I would like to wish my Dad, aka Ed, a Happy Father’s Day! 👨 After talking to him this morning, I’d also like to extend my condolences to the 🪲🪲🪲 Japanese Beetles that have been eating his rose bushes. 😮 You guys are toast. ☠️☠️☠️ Ed is about to dash off to Home Depot to stock up on materials and strategic advice from every helper and friend he can find in aisle seven of the garden department. Once the discovery portion of his mission is over, he will return home to begin operation “Let it Be.” 👨🌾 Let’s face it, there are only four Beatles tolerated in the Loving household, and that is John, Paul, George, and Ringo. 🎹 🥁 🎤 🎸
I have no experience whatsoever in gardening or any kind of lawn maintenance. 🙃🤣 However, here is what I’ve observed over the years as Ed’s three-pronged pest control strategy. 📝
First line of defense — BIRDS! 🦜🦚🦉🐦🦅 Birds are an insect’s worst enemy, and Ed’s garden is their sanctuary. 🐦🐦🐦 Every bird in Ed’s zip code can’t wait to make a reservation at this Michelin-starred eatery. 🍽 The tasting menu features insects as a first course, followed by a smorgasbord of gourmet seeded feeders that are only outshined by the luxury birdbaths waiting to cleanse their feathers postprandial. 🛁 Our cat Midnight 🐈 has long since passed, so these visitors are now free to perch in peace. ☮️
The second line of defense is the carefully curated plant choices that attract birds and the right kind of insects for a healthy garden. 🌻🌷🌻🌷🌻 You will find marigolds, chrysanthemums, geraniums, and even rosemary have joined forces to keep the area thriving. 💪
If all else fails, an urgent trip to Home Depot is always in order. 👩🔧🧑🔧👨🔧 No one can ever predict what Ed might come home with, but we know one thing: RIP beetles. 🪦 Long live the roses! 🌹🌹🌹 Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there! Wishing you a fun day of doing whatever you want — golfing 🏌️♂️, picnicking 🧺, gardening 🪴🪴🪴, or vigilant pest control. 🪱🐛🐌🪲🪰🐜
Awesome! I now feel calmed about asking my husband on Father's Day to help plant those 4 fruit trees awaiting their forever home. He was actually itching to do it. Not a normative Father's Day activity, but a satisfying one. 😉