The Great Potted Plant War

People who live in this spectacular city are survivors and really do put up with alot of crap to live here.  Yes the festivals and the joi de vivre definitely do make the irritations worth it, however, we deal with a mix of so many things that really make it almost a marathon of survival:  Hurricane seasons, termite swarms (utterly disgusting beyond words), opressively hot and humid summers, Palmetto Bugs flying at your face, flooding streets, a kind of crummy police force and finally the defeat of not being able to grow a plant for longer than 2 months due to the elements.  At last update, my plants were kicking butt and taking names -- flourishing and producing amazing herbs for my crazy cooking.  However, things have taken a bit of a turn for the worse.  I am currently in a war and I am afraid I am losing to my tiny opponents.

Enter the caterpillar and the aphid. 

I have tried almost everything in the non-poisonous world to deter these pests (i refuse to throw poison on them because that defeats the purpose of my organic little garden).  Soapy water in a spray bottle does nothing and honestly, i cannot bear to touch the fat black caterpillars to pull them off the plants (did I mention i absolutely HATE bugs.  I see them and I yell for Mr. Bama.)  I read somewhere that sprinkling chili pepper around the bases of the plants helps, but its definitely not working for me.  

my caterpillers are very hungry indeed, but totally not as cute as the eric carle version.  photo court of http://jmclblog.wordpress.com

So now my marigolds look emaciated and have pretty much had their leaves totally stripped.  My strawberry plants have huge holes in their leaves and the mint is starting to turn brown.  The cilantro is incredibly sad looking and naked.  The only plant that the critters find no interest in is my pretty little rosemary bush (thank heavens).  I have had some help from my allies, the resident geckos.  However their appearance is sporadic, although effective for a short period of time.

I have exhausted my options and am really close to giving up and letting the invaders win, which is totally against my incredibly competitive nature.  Granted, I'm going to be cutting everything back as we leave vacation in a few weeks, but until them I'm thinking of just letting nature take its course.  Anyone have any ideas or advice to help save my poor little plants?

Another Year Older...

... and wiser perhaps?  Oh lets hope.  I had a great past few days, with Saturday being the "let's go party and celebrate Mrs Bama being an old lady!"

Here's me and Mr Bama before the evening festivities commenced:

After an awesome dinner out at Dante's Kitchen, we picked up some friends from "Bourbon and Burlesque" and then headed to the Roosevelt Hotel for some delectable libations at the newly renovated Sazerac Bar Yes, it is the bar, where the Louisiana state cocktail (the Sazerac) was created in 1859 at the then named "Sazerac Coffee House."  It was then moved to the bar within the Roosevelt in 1893.

The newly refurbished Sazerac Bar, complete w/ restored 1930s WPA Ninas murals.  *sigh*  I am also in love w/ the geometric tile floors. 

photo court. our view photography

My actual birthday on Monday was much more low-key and mundane (in a good way)  I have Monday's off anyway, so I was able to get a lot of work done around the house and then have a nice relaxing evening w/ the hubs and Bear.  Tomorrow the parents visit our home for the first time (a joint birthday gift for my mom & I) so I've spent the past few days just cleaning, dusting, vacuuming Bear's weight alone in his shedded hair (yes, it really is kind of disgusting and astonishing at the same time) and pretty much making the place look like decent, neat people inhabit our tiny tiny abode.  Then next week we can go back to pretty much living like a normal newly wed, over worked couple w/ a shedding, overexcited 8 month (!) old piranha.  Til then!

Bring it!

Wow, so things really have been crazy -- the end of May was filled with my two best friends from high school coming to visit, Memorial Day, designing up a plethora of wedding invites for Etsy (check out the link on the right!) and Mr Bama and I apparently going crazy and deciding to try our hand at the P90X fitness regime. Yes, its the program you see on the hokey 3-in-the-morning infomercials, but I've done a lot of research and it seems to be completely legit.  Also, my pretty athletic 60 year old dad has been doing the program for about a month now and just raves about. I'm stoked because this is the first time in a LONG while (since I coached/played at A&M) that I've worked out every single day for over an hour.  We finished week one on Sunday and 5 pounds later I feel awesome. In addition, yesterday on day 1 of week 2 I burned an amazing 700 calories and this morning i burned 500!  I'm exhausted beyond belief by 7am, but its good exhaustion.

what i feel like at the end of each workout.

On another note - next weekend is my bday.  Yay and boo at the same time.  But I've cleverly disguised the celebration of the event as just another ladies night out.  Where are we treating ourselves???  here.  Can you say YUM!? (their strawberry mojitos alone are divine). 

WooHOO for tiny little locally owned - food-will-blow-your-mind restaurants of New Orleans! Photo court of Humid Beings

And I'm also hoping to score one of these:

(picture court. trashy diva)

To go with my recently acquired pair of these:

The blue in the shoes matches the blue of the coat-dress perfectly.  Trust me.  Photo court of Poetic Licence

I was also invited by one of my best friends from Grad school to join her recipe blog -- So keep an eye out on the recipe stacker for some amazing global cuisine from all over (including some awesome Epicurean treats from New Orleans :-) )

So that's the run-down.  Hopefully more post-worthy things will happen this week and weekend!

Keep on Keeping Up!

Oh,  I completely must apologize -- so many things have been going on down here in the Big Easy with our little family of three (between my crazy work schedule, starting P90X w/ Mr. Bama, design insanity and taking care of "the Bear") that I simply cannot keep up with the posts of every little event!  However there has been a new developemnt for my little business: One Pound Design is now on Facebook! Please become a fan today and also please preview my new line of damask wedding invitation designs!

I'm looking at posting something of substance on Sunday or Monday (yay days off!!!) so keep your eyes peeled and I cannot thank you enough for your patience and loyalty! So "Ayez un bon weekend" from New Orleans!

Remember

On this day of remembrance, I can only look to the words of someone much wiser than myself to sum up its importance:

"Memorial Day is a time to take stock of the present, reflect on the past, and renew our commitment to the future of America.

Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of need. In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free.

I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.

This Memorial Day, we honor those brave Americans who died in the service of their country. I think an ancient scholar put it well when he wrote: ``Let us now praise famous men . . . All these were honored in their generation, and were the glory of their times. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.'' As a tribute to their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote lasting peace throughout the world."

- President Ronald Reagan, Memorial Day, 1983

Those words have never rung truer more than today and on this day of remembrance.  So please, in the midst of the BBQs (yum!) and fun times with friends, please take a moment to remember those brave men and women who gave everything for our simple, everyday freedoms than so many of us take for granted.

Happy Memorial Day!