&^%(@#$ BUGS!

I'm not a bug hater as a general rule. If they don't bother me, ie, invade my space, I don't bother them. BUT, this past week, I've decided that I HATE THEM.

It all started with Em's itchy head. Ok, so maybe there was sand in it. Those darn kids are always throwing sand at each other or dumping it over themselves despite being told not to. Scrub, scrub, scrub the scalp. Two days later, itchy again. Take a look and I find BUGS. Not sure what these bugs are. Head to see NP at Pedi's office and find out my little girl has lice. The NP checked my head and Viola - I have lice too! WTF? The little one hasn't been anywhere except dance camp and they aren't putting their heads together or sharing brushes or hats. I have it from sharing my brush with the little one. Light bulb moment. The big girl maybe has it? Rush home to find that the big girl has 'em too. BAD. Ahhh, but she is old enough to NOT share hats or brushes. How the? OHHHHH, the movies. /shiver/ Makes me leery about going to the theater. (See? I am so glad I didn't take her to see Eclipse. I knew those movies would come to a bad end.)

So we treated with the $100/bottle prescription lice treatment. We bought lice/nit combs for $10. We washed everything, bought new pillows and hairbrushes (which we haven't been able to use yet.) Knock on wood, but it looks like they're gone!

Head to my beautiful, lush garden with extra beautiful cucumber & squash plants. This is my quiet place. Solace. Notice a couple of plants are dying. Look closely and see bright funny shaped beetles scurry away. FML. Squash bugs. They will decimate anything squash related (cukes & pumpkins included) . Soon. I had them last year. Nothing I can do short of going out there and killing them one by one by picking them up and throwing them into a soap bucket. Dude. I don't have time for that. I'm so, so sad. I have looked online for treatments and the only organic thing that MAY work is Neem. That is, if I can find the stuff. I busted my arse in that garden. In the fall when the garden is done producing, I will leave out one plant for those damn bugs to attack. I will then poor alcohol or gas over the plant and light the sucker on fire because really, that is about the only thing I can do. Next year, I will also add a few planks of wood into the garden. Each morning I will have to check underneath them and kill the squash bugs that are left over. And I will have Neem on hand. And I will spray EVERYTHING with Neem.

Yeah, so right about now, I hate bugs. I wish they would just leave me alone and pick on someone their own size.