DIY: Garden Sprays

DIY 6 Minutes

I was browsing the howstuffworks website. And found this great article on some DIY garden/ pest control sprays you make yourself.

FROM howstuffworks:

If you’re interested in starting your first garden, you’re probably focused on the sorts of plants, flowers, or fruits and veggies you plan to grow. However, it’s important to also consider the rodents, bugs, weeds, and other pests that can’t wait to indulge on your efforts. Unless you have the funds to pay commercial pest control to visit your humble garden, chances are you’ll need to learn about DIY pest control.

As luck would have it, this article contains all of the advice and suggestions you’ll need to steal back those dollars you put aside for a pest control company. Better yet, these pest control sprays contain organic active ingredients, rather than chemical repellents — solving your pest problem without adding a toxic element to your green space!

Separating Gimmick from Garden-Friendly

Back when I started my first garden, a certain celebrity gardener and his books of gardening concoctions were all the rage. You could tell when it was fundraising time on our local PBS station because they’d have him live in the studio, telling us that all we had to do was use items such as baby shampoo, instant tea and whiskey, and we’d be able to grow our best garden ever.

Those claims seemed pretty far-fetched to me back then, and now that I know a little more, I know that several of those concoctions were bad ideas. Plus, in the recipes that were actually effective, it was usually only one ingredient doing the work while the others were either unnecessary or possibly harmful to plants, insects, and other soil-dwelling organisms.

So please know that my B.S. radar is on high alert when I see anything about homemade gardening sprays. With that in mind, here are 15 homemade, organic solutions that allow you to be your own pest control. I use them, and they work. And not one of them requires you to pour whiskey on your plants.

Pest Control Sprays and Concoctions

Tomato Leaf Spray

Tomato leaf spray is effective for killing aphids and mites. It works because the alkaloids in the tomato leaves (and the leaves of all nightshades, actually) are fatal to many insects. Simply soak 2 cups of chopped tomato leaves in 2 cups of water overnight. Strain the liquid the next day and discard the leaves. Add 2 more cups of water to the mixture and spray it on your plants.

Garlic Oil Spray

Garlic oil spray is a great, safe insect repellent. Simply put three to four cloves of minced garlic into 2 teaspoons of mineral oil. Let the mixture sit overnight, and then strain the garlic out of the oil. Add the oil to 1 pint of water, and add 1 teaspoon of biodegradable dish soap. Store in a bottle or jar, and dilute the mixture when you use it by adding 2 tablespoons of your garlic oil mixture to one pint of water. This mixture works because the compounds in garlic (namely, diallyl disulfide and diallyl trisulfide) are irritating or deadly to certain pests (mostly insects). The oil and soap help the mixture stick to plant leaves. What insects does garlic oil repel? Whiteflies, aphids and most beetles will avoid plants sprayed with garlic oil. A word of caution: Don’t apply this spray on a sunny day, because the oils can cause foliage to burn.

Hot Pepper Spray

Hot pepper spray is a great solution if you have problems with mites. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of hot pepper sauce, a few drops of biodegradable dish soap and 1 quart of water and let it sit overnight. Use a spray bottle to apply the spray to infested plants. Hot pepper spray works because the compound capsaicin, which causes the “heat” in hot peppers, is just as irritating to insects as it is to us (if you’ve ever sliced a hot pepper and gotten any of it in an open cut, you’ll understand). This mixture also helps repel whiteflies, but it may have to be reapplied if you start to see the mites or whiteflies returning.

Soap Spray

Simple soap spray is useful in taking out a wide variety of common household pests, including aphids, scale, mites, and thrips. Just add 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap to 1 gallon of water and spray the mixture on the pests. Why does this method have guaranteed results? The soap dissolves the outer coating or shell of the insects, eventually killing them.

Beer

Sink a tuna can or pie plate into the ground and add a couple of inches of beer, up to about 1 inch below the top of the container. Beer works because the slugs are attracted to the yeast. It’s really important to sink the container into the soil and keep the beer about an inch lower than the soil. This way, the slugs have to go down after the beer, and they drown. If the beer is near the soil, the slugs can just have a drink and then go and munch some hostas when they’re done with happy hour.

Citrus Rinds as Slug Traps

If you don’t have beer in the house, but you do have oranges, grapefruits or lemons, give this a try. You don’t even need to create a spray — simply place the citrus peels on the ground and collect the slugs they attract.

Newspaper Earwig Traps

Newspaper earwig traps work well for reducing the population of these sometimes-pesky insects. Just roll up a newspaper and secure it with an elastic band. Dunk it in water to get it wet and lay it in the garden between problem plants. Check the trap daily and dunk the newspaper rolls into a bucket of water to remove the bugs.

Cinnamon or Cayenne Pepper

Ground cinnamon or cayenne pepper sprinkled around your plants works by repelling, but not injuring, ants. This approach works just as well for ensuring a bug free home.

Red Pepper Spray

Red pepper spray works well for making your plants less tasty to mammal and bird pests. If bunnies, deer, mice, squirrels and birds are regularly messing with your garden, make the following mixture and spray target plants weekly. Mix 4 tablespoons of Tabasco sauce, 1 quart of water, and 1 teaspoon of dish soap. The capsaicin in the pepper spray will irritate the animal pests, and they’ll look for less spicy fare elsewhere. At the very least, it’s a much safer deterrent than pesticides, which could harm mammals.

