TipsFromtheGarden-HowToGetRidofAphidsSafely

TipsFromtheGarden~

HowToGetRidofAphidsSafely-

Good Afternoon my dears Friends & Followers

I am very sorry that I haven't been around these 

past couple of months, but life has been a bit

difficult. I have tried to keep-up with the posting on my blog and the photo's on my G+ page.

Which I hope that you all have enjoyed. 

I am sorry I haven't been able to keep-up with my

~TipsfromtheGarden & WendyTales~ 

However I hope to start up today this 

Saturday afternoon with a new one on how to 

get rid of those nasty Aphids that seem to never 

want to leave ones garden. 

As for me, well I have been spending a lot of time 

in my garden, kitting and quality time with my son. We 

have been having great chats and since he is growing

so fast and has only 3year more of highschool. I have

decided that my time with my son is very important.

Soon he will be in college before I know it.

Also I have been dealing with some health issues.

Not to worry, I am slowly taking care of them.

I have finally been able to get to the doctor

for some of them & in time for all. 

I am so grateful for your friendship and love, 

and how much you all care about me my dears

friends and followers. 

I am truly blessed, I just wanted to let you 

know what is going on with 

YOUR WENDY.

So now  the post on how to get Rid of Aphids!

I myself have problems with Aphids with my own plants 

so I wanted to help you all with these nasty critters.

I have found a few ways of getting rid of them Safely too!

How to Get Rid of Aphids Naturally

This is now you know if your garden is infested with Aphids

and when I wrote this post I found out that my garden was

in trouble of Aphids. 

These are the signs; Yellowing and distorted leaves,

stunted growth and an unsightly black sticky substance[on the back of the leaves of your plant] on

the plant many mean that you have aphids. Aphids feed

on a wide range of plants & flowers too and in severe 

cases the plant will fail to thrive if not treated. As these

nasty insects feed on your plants they will secrete a 

sticky substance called honeydew, which quickly becomes

infested with black sooty mold. 

This black sooty mold I have encounter myself with my

jasmine plant which has spread the Aphids to 3 of 

my other plants in my garden this is one of the 

main reasons I am doing this post so that you all

my dears don't have to go through this with your own 

plants. My Jasmine that usually has beautiful white delicate

smelling flowers has not bloomed and I don't know if

it will. It is very sick so we will see if it makes it.

The aphids can spread their viruses of which some are 

incurable. For this reason it s important to take step

in controlling the pests aphids in your gardens right away

as I am with my garden. 

There are many ways of trying to get rid of the 

Aphids naturally. I have tried soap and water, then gentle

wipe each leave with the soapy water. After wiping of the 

yellowish aphids off. Then doing this treatment again...

again.. again...The problem is it hasn't worked. 

They have have insecticides for the Aphids that I have checked out when I was writing this post, the problems with

those are they are very harmful to your plants. Meaning 

they can actually burn the leaves of the plant and not even

kill the pest Aphids. So in a word Aphids don't 

respond well to insecticides or even the natural type either.

I found that Aphids have a number of natural enemies,

and these insects are much better at controlling the 

Aphids than any other method available to gardeners. 

In fact I am going to try one of the insects myself.

So if you pamper and nurture their natural enemies you might

find it to be the best method of Aphid control.

Introduce beneficial bugs!

Lacewings & ladybugs to your garden 

as a natural way to kill the pest Aphids. 

Nearby plantings of Mint, fennel, dill, yarrow and

dandelions will help attract these insect to your garden.

There is other ways but I don't know if this is good

for your plants, some have tried a strong spray of water

from a water hose that might knock of many of the Aphids 

of your plants and they won't be able to return. It will also will

rinse off some of the honeydew too. Spraying the plant 

every day until the plant is Aphid free is one way to go.

However it might damage your plants to. If you spray

your plant with a high strong spray of water who knows

what it could do to your delicate plant or flower.

Tips For the Woolly Aphid 

The woolly aphid although it is not is as popular & rarely

get large enough to harm most plants, I most tell you about each and every type of these nasty Aphids. I don't want you all to go through what I am going through for being a 

gardener that love her garden. 

Yes I have seen some of this too. But not as bad as the 

the photo. What the Woolly Aphids can do to your plants is distort the leaves, because they leave behind a very unsightly 

look to your leaves of your plants or flowers. For this reason, many folks prefer to use some type of woolly aphid treatment

to care for these pest.

What are Woolly Aphids? 

You might wonder what are these nasty Woolly Aphids?

Well, they are much like the other types of aphids, 

they are sap-sucking insects pest too. They are very tiny

about a 1/4 inch long. However, the Woolly Aphids are

a different colour than the usually yellow Aphids. 

