now, I'm overrun with yellow jackets. A relative already put gas in a nest in the front yard. But they're buzzing on all four sides of the house. I can sit at my dining room window and see them darting up into the cedar tree and down to the Rose of Sharon bush, which is overgrown. That's pretty high up. I always think of them as being near the ground, since that's where they nest. My house is a split level, and the dining room is upstairs, so they're way off the ground. I work outside for a while; then they find me and I quietly walk away. You never want to run from a yellow jacket or swat at one.

         Tonight while on the WDC site, one buzzed around the lamp on my desk. Yep, I got up and left the room. I sprayed around and stayed out for a while. I haven't seen him again, or his little dead body. So I know he's still here. I've had trouble sleeping this week, so tonight I'll lie awake, afraid he'll sting me in the dark.