Fungal Disease Solutions

Baking Soda Spray

Baking soda spray is a tried-and-true method for preventing powdery mildew. It needs to be applied weekly, but if you have a problem with mildew in your garden, it will be well worth the time. Simply combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of dish soap and 1 gallon of water and spray it on the foliage of susceptible plants. Baking soda spray works because it disrupts fungal spores, preventing them from germinating. The oil and soap help the mixture stick to plant leaves.

Milk

Mix up a spray that is 40 percent milk and 60 percent water and simply spray it on both sides of the leaves of the affected plants. The milk works just as well as toxic fungicides at preventing powdery mildew. This mixture will need to be reapplied regularly, but it works wonderfully.

Weed Treatments

Vinegar

Vinegar works very well for getting rid of weeds in your lawn and garden. The main issue with vinegar is that it can harm other plants. I recommend using a foam paintbrush to brush the vinegar directly onto the leaves of weeds you’re trying to kill. This prevents the vinegar from getting onto other plants and ensures that the entire leaf surface is coated with the vinegar.

Boiling Water

Boil some water and pour it over weeds in the cracks of your sidewalks or driveways. Most weeds can’t stand up to this treatment, and your problem is solved. Just be careful when pouring!

Vinegar and Salt

I personally prefer pouring boiling water on sidewalk weeds, or pulling them. But if you have some really stubborn weeds, you can try using 1 gallon of white vinegar mixed with 1 cup of salt. Also mix 1 tablespoon of dishwasher soap into the solution, as this solution won’t stick to the surface of the weeds otherwise. Please note that this concoction will kill just about any plant it comes in contact with, so keep it away from your other plants, as well as your lawn.

The Best Homemade Garden Concoction of All

Compost

Seriously, whether you’re an apartment dweller with a fire escape farm or a rural farmer, you need to be making and using the stuff. Compost adds nutrients, improves soil structure, increases moisture retention and increases the number of beneficial microbes in your soil. And that’s all besides preventing organic matter from making its way to the landfill. (Bonus points if you start a lasagna gardening project with your handy-dandy compost!)

I hope these ideas for safe, homemade organic garden concoctions are helpful. By having just a handful of inexpensive items on hand, you can take care of most common gardening dilemmas in your own green way — and without involving any pest control companies!

SOURCE: HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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146 thoughts on “DIY: Garden Sprays”

  1. Morning All!
    the windows are frosted this morning. nice inside, but hot outside.
    we had company on the deck last night. first a fox–think it was the gray one again but the pictures are black and white. he strolled around quite a bit but didn’t do anything that we could see.
    next was another raccoon. he climbed up on the newly cleaned adirondak chair! sigh…dirty foot prints we saw this morning. the trap was closed and just a little bait eaten, but we have no pictures of him in the trap and he’s not in it this morning. so we have no idea went on here last night…LOL

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Huh?….”nice inside, hot outside” – I’m trying to figure out why that would cause frost on the windows…..? And here I thought I’d be the coldest today – temp is down to 54 this morning! Brrrrr!!!

      Hmmm…..at least one of those suggestions doesn’t work quite as well as presented – the vinegar/salt/soap combo. Tried it along my fence line and it did not work much at all on the tough grass/weeds; not at all on the Texas stickers.

      I’ve got some All-Kill left from a few years ago and I’m going to use it on the driveway. You’ve heard me bitch about the TX stickers often. One of the reasons I chose to go with the full-blown treatment from Matt, my lawn guy, was because he claimed that the stronger treatment that would work on them was included in the premium service – well, I tried it and they are coming back already FULL BORE!!! It’s awful and they spread rapidly; when Jason mows, it just spreads them even more! I’ll be putting All-Kill on my list to get more on my next shopping trip.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        we have the air on inside. so cool inside. but the moment you step outside–hot
        we try not to use too many chemical sprays on stuff cuz of all the wildlife eating everything…plus we have well water. and i always worry about stuff sinking into the ground and eventually the water.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Ah! OK – I guess I just assumed you had cooled off like we have here – duh! I don’t have the same issue with wildlife and, since I’m on the city waterline, I don’t have to worry about a well. I just use it on the fence-line and driveway – when it’s wet, the smell alone will keep bunnies and ground squirrels away and what I want to kill aren’t the kind of greens that they would eat anyway.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. i am always surprised when the deer eat the berry bushes. the vines that carry the blossoms and then the berries are covered in thorns and the deer rip off a vine and munch it down, thorns and all.

            Liked by 1 person

        1. The smell of the grill is probably what drew the fox, I would guess. And, altho the coons are cute when they are babies, they are the wiliest critters and get into everything! I always think back to the Little House episode…..

          Liked by 1 person

      2. Hmmm….maybe this is why none of my marriages worked? ‘Cause I’d be, like…..you want to eat healthy, go for it; I’m not! And if he’d hide that from his spouse, what else will he hide from her???

        Liked by 1 person

        1. we’re pretty good about not policing each other’s plates. he loves seafood–i hate it, but i buy it and he makes it and eats it. i love beef–he is just okay with it–so we don’t always eat the same thing and we’re good with that. we’re different people.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. More than anything, what bothers me is the dishonesty, hiding things from each other – never a good thing, IMO.

            Liked by 1 person

              2. hubby quit smoking years ago–for medical reasons. never smoked another cigarette after that.
                on the way down to Mom’s, we needed a pen for something and he said he had one in the console of his truck. i looked on the top and didn’t see one. he said, maybe it’s on the bottom. i started taking some of stuff out and put it on my lap to look and i uncovered a pack of cigarettes.
                he was driving and didn’t see what i found–so i asked–what are these?
                he said they’re my insurance policy. I said what??????
                he said–they’re not opened. they’re there so i know it’s my CHOICE not to smoke. you didn’t force me, the doctor didn’t force me, it’s MY decision not to smoke. and that makes it easier for me not to smoke.
                he hid them all these years. i understand his reasoning and if it helps him, it’s okay with me.