These Aphids are a green or blue and also appear

fuzzy due to the white, waxy material that covers their 

tiny bodies. These pests generally use two host;

One for overwintering and laying eggs in the spring

& one for feeding in summer.

What kinda Damage the Woolly Aphid can Do

The damage that these Aphids insects can do is generally done in groups. They can be seen feeding on foliage buds,

twigs and branches, bark and even the roots of your plants.

Damage may be recognized by twisted and curled leaves, yellowing foliage, poor plant growth, branch dieback or even the development of cankers and gall on limbs or roots of your

plants. There is also the wax accumulation sometimes

seen as well, along with the sweet, sticky residue known

as honeydew. Yes that sticky residue again.

Also it could get the sooty mold the unsightly black fungus.

Woolly Aphid Control

As all pest Aphid control, is difficult and since severe 

woolly aphid attacks rarely occur, the best way is by its

natural predators like that of the lacewings

ladybugs, hover flies, and parasitic wasps. However I would

go with the Ladybugs

Lastly If you see Ants with the Aphids you have 

a problem!

Why do you have a problem whey you see Ants?

Well there is a very unique relationship between these two

organisms or insects if you will, that provides protection for 

the aphids and food for the ants. The Aphids protects the 

Ants from predators, such as the Lacewings & Ladybugs.

And the ants have also recently been found to protect the 

Aphids from a fungal outbreak that causes death, by removing the bodies of the infected aphids. Anytime you see a 

large group of ants on a tree, plant or flowery plant, it is more than likely you have a large infestation of aphids. 

Not all species of ant find this arrangement beneficial but

many of the more common species do indeed farm ants do.

So how to you Control the Aphids & Ants?

From what I discover on this one is; if you manage the ants

or farm ants first you will be able to control the Aphid

population. Ant bait stations are very effective because the ants will take the bait & bring it back to the main colony. 

This in turn will kill more that all of its family of ants at one time. With less ants to defend the Aphids the aphid numbers will drop. Another non-toxic method is to simply wrap the plant or tree with sticky tape or netting at the base of the tree.

This will catch the ants and will prevent them from tending to 

the Aphids. In turn the Aphids are exposed to the predators and their numbers will dwindle. 

Well I hope I was able to help you 

all with your gardens my dear 

Friends & Followers 

I do love you all very much 

I am truly sorry I haven't been able to 

be around as much but you are in

my heart always 

YOUR WENDY 

Babaluaya African god of diseases and healing

Babaluaye African God-

Babaluaye African God Deity of illness
and Infectious diseases. He was also
the Healer of the Cursed and all other Aliments

Good afternoon my dearest friends & followers plus a few close dear ones, I have a new post about the Gods of Africa. This God Babaluaye is the God who rules over infectious diseases and healing as while. Babaluaye was one of the most feared and revered of the African Gods because of his power over life and death. The Babalu Aye's worship was originated with the Fon tribe of Benin, in Western Africa, however his influence was so powerful that the tribes within the area's of Western Africa up & down the coast had adopted his worship in ancient times. The God Babaluaye was the patron of those who suffered form many infectious diseases in Africa. He had a special relationship with the Orisha Shango because he was the only one who reached out to assist him when he was sick and homeless. The God Babalu Aye was frequently called upon for his help with healing and to help with overcoming the terrible plagues that would plague the lands.
The History of the African God Babaluaya~

More of the Modern traditional Babaluaya
African God dance

Well I thought I would give you a bit of history on this interesting African God of both giving of healing and that of disease and curses of plagues of the lands of Africa too. It seems that the Babalu-Aye God was called the Orisha of Illness too and was called this upon they beggars of Africa. This was also the very sick and the disabled too. For a trip down memory lane to give you dears a feeling of what it might have been like in the day of the God Babaluaya... Here you  go~ OBALUWAYE FESTIVAL OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO WAS THE FESTIVAL IN HONOR OF THE YORUBA BABALUAYE DEITY. YEAH! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT! WELL HE WAS VIEWED AS A COMPASSIONATE AND HUMBLE GOD, ALTHOUGH HE CAN JUST AS EASILY CAUSE MASSIVE INFECTIONS AS THE BLACK PLAGUE. YET JUST AS EASILY CURE THEM TOO.

In some Mythology's they have said that the God has been depicted as being covered in sores & his skin was so infections that there were particularly area of his influence. You most also remember that this was a very long time ago, in very ancient times of Africa and only a few folks got to see these Gods and were able to read and write these happening down. This could be that later that the God Babaluaya decided to cover himself more from head to toe so that his people could not see these sores and infections that were starting to attack his immortal body. Later on common symbols of the

God were crutches, reeds, cowrie shells and dogs. Light blue and royal purple were his favorite colors to wear. Another interesting item that I did discover about, God Babalu-Aye, It happened that he was, apparently equated with Lazarus who is a biblical Character.

