Brrrrr!

Finally! We have cold weather!

Last year here in southern coastal Delaware where Bill and I reside at our almost one acre Casa Tipton-Kelly, the winter weather was mild. 

We did not get any snow. 

We did not have any extended stretches of days of twenty degree weather. 

As a result, this summer we had a very destructive invasion of army worms that devastated our lush back yard of almost one acre. I was told that was because the mild winter we had last year didn't kill off the grubs that were lying in wait just below our verdant surface of expensively maintained lush carpet of green Kentucky blue grass, which I often received compliments ("You have such a great lawn!") all summer long. Not last summer after the forty-eight hours that the army worms turned that lush green lawn into a brown, smelly (army worm urine, thousands if not millions of the) Mars like landscape. There was nothing I could do but hang my head in shame every time a neighbor saw my lawn and gave me that Pity Look that one gives neighbors who don't take care of their lawn. We all know one of the requirements of American culture in a fou fou development, a LUSH GREEN LAWN. I joined the ranks of the scuzzies last year with my stinky brown lawn. Now with this freeze, those frigging army worm grub are GONE, GONE, GONE.

I can deal with the freezing cold weather, even the snow. We have a propane gas heated house. I love gas heat. I would prefer natural gas but that wasn't available for us. In Pennsylvania we had a heat pump which sucked. We were talked into that by the builder. Come to find out that was the cheapest option for him when he was building our house. Electric heat is not only expensive, I find it very uncomfortable. Propane gas heat isn't cheap either but at least I don't have $400 plus monthly heating bills, which is what I would have for the electric heat backup to the heat pump. There is no heat to be extracted from the outside by a heat pump when the temperature is in the Twenties. Propane gas cost us $260 a month which is expensive enough.

So we're in a cold spell here folks. If this is what it takes to get rid of those army worms, I'll take it.

Stay warm everyone!

 

Army Worm Update

 This morning our local twice weekly newspaper, the Cape Gazette, featured an article about the army worms that decimated our back yard. 

Yes, that's me pouring soapy water on a patch of my grass to bring out the army worms to show the reporter who wrote this article.

The army worms have finally stopped eating my lawn but the damage remains and probably will the rest of the year. There is a slight (very slight) green haze (if you look at it with the right angle of sunlight) where you can see the grass trying to make a comeback. It is my understanding that the cold weather of the fall will kill off any remaining army worms. However, my grass probably won't recover back to its former glory this season. Oh well, I'll look at the bright side, less lawn mowing for me. Not really though, I do like to mow the lawn. So relaxing.

During my morning walk this morning through our development I see where the army worms have chomped through one of my neighbor's front lawns. These army worms are very selective, just chooses certain lawns to lay waste. 

One of my neighbor's lawn laid to waste this morning by the marching army works. Total destruction.

Army Worm Lawn Treatment

Late today my lawn service company came over today to treat our backyard for the army worm infestation. 

The owner of the lawn service company came with his employee (the employee speaks very little English) to check out the damage. He said they're still trying to "figure out" how to deal with this latest parasitic invasion. He said the Army worms are acting differently on different lawns, sometimes stopping at the border line between neighboring lawns. He said the worm appears to like wire (Bermuda) grass. Hey now, that worm can eat ALL OF MY WIRE GRASS that I've been trying to get rid of for years. Wire grass, also known as "rope grass" is very invasive and takes over a lawn. I've tried, unsuccessfully, over the past years to get rid of my wire grass only to see it come back like Jason in "Halloween." 

I told the owner of my lawn service company to do whatever possible to rid with parasite from my lawn. I used to have such a beautiful lawn which was a wonderful source of serenity for me at this time of my life which I'm home all the time as full-time caregiver of Bill. To have my lawn die almost over night (less than a week my lawn went from a lush green to a desolate brown), only adds to my sense of despair and isolation. But as Pat always reminds me "This is only a first world problem" and indeed it is. At least I wasn't one of those poor Afghan souls seeking to escape their country from brutal religious extremists who only goal seems to be brutal to anyone who doesn't subscribe to their interpretation of religion. 

Hopefully after this application my beautiful lawn will return to it's proper place in my little corner of the world here in southern Delaware.

Army Worm Infestation

Here's proof, I have an Army worm infestation. 

I'm sick about it. It gives me little solace that others here in southern Delaware are victims of this parasitic infestation.

I called my lawn service company this morning to request a treatment. 

These worms in my backyard are not long for this earth.