                Liked by 1 person

    1. i think there’s something missing from that.

      “peace and prosperity or war” and then he says “and no war”. so following the pattern maybe he should have said “war or no war”
      it just seems to stumble there.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I think that’s just part of the way he talks – his speech is often very disjointed and he uses his own kind of “shorthand,” so to speak. That’s the main reason I never watch his speeches or rallies – drives me nuts! LOL – I have watched his speeches at the UN, meeting the heads of other countries, and at other such venues and he is much more measured and targeted then. People with high IQ’s often have a problem with their brains getting ahead of their mouths!

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Julie Kelly 🇺🇸

    @julie_kelly2

    List of shame (of course they have none)– DC judges who went along with the DOJ’s unlawful application of 1512(c)(2) in J6 cases:

    Judge Beryl Howell (Obama, former chief judge)

    Judge James Boasberg (Obama, current chief judge)

    Judge Rudolph Contreras (Obama)

    Judge Trevor McFadden (Trump)

    Judge John Bates (GW Bush)

    Judge Amit Mehta (Obama)

    Judge Dabny Friedrich (Trump)

    Judge Royce Lamberth (Reagan)

    Judge Richard Leon (GW Bush)

    Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly (Clinton)

    Judge Amy Berman Jackson (Obama)

    Judge Timothy Kelly (Trump)

    Judge Randolph Moss (Clinton)

    Judge Paul Friedman (Clinton)

    Judge Christopher Cooper (Obama)

    D.C. Circuit Court Judge Florence Pan (Biden)—Pan wrote both appellate court decisions upholding 1512c2

    D.C. Circuit Court Judge Justin Walker (Trump)

    D.C. Circuit Court Judge Cornelia Pillard

    Liked by 1 person

  9. there’s always a payout involved with the maggot…

    A subtle but important point from the email sent out by Biden’s deputy campaign manager I previously discussed.

    The bedwetting brigade is calling for Joe Biden to “drop out.” That is the best possible way for Donald Trump to win and us to lose.

    First of all: Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee, period. End of story. Voters voted. He won overwhelmingly. And if he were to drop out, it would lead to weeks of chaos, internal foodfighting, and a bunch of candidates who limp into a brutal floor fight at the convention, all while Donald Trump has time to speak to American voters uncontested. All of that would be in service of a nominee who would go into a general election in the weakest possible position with zero dollars in their bank account. You want a highway to losing? It’s that.

    And at the end of the day, we’d switch to candidates who would, according to polls, be less likely to win than Joe Biden — the only person ever to defeat Donald Trump.

    Buried in the middle Flaherty’s rant is a pretty clear threat.

    “All of that would be in service of a nominee who would go into a general election in the weakest possible position with zero dollars in their bank account. You want a highway to losing? It’s that.”

    Donors looking to get Biden to drop out have emphasized that the money raised needs to transfer over to the new candidate. Team Biden however is warning that it’s not going to happen. Any new candidate will start with “zero dollars.”

    Officially the Biden campaign is sitting on under $60 million unspent. And not for long since the burn rate is huge.

    So the threat isn’t much of a threat. In a race likely to run into the billions, threatening to abscond with millions is a weak argument. Especially since any staffers withholding the money from the party-approved candidate so Biden can later run his own PAC will never work again. But it’s telling that Rob snuck that threat in there.

    The larger signal is that the Biden campaign won’t cooperate with any transition effort and will not only keep all the money, but fight this process every step of the way, taking the 2024 race hostage. If Dems try to replace Biden, Team Biden will make sure that whoever they replace him with loses.

    That’s hardball.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/team-biden-threatens-to-keep-cash-if-hes-replaced/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Interesting…..I was just reading this:

      Just The News: “Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says the fallout from the presidential debate will result in former First Lady Michelle Obama being chosen to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. He has said Biden would be replaced at the Democratic National Convention in August, three months ahead of the election.

      After the first 2024 presidential debate on Thursday night, political analysts and news organizations overwhelmingly reported that Biden lost the debate and would likely lose in November. Some reported that strategists were discussing how to replace him on the ballot.

      Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the debate was “a set-up by the Democrats to replace Biden on the ballot,” referring to his apparent mental decline.

      The New York Times reported, “After last night, the Democrats are panicked. … Biden’s voice was hoarse and halting. His answers were often unclear, and he struggled to finish his thoughts. … Some Democrats are now pushing for him to drop out of the race.”

      Politico reported, “Democrats are so panicked over President Joe Biden’s faltering debate performance some are actively discussing what was once unspeakable: replacing him on the ticket.”

      Cruz weighed on in his podcast Thursday night on who he thought would replace Biden, saying, “The odds have now skyrocketed. The odds are north of 80% that the Democratic Party will remove Joe Biden from the ticket and replace him … with Michelle Obama because Biden did so disastrously badly tonight that Democrats across the country are in utter freefall and complete panic.”

      In September 2023, Cruz first predicted on his podcast that Michelle Obama would be picked by the “Democratic kingmakers” to replace Biden on the presidential ticket. Early in the debate, Biden appeared to be disoriented and lose his train of thought. After one Biden response, Cruz said, “This is the answer at which I think people all over the country said, ‘Oh this guy’s just not there.’”