The African God in a different Form

In the bible, this man who is a beggar is mentioned as one of Jesus parables and in whose names and order in the middle Ages was established to care for those suffering from leprosy-a disfiguring skin disease that ran rapped in those days. The African God Babaluaya, often referred to as Asojano, is the Orisha was responsible for many if not all of the epidemics of the infectious deceases including the millions of people with leprosy.. And the healing of the deceases too. I found another interesting fact about this God of Africa, it seems that his names translates to 'Father, lord of the Earth' and he is the earthly representation of Olorun, a deity. Odd Eh! Well that's my opinion, folks with all that I have learned so far about this god and all that he can do it is quite a frighting thought. He is quite powerful and can heal the people of the world and he can also take life too. That is quite a power to have as a God. The west Africans associate the God Babaluaya with smallpox's will the Americans tend to think of this African God as the Patron of diseases as influenza, Leprosy, HIV, & AIDS too!

Many versions of the
 God Babaluaya African

To me this sounds like a very dangerous god both in the pass and the present, since he brings these diseases to humankind, even though he is also responsible for curing them all, that is a enormous amount of humans across the globe to cure from those terrible diseases as influenza, Leprosy, HIV and AIDS which many are very hard to cure. The people of Africa often feared him as his job is to punish transgressions, but the people also loved him to because of his healing powers so it was a very completed relationship between the people and the God of Babaluaya of Diseases and healing. Also the God was highly respected and his name is never actually used as it is believed this will bring on an epidemic.

Babaluaya African God of diseases and Healing

As far as the God's lineage, this was a rather hard one to but together, so please don't quote me on the complete truth that it might or might not be. It is only a possibility. With that said, I feel that I can go on... Others have say that he traveled to the Fon people where is he also worshipped. There has also been some dispute as to the lineage of the African God Babaluaya and the consideration that he could be the son of Yemaya. There is also the God Babaluaya's relationship with Nana Buruku which may be very different too. There are some that believe that she[Nana Buruku] was Babaluaya his wife while others stated that she was his mother. Still there were many others that believed that Nana Buruku was the God's mother. No matter who actually gave birth to the God Babaluaya of Africa , there are most that associated him with Osain who is the herb orisha. This could be due to the God's Babaluaya's understanding of the forest and how plants can heal humans. 
When the BabaluAya, the African God came over to the Americans when slaves and free people alike came to the continent. Not only did the names vary by where these folks came from, the ritual practices and stories of the African God life did too!
In Cuba, they are referred to as Arara and Lucumi. And the God Babaluaya is one of the most popular Orishas in the country of Cuba as many others associated with the God with Saint Lazarus. Then on December 17th of each year, tens of thousands would travel to El Rincon to the Church & Leprosorium of Saint Lazarus. Here in El Rincon they would honor Asojano & would take knowledge of his rituals . Sack clothes are used in these rituals as Asojano was a humble man who is often portrayed as dressed in burlap. He is easily recognized by his symbols of crutches & two dogs.

The I  investigated this African God it seems that there is much more to the amazing deity. Many associated him not only as the God of Disease and healing but also as with the earth as with other material blessing things too. Basically the main emphasis is placed on the materials in human life and its centrality. Another theme is death and its resurrection as do many believe in the resurrection of Christ. Babaluaya symbolizes the circle of life through his experiences with debilitation, exile and restoration. This is more commonly seen in the Americas rather than in Western Africa. Exile and movement are other themes commonly seen associated with Asojano. Well this is very interesting I thought for learning 

about the history and legend of an African God. There are many more that I hope to cover over time. 

I hope that you all enjoyed the tale of the 

African God Babaluaya of disease and healing

I love you all very much my dears friends & followers

hugsssss to you all 

YOUR WENDY

STAR ELVES DIGITAL PAINTING OF 2015

STAR ELVES DIGITAL PAINTINGS OF -2015

The images below are different interpretations,of

 All STAR Elves IN Art Media.

 The  images you 

see are in the form of paintings,

Photographic Photo-Shop, Digital Painting 

and other Types of Media.

Most if not all, are from Talented Artist... Thank you to all the talented Artist, who have created all these beautiful images for all of us to Enjoy...If it wasn't for this amazing Artist I wouldn't 

be able to have these beautiful posts of Art for you all!

