Creepy Crawlies

I'm going to come out and say it: I have to buy vegetables at the store this summer. 

I blame it all on the aphids.

They're all over my brassicas.  I was able to save the kale by pulling up one whole plant early on that was infested, and that has helped prevent the spread of it to other plants.  However, my broccoli is a total disaster.  I harvested two small heads last week just to be able to eat them before the aphids did, but the rest are hopeless.  There was one plant that had so many aphids on it I thought it was a head of broccoli from far away.  Upon closer inspection, it was just a mass of disgusting grey aphids having a disgusting aphid party on my poor broccoli plant.  I had to pull it up and toss it in the compost.  The rest aren't as nasty, but nasty enough to prevent broccoli from being edible.  So far my cabbage and cauliflower look ok, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I tend to lean towards the belief that all animals, no matter how gross, deserve the right to live.  I'm not grossed out or scared by many things.  However, any teeming mass of insect gives me the heebie jeebies.  There are several bugs that I have personal vendettas against.

#1.  Ants:  You know the little black ones that walk in lines and come into the house?  We had an infestation of those several years ago and I'm just now starting to not feel the murderous rage well up inside me when I see them.

#2:  Maggots:  Last year, (remember, when we had a pseudo-summer?) we had a bit of a problem with flies thanks to the chickens.  Shawn made a fly trap (which didn't really work) to try to lessen our numbers.  After a week or so, when the trap had only caught 4 or 5 flies, we decided to throw it away.  I picked it up, looked inside and saw masses of maggots wriggling around inside.  I'd never really seen maggots up close before but they totally creeped me out.  I don't think I've ever been so grossed out in my life.  I'm fine with spiders, worms, centipedes, snakes, blah blah blah, but those maggots triggered a reaction from me that was completely unexpected.  I kinda want to throw up just thinking about it.

#3:  Aphids:  See above.

So freakin' gross.

So there you go, instead of eating massive amounts of delicious home grown broccoli right now, I have to go to the store to buy my fresh green stuff.  I hate aphids.  I hope they all die.  I'mma spray 'em.  Spray 'em all dead.  (With natural, home made aphid killer, of course.)

And lastly, I think y'all need a baby update.  They're not really babies anymore and are beginning the awkward voice change from "cheepy cheepies" to hoarse, high pitched chicken "bok bok burrrrs." It's funny.  Fran has stopped trying to murder them, but they are far from friends.  I've accepted the fact that that may never happen.

Aren't they getting pretty?