      Biden said his administration was “making sure that we continue to strengthen our healthcare system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with … the with the … COVID … excuse me … with dealing with everything we have to do with … if … we … Look, we finally beat Medicare.” The question had nothing to do with Medicare.

      Other apparent incoherent answers caused a “great many Democrats who are looking at this saying, ‘we cannot nominate this man. He is not capable. He doesn’t know what’s going on,’” Cruz said.

      Cruz made a similar comment Patrick’s, saying the split screen showed “Biden looked totally lost.” As Trump spoke, Biden looked around, appearing to be confused. “His brain was frozen. It short circuited. Joe Biden did badly when he wasn’t talking. When he wasn’t talking the look on his face was a look of confusion,” Cruz said. “Listen, anyone who’s ever dealt with an elderly parent, an elderly grandparent who’s dealing with the loss of their faculties knows that.” He spoke about his grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s, saying, “I’ve seen what happens. It was clear he didn’t know what was going on.”

      Cruz said Michelle Obama was the obvious choice “because she was First Lady and has the ability to kind of parachute in above all” of the potential replacements. “This is the Obamas saving the day. In terms of a solution, that unifies Democrats.” He also said he didn’t think she was “all that eager to run for president, but to parachute in in August of 2024 a couple of months before the [election] and suddenly wake up and be president, it’s not a bad gig.”

      “Would she do it? I don’t know,” Cruz said, adding that if she did, she’d finish the work of her husband. “I do think Barack Obama is already running the Biden administration. I think he is already the puppet master behind this Biden White House. I don’t think that Joe Biden is the decision maker.”

      Citing all the negative headlines about Biden’s performance, Cruz said, “When I see the media turning on Joe Biden right now, I think the odds of Michelle Obama parachuting in in August of 2024 have risen dramatically. That ought to scare the hell out of anyone who is unhappy about the direction this country is going and doesn’t want us to go even crazier in an even worse direction.”

      Liked by 1 person

      1. i’m reading it might not be so easy to replace him legally–wouldn’t stop them though. I think if they want big mike, the simpler way to do it is make her the vp. cheat to get the maggot over the finish line, then 86 him. big mike does minimal campaigning–she’s lazy–obummer gets his fourth term and she gets the accolades she desires.

        also the campaign has some 90 million dollars they are not relinquishing…

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Hmmm….so discussions with the family at Camp David today…..

    Just The News: “Georgia’s largest newspaper became the second in the country to plead with President Joe Biden to step aside and embrace “the shade of retirement.”

    The Atlanta Constitution-Journal’s front page editorial came as NBC News reported that Biden is expected to discuss the future of his re-election campaign with family at Camp David on Sunday.

    While a discussion was expected, both the president and First Lady Jill Biden have signaled they intend to stay in the race and brush off the shaky debate performance the 46th president suffered on Thursday night.

    It was that debate that triggered the scorn of the Atlanta newspaper, which declared Biden’s performance was “excruciating” and failed to lay out a “competent and coherent vision for the future of America.”

    “He failed to outline the most fundamental aspects of his platform,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote. “He failed to take credit for the significant accomplishments of his 3½ years in office. And he failed to counter the prevarications of an opponent, who, according to CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale, lied 30 times during the course of the debate, approximately once every 90 seconds of his allotted time.”

    “The shade of retirement is now necessary for President Biden,” it added.

    The Atlanta publication was the second major newspaper to call for Biden to step aside for the good of the country. The New York Times made a similar argument in an editorial Friday evening.”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Well….will this flip-flop hurt or help? It will hurt him with the trannys!!!

    Just The News: “A spokesperson for the Biden White House said this week that the administration does not support transgender surgeries for minors. The statement follows reports that officials in President Joe Biden’s administration pushed to remove age limits for minors who want transgender surgeries.

    Staffers for Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, pushed the World Professional Association for Transgender Health to nix the minimum age requirement for individuals to receive gender-affirming care, according to a report from The New York Times.  

    An email from a recent court filing revealed that Levine was “confident, based on the rhetoric she is hearing in D.C., and from what we have already seen, that these specific listings of ages, under 18, will result in devastating legislation for trans care.” 

    The day after that report came out, the Biden Administration announced on X, formerly Twitter, that it does not support transgender surgeries for minors. 

    President Biden in the past has been very supportive of transgender youth and had even criticized red states for implementing laws that would ban minors from getting gender-affirming care. According to The Daily Wire, Biden had called Florida’s law banning those under 18 from getting puberty blockers and hormone therapy “close to sinful.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. NF: It is ridiculous to even HAVE a vote in Iran and the Iranian people know it, hence the low participation!!! The Ayatollah reigns supreme so it makes no difference whatsoever WHO is President!!!

    Just the News: “The reformist candidate in Iran’s presidential election won the most votes in the first round and will face the candidate who came in second in a runoff election next week. Iran held the presidential election on Friday, but none of the four candidates got over 50% of the total votes, which means a runoff election will occur, according to CNN.

    Former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili will face Reformist politician Masoud Pezeshkian in a runoff election July 5. In the first round of votes, Jalili received 38.6% of the votes and Pezeshkian got 42.5%. Voter turnout was low at 40% as about 24 million voters of the 60 million eligible cast their ballots. 

    The election was held due to the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi last month in a helicopter crash. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials also died in the crash on May 19.”

