Bad News Number Three? And the Continuing Saga of the Armyworm Battle

Well as far as bad news number three, I guess not so bad, although I really will not know for sure until after September 9th. I did go my appointments Friday, but I have so many things going at once that I am trying to keep up with, I never got back on here to update on the cancer stuff.

Yes, I have been approved for and the PET/ CT scan, it is scheduled, they called me yesterday, and it will be done on the 9th, as well as having labs drawn for the chemo doc that day, then I will see Dr. B and Dr. W again and we'll talk. Here is the post cancer treatment information that I have from them as far as opinions on what's up so far.

The persistent edema (swelling) has continued longer than "normal", and was attributed to "slow healing" up to this point. Now though, since my taste buds have been returning in leaps and bounds, indicating healing is progressing, this makes them feel possibly not related to slow healing. Persistent swelling could indicate recurrent disease. Also the loss of voice they are very concerned over. This is because when scoped the throat actually looks GREAT, except for swelling. My vocal chords are free and clear of any obvious problems, which means it is most likely the voice box itself having problems now. On a good note, kind of, the voice box problem may be related to damage from radiation treatments, and not recurrent cancer. On a bad note if it is necrosis of voice box as he suspects if adequate blood flow cannot be restored tissue death will continue, and could lose voice box which all the cancer treatments I have endured were to preserve. That would be a major bummer too.

So, putting these concerns on the back burner for now, till the 9th, and staying busy with other things. Like harvesting and preserving my herbs for my tea blends, taking care of my animal menagerie and FIGHTING ARMYWORMS lol.

The armyworms have a cycle that goes from the moth which is nocturnal laying eggs, small catepillar like worms hatch, eat and eat and eat, and then bury themselves in leaf and loose earth and grass debris in a chrysalis or pupea stage thingy, and then hatch out a moth to go do it all over again. One moth can lay like 200 eggs.

I do not use any pesticides of any kind around my plants or gardens, never have never will. First line of defense is diligence, catch the eggs stage on leaves. 2nd line, with the garden hose set to highest pressure I have been patroling the garden perimeter. With a stick I Have been squishing every catepillar and chrysilis I stir up from where they lurk, right at the root level. The 3rd line of defense? Attack the moth population directly, before they lay eggs.

For this application, yes I am using house and garden flying insect, instant death spray, BUT NO Where Near My Plants or Gardens. I am using  lights to draw the suckers in at three separate areas. The Back Deck, Out front near the main flood light in the driveway, and the light right above the barn door. You would not believe how many come into the light. I have been going out twice a night now, 10 p.m and midnight and sparingly sprayed onto a very limited surface area. Bazinga, that's a lot of moths that are not going to lay 200 eggs apiece.

We'll see how it goes. For a farmer trying to protect hundreds of acres I imagine my efforts may be futile, but I am going to give it all I got, without going against my beliefs.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, we would not be having the armyworm problem if there were no BT genetically modified Crops.

Okay Bad News Number Two That I Promised To Post

ARMY FREAKIN WORMS!!! Yes Armyworms. We have never had them before, but we do this year.
We are all familiar with gypsy moth caterpillars? Well these are similar looking to those. These armyworms are actually the larva or caterpillar stage of the armyworm moth.
Army worms are very destructive, eating the plants from the root system up. Thier favorite or preferred diet is bermuda grass, but when that runs out they have been known to consume just about anything. sigh, if it isn't one thing it's another.
We have a mix here of bermuda and fescue, and I had noticed there were weird looking patches in a few spots of the bermuda down near the greenhouse. A few days later this splotchiness had moved about 25 feet along, moving into the pool area. It was when I noticed this definate spreading trend that the local news aired a story about these armyworms. When they reached the concrete pool border they split into three groups, to the left, to the right and into the pool.
They are edging closer to my main garden area, so important to my herbal tea business, and since I refuse to use chemicals the only thing between the path they are traveling and the main bed is the railroad ties set in the ground around it. Here's hoping they choose the easier path and go around to either side, as the majority at the pool obstacle did.
So why are the armyworms showing up even into states farther north than ours? Because of BT Crops. That's right another incident of genetically modified crops messing up the balance of mother nature. Turns out besides killing innocent monarch butterflies and bees, which of course has been denied, the BT crops are also wiping out a helpful little hitchhiking parasite that usually attaches to a cutworm larva in the very early stages, resulting in death.
Well it is late, and I am tired, I will elaborate here in greater detail, with links on the armyworms tomorrow, as well as post a seperate entry regarding yesterdays doctors appointments.