If you give a bug a bean . . .

Matt and Andrea Miller have a beautiful woven straw living-room set.  The coffee table is slightly concave in the middle with glass over the top, which leaves a nice, creative space between the coffee table and glass.  A few weeks ago, in spite of Andrea’s hesitation, Matt bought 15 kilos of multicolored beans to fill the space and it looked great!  

Unbeknownst to Matt, there were a few bugs hiding in those beans when he bought them at the local market.  Over the course of a few weeks, those bugs multiplied and gorged themselves on the plentiful beans in the coffee table.   

When I arrived at the Miller house last week, the Miller’s and the Bean Bugs were engaged in an all out war.  Matt had just gone on the offensive by spraying bug poison under the glass.  As a result, the bean bugs were crawling out and dying in droves.  It appeared that Matt was winning.  However, the next day it became clear that Matt’s toxic assault didn’t totally wipe out the enemy.  

A Miller Family Summit was convened and all agreed that the only way to achieve complete victory was to radically dispose of all the beans, thus depriving the bean bugs of their food source.  

So, all 15 kilos of beans along with hundreds of plump but defeated bean bugs were scooped out of the table and hauled away in paper sacks with the trash.  As an act of ultimate dominance, Matt carried the once lush bean bug habitat outside and invaded every nook and cranny with a dust broom and poisonous spray.  

I returned to the Miller house on Sunday to find only a few resolute and resourceful bean bugs that had survived Matt’s “search and destroy” mission. My response was swift and blunt.  

Today, the bean bugs only inhabit our memory while three, bug-free baskets inhabit the coffee table. 

A bean bug free living room!

My room at the Miller's.

 

Aidan going out for a bike ride after school. The Miller's are renting a duplex, using one side as bedrooms and kitchen and the other side as an office, dining room, living room, guest room, and storage room.  The "other side" is where I stay and where we have school.

Asher doing school work at the dining room table.

The Miller house. 

Abby is stringing beans while she skypes with a friend in Birmingham.

Anna Marie in her boots, ready to go on a walk.

The roof of the Miller house as seen from the road. 

Pictures from my walk with Anna Marie.  This boy and the one below were tending a small herd of goats.

We loved watching the goats and picking out the prettiest ones.

The oven is in the office - another story for another time.