    ————-

    Wiki: “The supreme leader of Iran ….. but officially called the Supreme Leadership Authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran (above the President). The armed forces, judiciary, state radio and television, and other key government organizations such as the Guardian Council and Expediency Discernment Council are subject to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution, the Supreme Leader delineates the general policies of the Islamic Republic (article 110), supervising the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive branches (article 57)….”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Ummm……why PA, I wonder???

    Just The News: “Pedestrian deaths are finally starting to drop across America to pre-pandemic levels. Pennsylvania, however, bucked the national trend. Drivers killed 192 pedestrians in 2023, eight more than in 2022, and 25% more than in 2019, according to an analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Administration.

    The report found that, across the country, drivers struck and killed more than 7,300 people in 2023. In total, it’s a drop of more than 5% compared to 2022, but still 14% higher than the 6,400 people killed by drivers in 2019. Since then, light trucks have surpassed cars in the number of pedestrian fatalities. And though pedestrian deaths have crept up during the day since 2010, nighttime fatalities have jumped from about 3,000 to almost 5,800.

    “A decline in pedestrian deaths offers hope that after years of rising fatalities a new trend is starting,” GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins said in a press release. “Each death is tragic and preventable. We know how to improve safety for people walking – more infrastructure, vehicles designed to protect people walking, lower speeds and equitable traffic enforcement. It will take all this, and more, to keep the numbers going in the right direction.”

    Pedestrian deaths aren’t evenly spread across the country. States in the northeast and Midwest tend to have lower fatalities per-capita while Southern and Western states have more. New Mexico, Texas, and Nevada had the highest per-capita fatality rate in 2023, while Nebraska, Minnesota, and Vermont had the lowest.

    The updated report confirms the trend that the GHSA found in the spring. Pennsylvania was one of 21 states and the District of Columbia that saw pedestrian deaths increase. The commonwealth has struggled to reduce its pedestrian death toll, though PennDOT is working on federally-mandated requirements to target high-risk areas and make roads safer.

    Pedestrian deaths have been a warning for America’s roads becoming more hazardous for all. Since 2010, pedestrian deaths have increased by a staggering 77% and all other traffic deaths have climbed by 22%. Those deaths have increased even as Americans cut back on how much they walk.

    “Research points to a drop in overall walking behavior since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the GHSA report noted. “Between 2019 and 2022, annual average daily walking trips fell by 36% nationwide. The fact that pedestrian fatalities have been trending upward between 2019 and 2022 despite a drop in pedestrian exposure should raise alarm bells among traffic safety advocates.”

    On the same day that the GHSA published its report, Allentown recorded another pedestrian death when a driver killed Lackawanna County resident Li-Qiang Hu on Tuesday night.”

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Those dangerous EV chargers at it again!!!

    Just The News: “NFL football star Randall Cobb and his family survived a house fire that was reportedly caused by a Tesla charger in their garage. Cobb, 33, wrote on his Instagram earlier this week that he, his wife, three sons and their pet dog were all safe and escaped the blaze at their Tennessee property. 

    He thanked the fire chief and the Nashville Fire Department for their “swift action.” Cobb’s wife, Aiyda Cobb, said that the fire was caused by the Tesla charger in the garage and quickly spread, according to Yahoo News. 

    As of now investigators have not confirmed whether the Tesla charger was the cause of the fire. Cobb said at one point that he thought the cars were going to explode. 

    Cobb is currently searching for a new NFL team after being released by the New York Jets. Prior to playing for the Jets, he played for the Green Bay Packers.”

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Just The News: “Americans purchased roughly 5.5 million guns in the first four months of 2024, according to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The data shows that roughly 1.3 million guns were purchased each of the months of January through April of this year.

    The data is consistent with decreasing gun sales over the past several years, according to The Hill. This year’s number for those four months is slightly lower than sales in 2023 for the same date range. 

    Firearm sales reached a peak in 2020, attributed to the Covid pandemic and an increase in political unrest. The annual number of firearm sales has been decreasing ever since. In 2022, there were a total of 16.7 millions guns sold, and 2023 saw a 4% decline from that. 2024 appears to continue that trend. 

    The states of Florida, California and Texas account for 22% of the guns purchased this year. Alaska, Wyoming and Montana were the leading states for gun purchases in 2023. 

    A review from SafeHome, a home security advocacy organization, states that the upcoming presidential election could be a factor leading to increased firearm purchases, similar to what happened in 2020. 

    The U.S. surgeon general recently declared gun violence to be a public health crisis.”

    Like

  18. “Jill Biden Refuses To Drop Out Of Presidential Race”

    POLITICS · Jun 29, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    WASHINGTON, DC — Following the disastrous Presidential debate, First Lady Jill Biden announced she will not drop out of the race despite growing calls from within the party to do so.

    “Over my husband’s dead body!” Mrs. Biden declared. “The nomination is MINE. You hear me, Joe Scarborough? MINE! Now get back to work, fools!”

    Many on the left have called for President Biden to step down after his mental decline was put on national display, however Jill Biden has forcefully refused. “Joe isn’t going anywhere!” screamed Ms. Biden as a frightened Joe tried to appeal for help. “Shut up, Joe! I didn’t drag your bag of bones through primary season to quit now. Get a juice box and get back on stage!”

    With even liberal outlets like the New York Times calling for Biden to step aside for a younger, living candidate, the Biden campaign has thus far remained unmoved. A defiant Jill Biden returned to the campaign trail Thursday in an effort to reassure supporters she is still in the game. “Look how alive Joe looks! Who’s a good boy?! We’re not going anywhere. Four more years!”

