The Bug

The Lord family has been laid low with a malevolent stomach bug that ran right through all of us (pun intended). Naavah got it first but being the last of the 2-year-old Stoics, simply reported that her stomach hurt. Since she continued playing, etc. we didn’t pay too much attention. That is until we saw that she had been vomiting into her quilt. Not a word, no complaints, just soldiering on.

Her sister, on the other hand, made sure the entire family knew when the bug bit her. This was at 1 in the a.m. and from then on, she stayed in my bed with me. We quickly got into a routine. She would vomit, I would take the basin and clean up. I would return to the bed, continue the story I was telling her until the next episode. Once she realized that we were very sorry she was sick but that there was little we could do, she settled down and was as stoic as her sister.

She was over it within 12 hours. Dan and Yael took 2-3 days and I was flat out for 6 and have been staggering around ever since. This getting old stuff is sooo much fun!

What with the bug, etc. it was 5 days before I could drive around the farm to see how things were doing. The answer is: not too well.

First, the steers took advantage of my relaxed vigilance to kick over their water trough and so were without water for several days at least.

 

Next up were the bugs. No, not the bacteria type; the eat everything that grows type of bug. As an example, most of the corn is gone. Not a trace. There are a few scattered stalks and you can see from the picture how well they're doing.

The possums have totally destroyed my roses. I am livid but there is nothing to do but wrap the plants in netting and pray.

However, there is some good news. This hot, humid weather has been great for my tomatoes. I should make a ton of tomato sauce from these glorious specimens. Most of the plants are heritage tomatoes so I am looking forward to finding out what the taste differences are. Probably the difference is that the heritage tomatoes actually have a taste.