YOURWENDY."(✿◠‿◠)˙•٠•●c Celibate life♥´Magic Surrounds Us ƸӜƷ ♪♫♪♫♪❤❤

ƸӜƷ•.¸¸.•´ ... ☾ ❤❤☼ღ(◕‿◕｡) ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ƸӜƷ•❤❤❤☼ღ(◕‿◕｡)¸.•*""*•.¸

ƸӜƷ•.¸¸.•´"(✿◠‿◠)˙•٠•●c

WELL I HOPE THAT 

YOUR ENJOYED THE BEAUTIFUL 

PAINTINGS OF STAR ELVES OF 2015

AND THE AMAZING ARTIST THAT HAVE 

CREATED THEM FOR US ALL TO ENJOY THEM

I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH 

YOUR WENDY 

The Slit-Mouthed Woman

Japanese Urban Legend
of the Slit-Mouth Woman~

Kuchisake-onna or Slit-Mouthed Woman 

Good afternoon my dearest friends and followers I have another interesting Urban legend from Japan called the Kuchisake-onna or 'Slit-Mouthed Woman'. it is a figure that appears in many Japanese urban legends. Legend says she is a malicious spirit that was mutilated by her husband. 
In the traditional legend in Japan & China the girl is called Kuchisake-Onna, also known as the slit-mouth woman. Some have said that she was a samurai's wife in ancient times. One day it was said, she cheated on her Samurai husband [In my opinion is kinda hard to believe knowing a bit about the Japaneses culture. In those days the women of a Samurai would never think of betrayal of a marriage. They are very honorable people in the day and now to in modern times. Being married to a American Japanese family who I love very much, however in the beginning of our marriage I had to learn many different traditions of the their culture that still is cared on to this day on] with a younger better looking man. That evening when her husband had returned, he discovered the two and her betrayal. Of course in Japanese Culture this was huge.

The Curse Silt-Mouth Woman

The Samurai husband enraged and furious took out his sword and slit his wife mouth ear-to-ear. After that some say in the urban legend the woman was cursed to never die. This is why she still wanders the world so that people can see the horrible scar on her face and pity her. There are some that claim to actually seen a very beautiful young lady who has asked them, 'Am I pretty?' And once they replied positively she will rip off  a surgical mask that she has on showing the horrify scar. She will then ask the same question. If anyone says she is no longer pretty, will met a terrible death from her hands. 
When the legend reappeared many years later in the 70's, there were rumors of ways to escape the  Kuchisake-onna. Some have said that the Kuchisake-onna can be confused by answering her question with ambiguous answers ~ such as; 'You are average, 'So-so' are a few, but you must be careful and keep your distance. You never know with the Kuchisake-onna for she is a ancient Japaneses spirit that is many centuries old. It is said that she will give a person enough time to escape while she is lost in thought. Another escape from the Kuchisake-onna is to tell her you have an previous engagement to get too! This apparently  will work, she will pardon her manners and excuse herself and leave.  Other ways of the tale is that you can distract the spirit by throwing either fruit or candies at her in which she will pick them up, thus giving you a chance to get away. The rumors or the legends of the Kuchisake-Onna started again some say in 1979.

Many centuries Later the
Kuchisake-Onna Spirit became
very Malicious & came after the
children of
japan, south korea and china

This happened around the Nagasaki Prefecture which spread throughout Japan causing great panic in many small and larger towns. In these area's there were reports that all schools were closed, allowing children to go home only in large groups or escorted by teachers and increasing of police patrols in fear of the Kuchisake-Onna spirit was back and after the children as malicious spirit. There was even sighting in 2004 in South Korea about a woman wearing a red mask who was frequently seen chasing children. Then in October of 2007 an coroner found some old records from the late 70's about a woman who was chasing little children. The woman was later hit by a car and died shortly after. Her mouth was ripped from ear to ear- CREEPY EH!
Its seems that the Urban legends still holds today in Japan China and other Asian countries. According to the legend of  Kuchisake-onna, if there is a child walking alone at night they will probably encounter the Spirit of the woman wearing an surgical mask, which is not an unusual sight in Japan/China as there are alot of people that wear them to protect themselves from their colds, sickness and pollution.  The Kuchisake-Onna will stop the child and ask, 'Am I pretty?' If the child answers no, the child is killed with a pair of very large scissors which the spirit woman carries with her. How if the child answers yes, the spirit woman will pull the mask away, revealing her horrible mouth that is slit from ear to ear; and will ask again;

'How about now?' If the child answers no, he/she will be cut in half. If the child answers yes, then she will 

slit the mouth of the child's just like hers. However at this point is impossible to run away from the Kuchisake-Onna as she is right in front of the boy/girl and there is no escape. Well this is the legend of the 

Kuchisake-Onna of Japan. As I am finding there are quite a few of the Japanese urban legends that are a 

bit on the Creepy side but still interesting too!

Some that I found are just to scary for me so I pick

and choose. I hope your found it interesting 

I love you all very much my dear friends & followers

Thank you so much for stopping by my humble blog

And I wish you all the best of day 

YOUR WENDY