    As of publishing time, Jill Biden announced Joe would be placed in a cryogenic sleep until after the election and she would continue to run the country in the interim.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. “Journalists Dumbfounded As There Were No Previous Signs Of Biden Declining Whatsoever”

    MEDIA · Jun 29, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    NEW YORK, NY — Journalists from media outlets around the country are reeling from shock after Biden’s performance in the presidential debate, caught completely off guard by the President’s steep mental decline.

    “There were no warning signs. None,” said MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough. “Up until the very moment the debate started, President Biden has been the picture of vitality and intelligence. He has never before lost his train of thought, stared into the abyss with his mouth gaping, mumbled incoherently for extended periods, or made nonsensical statements like ‘We beat Medicare.’ It’s all so shocking – shocking, I tell you.”

    Members of the White House Press Corps, having never reported a single instance of Biden faltering in the past four years, were equally stunned. “Biden’s debate performance was entirely out of the blue,” explained Tyler Page of the Washington Post. “There were no pointers that his mental capacity was impaired in the slightest before the debate. I mean, I’m just thinking back over the past few months…D-Day…the G7 Summit…the Juneteenth concert…yeah, there’s really just nothing that would indicate that he wasn’t at tip-top performance leading into the debate. It was just so unlike Joe Biden.”

    At publishing time, journalists had been further flabbergasted to hear that the President had told several egregious lies during the debate, as he had always been completely honest up until that point.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. “Armless, Legless Biden Claims Debate Defeat Just A Flesh Wound”

    POLITICS · Jun 29, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    ATLANTA, GA — With both of his arms and legs cut clean off by the end of the debate, President Biden has continued to insist that the defeat was “merely a flesh wound.”

    “Come back here and take what’s coming to you, Donald! I’ll bite your legs off!” shouted Biden. “Joe Biden always triumphs!”

    According to sources, Trump had encouraged the overmatched Biden to simply step aside, but Biden refused to do so despite losing one limb after the other. “Joe, you’ve got no arms left, believe me. Very sad, No-Arms Joe,” said Trump. “Not going to shoot too well on the golf course without arms, I’ll tell you that. Just admit it, Joe.”

    “It’s a scratch! Look at these arms,” cried Biden, waving his stumps around. “I can shoot twenty under par like this! Come back here and fight, you chicken! Chickennn!”

    “I’ll have your legs, Joe. I don’t want to, frankly that sounds terrible,” replied Trump. “No legs, can’t even walk, not like the people walking across our border, Joe.”

    “Have at you!” shouted Biden. “I’m invincible!!!!”

    At publishing time, Democratic strategists had gently asked the now three-foot-tall Biden if he might make way for a candidate with limbs, but Biden insisted he was barely hurt.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. It’s truly mind boggling to see what average, every day things look like under a microscope! Scary in a lot of cases!

        Liked by 1 person

  24. Watch out! Severe storm threat for the entire NE today, upped the category from Level 3 to 5 from Philly up towards Boston. There are 3 hurricanes forming right now – one near Mexico, Beryl which is forecast to come up between Cuba and Mexico, and another even bigger area that will definitely become a hurricane (Invest 96L, whatever that means) after that.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. “The corporate media is the central party to the Biden cover up: Our wholly corrupt and deceitful media remains committed to obfuscating the truth to protect the ruling class.”

    JORDAN SCHACHTEL, JUN 30, 2024

    “Since the beginning of the Biden presidency (and even before that), the corporate media has taken pains to declare any objective analysis of the president’s declining faculties as an outright conspiracy theory.

    This standard didn’t just apply to the left of center media powerhouses. The censorship enveloped the entire ecosystem, from The Wall Street Journal to The New York Times, and to the dominant digital platforms in the space. Pretty much every credentialed publication with White House-accredited journalists either self censored or actively participated in the cover up.

    The United States has the world’s most powerful fighting force. And our media overlords decided that we weren’t allowed to know who was picking up that 3AM phone call in the event of a national emergency.

    They still won’t inform us about who is really in charge. One of the biggest mysteries in Washington, D.C. involves the unknown identity of the person or persons who are possess the keys to the world’s most powerful country. To this day, this secret remains an entirely unreported mystery. The real White House power structure is closely guarded by a select group of insiders, who have never discussed this matter in a public forum.

    For years and years, the corporate press lied through omission and deceit abuot Joe Biden’s clear and present physical and cognitive capacity issues, happily reporting on this administration as if there’s nothing unusual going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. From afar, the “normies” knew that Joe Biden was simply not well enough to carry out the overwhelming duties of the presidency. But the media, which buried the truth to prioritze the mission, allowed for a massive void in reporting on the true power portfolio within the Biden White House. Until now, the corporate press reported on this administration as if there was nothing to discover beyond the printed organizational chart.

    They’ve all known that something has been horribly wrong since the inauguration of President Joe Biden, yet the public has been left entirely in the dark about who or what group of individuals sits atop the chain of command.

    On Sunday, Axios reported that Biden’s top aides have been keeping his condition hidden “since the beginning of his presidency.” Suddenly, it’s okay to report this obvious reality. But it’s still not okay to tell us who is making the decisions involving redeploying the U.S. military to the Middle East and Africa. Now, suddenly, after Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, the media has decided to report on Biden’s critical and continuous decline. The short-lived era of “cheap fakes” has come to an end!

    Despite the incredible efforts to portray Joe Biden as a president fit for office, normal Americans have known for quite some time that this is not the case. See the below poll, which shows that most registered voters were already well aware of his cognitive decline. The debate just confirmed what we already knew.

    Team Biden’s allies in the media haven’t suddenly discovered that he’s unfit for office. Donald Trump outperformed expecations, while Biden wildly underperformed, and it was enough to launch an emergency pivot away from their once prized puppet. The corporate media wants Biden to step down because they can no longer hide that he’s not the one calling the shots, in addition to being a national embarrassment and wildly unfit for the office.

    The decision wasn’t taken lightly. Having a figurehead POTUS was a dream for the media. Nonetheless, in candidates like Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom, they can find themselves upgraded Uniparty vessels and Company Men who will do and say what is necessary to advance the interests of The Party. They may have thrown Joe Biden to the wolves, but our wholly corrupt and deceitful media remains committed to obfuscating the truth to protect the ruling class.”

    Liked by 1 person

  26. hubby and i just finished some outside work…we needed to restake the tomatoes. the pepper plants are covered with flowers–6-8 on each one! and my zucchini plant has 3 visible zucchinis already! plus way more flowers!

    we tackled the grapevines as well. they were unruly and the deer were able to eat the leaves growing out of the fence. so we trimmed them and redirected their growth. 2 plants looked like they didn’t survive the winter but they now have sucker growth coming from the ground right next to the trunks so the plants are still alive. and we have grapes coming out on all but one of the other plants!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. mass psychosis
    June 30, 2024 10:57 am

    What does this “Chevron Deference” SCOTUS ruling mean for election integrity?

    First, the locals and states can throw out the Albert Sensors and tell DHS & CISA to beat it.

    If there is no statue granting the authority, then the agency don’t have it.

    Second, the same frame can be applied to the state agencies that boss the local county officials. If a state law does not outline the authority, then the locals are empowered to carry out elections the best way they see fit.

    The local election officials are the ones closest to and therefore accountable to the people they represent.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Watching Maria Bartiromo, who is about the only Fox personality I care to watch any more….she made a brilliant statement: We need term limits not only for the elected officials, but the staffers as well! Indeed!

    And John Ratcliffe made another excellent statement: “All of those former and current officials who were involved in orchestrating this should be irrevocably and permanently stripped of any security clearances or affiliation with the intelligence community. We have a Debarment List, where they put companies and individuals that defraud the government on a list, saying you’re a bad actor and cannot do business with the government any more.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. that would entail getting rid of SES too, right?
      no one deserves a life time appointment.
      and i agree–but not only stripped of security clearances–strip them of pension and salary benefits as well

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Just The News: “The conservative Heritage Foundation is laying the groundwork and research in case President Joe Biden decides to step down as the Democratic nominee in the aftermath of a widely panned debate performance.

    “We are monitoring the calls from across the country for President Biden to step aside, either now or before the election, and have concluded that the process for substitution and withdrawal is very complicated,” Executive Director of The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project Mike Howell said in a statement. “We will remain vigilant that appropriate election integrity procedures are followed.”

    The Oversight Project warned in a separate statement, according to Fox News, that “if the Biden family decides that President Biden will not run for re-election, the mechanisms for replacing him on ballots vary by state. There is the potential for pre-election litigation in some states that would make the process difficult and perhaps unsuccessful.”

    Many states may not allow a replacement on the ballot, including important swing states like Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin, each with their own specific laws. For example, Nevada only allows changes to its ballot up until the fourth Friday of June in the election year.

    Then there is the issue of campaign cash. According to the last filed report by the Biden re-election committee, they had $195 million on hand. But campaign finance laws don’t allow for a candidate to receive funds that weren’t directly donated to them, according to the Washington Examiner. The money could only go to Vice President Kamala Harris, since she is already on the ticket.

    With all the talk of Biden stepping down from the nomination, or removing him by other means, there are many hurdles and legal considerations that the Democrats are facing.”

    Like

  30. “Sunday Strip: Brain Dead — Don’t believe your lying eyes. Truth and Reality are what we say they are.”

    ROBERT W MALONE MD, MS, JUN 30, 2024

    We be heavy on the Biden memes today, cause that sh*t is everywhere! They pretty much sum up the mood of the nation.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. The House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Merrick Garland in contempt earlier this month over his refusal to comply with a subpoena “related to the investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents”, but the Justice Department declined to prosecute him.

    The subpoena was for the transcript of audio tapes that the House Judiciary Committee received regarding Biden’s answers. Some believe that the transcript was adulterated to make Biden appear to not be “sundowning.”

    Given what we all witnessed in the presidential debate, it is even more important that Congress be able to listen to these tapes. They have a duty to the country to do so.

    The Department of Justice (DOJ) is not directly part of the court system, Supreme Court or otherwise. The DOJ is a federal executive department responsible for enforcing federal laws and providing legal advice to the President and other government agencies.

    House Republicans must insist that Merrick be arrested by the Sargent of Arms and that these tapes be turned over immediately. No attorney general should be above Congress.

    Liked by 1 person

  35. “Yum. Peaches are ripening. Finally!

    After nine days away from the Farm and a long day of travel back from Portugal yesterday, we are finally home! As usual, we arrived home to animals taken care of and a garden well tended. Jill harvested the last of the garlic last night. Today, there are ripe tomatoes, carrots, squash, blueberries, and lots of herbs.

    On Tuesday, we go to Los Angeles via an “econo-class” flight for less than 24 hours for an interview with Nicole Shanahan, Robert Kennedy’s VP choice. We will be home late July 3rd. Our friend, Justine, will already be at the house, as she always comes down for July 4rd as well as Christmas. Then we all will be celebrating together at Nina’s house with the infamous “Quarantine Club” – which is always an outrageously good time. It is going to be a potluck, with fireworks later. Jill plans to cook carrots from the garden with brown butter dill sauce, and some homemade bread.”

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Post
    Conversation
    DC_Draino
    @DC_Draino
    Now that the dust has settled, here’s what I believe happened with the debate:

    The war between Biden machine & the Obama machine spilled into the open

    Democrat leaders on both sides are truly panicking about Biden’s crashing poll numbers

    Biden knows if he’s out of power, his crime family will be prosecuted and disgraced and Jill Biden has gotten way to used to the lifestyle – she won’t give it up

    Obama team knows their mafia operation will be prosecuted under Trump as well

    So both sides are desperate and fighting over whose strategy is best to beat Trump

    Obama machine launched a final sneak attack to pressure Joe to drop out after the debate that they knew he would be awful in

    It didn’t work

    Biden met with Obama the next day, made clear he wasn’t quitting, and now Obama machine puppets are all backtracking, including Obama himself

    It’s now clear that Biden controls the DNC machine while Obama controls the media machine

    The Democrat machine as a whole is begrudgingly unifying behind Biden in hopes that he can pull it off

    But make no mistake – these people are truly scared of what’s coming down the road for them under Trump

    I’ve never seen them act this desperately

    These are not the moves of a confident & powerful regime

    They are divided and desperate

    If Trump wins, we will truly destroy the Deep State and they know it

    Push forward with everything you’ve got b/c these weakened criminals are on the ropes

    Liked by 1 person

  38. willthesuevi

    willthesuevi

    June 30, 2024 12:30 pm

    Red State Article:

    https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2024/06/30/jill-bidens-ex-husband-goes-there-people-say-shes-the-one-who-wants-to-be-president-now-n2176181

    I contend she has been the President from day one. Along with top advisors consent.

    Remember this?

    https://basedunderground.com/2021/06/10/whos-the-boss-why-is-jill-biden-prepping-for-g7-at-the-potus-desk-on-air-force-one/

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9669801/Jill-Biden-dives-paperwork-Air-Force-One-UK-trip.html

    IMO, all the Democrat First Broads want to emulate Eleanor Roosevelt. (Hat Tip to Rush 😉 )

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Just The News: “The first hurricane of the Atlantic season, named Beryl, arrived early and quickly intensified into a “very dangerous” Category 4 hurricane that threatens the Caribbean.

    It has sustained winds of about 130 mph more than doubling in a day when it was still categorized as a tropical storm, according to The Daily Wire. It is expected to continue to gain strength as it moves west across the eastern Caribbean, with a potential for “rapid intensification.” 

    According to Eddie Walker, AccuWeather’s Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist, “Steering breezes will guide the system to cross the Windward Islands of the eastern Caribbean from Sunday night to Monday, then waters near Jamaica during the middle of next week and perhaps to the shores of Central America or southeastern Mexico at the end of next week.”

    The first hurricane in the Atlantic basin doesn’t normally arrive until around Aug. 11, on average, according to Fox Weather. They say it is likely due, at least in part, to unseasonably high ocean temperatures.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an above average hurricane season in 2024, with 8 to 13 hurricanes, including 4 to 7 being classified as “major.”

    Liked by 1 person

  40. almost forgot…lol…when hubby went out to restake the tomatoes, I was watching from the window and saw the “dog” walk right beside the garden (where hubby was working) and then wandered into the woods and came out behind the wood shed and waltzed in and lay down. he stayed there while we weedeated and pruned the grape vines. we came in to clean up and make lunch. he wandered over to his spot by the pond and there he remains.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. LOL – that is so funny!!! You’ve acquired a pet!!! What I don’t understand is why you haven’t made friends with him yet!! A cob of corn would certainly get his attention!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. we are approaching this very slowly. don’t forget hubby’s brother comes here to hunt in the fall… if this guy hangs around and gets used to humans, hubby’s asshole brother may shoot it very easily.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. You’ll just have to tame him in time to be able to put something orange on him – tie an orange banner around his neck.

          Liked by 1 person

        2. You could probably come up with something and stitch it up yourself! You can make blankets for baby goats, after all! 😉😉😉😉

          Liked by 1 person

  41. didn’t see it, so i can’t vouch for it…but the maggot and Susan Rice? he won’t last a day!

    ILOT

    ILOT

    June 30, 2024 1:11 pm

    Pelosi just supported a biden/rice ticket on msdnc…

    Interesting twist.

    I’m certain kam supported wholeheartedly lol.

    Liked by 1 person

  46. Just The News: “France’s legislative elections on Sunday have given a big boost to the populist National Rally party, who much of the media refer to as the far-right.

    This follows a major defeat for current French President Emmanuel Macron in the European Union elections that took place in early June. As a result, he called for snap legislative elections, which was considered a risky move, believing that would give him the best chance to remain in power.

    But according to French polling agencies, Macron’s grouping of centrist parties could finish a distant third in this first round of balloting, behind the populists on the right and a coalition of  left-wing parties who are in second place according to The Associated Press.

    The second and final round of voting takes place next Sunday.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. i really am disgusted that congress can exclude themselves from any laws and establish a slush fund for when they misbehave–that we aren’t allowed to have any info on but HAVE to fund.
      it does make them seem like aristocracy

      Liked by 1 person

        1. sure seems that way right?
          i thought there was equal protection under the law? you can’t prosecute one man and not another for the same crime. so if congress goes free from prosecution for insider trading and sexual misconduct how can ANYONE be prosecuted? not constitutional

          Liked by 1 person

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