“It is actually amazing what you can find out about the world with a cup of sugar, half a cup of water, and some food coloring.”
That was eleven-year-old Velma Trent talking with her friends eleven-year-old Eleanor and ten-year-old Andrew Ludlow next door. Velma was holding the cup of sugar and a mug of water, and eight-year-old Gracie was holding the blue food coloring.
“Ain't it the truth,” the younger sister said in her signature imitation of her grandmother Gladys.
“Yeah, that book had a lot of great ideas about learning about the world,” Eleanor said.
“Now, all we need is a willing adult each, and we'll split up after we get everything situated,” Andrew said.
The Trent parents and Ludlow grandparents were actually intrigued when they heard about what was going on, so …
“Let's all just go do it,” Sgt. Vincent Trent said and Mrs. Trent smiled and nodded and went to pack sandwiches.
“Well, why not?” Capt. R.E. Ludlow said, and Mrs. Ludlow smiled and put out the seven grandchildren's hiking boots.
The experiment involved taking half the sugar and dissolving it into the water in the cup, and then letting the local bees find it, and taking the other half of the sugar, dying it blue, and then putting it near where two ant trails met.
“So … there are a least two anthills and three beehives near here, and one yellow-jacket nest that survived our attempts in the spring to wipe all of them out,” Velma said.
“Well,” Andrew said, “God has to have a few yellow-jackets around, to eat mosquitoes and stuff.”
“So, the idea is,” said Eleanor, “let's split up and see if we can find at least one anthill and one beehive.”
The Ludlows chose the anthill search, and the Trents chose the beehive search, and each was successful.
“Oh, they have a big wild hive way up over there!” nine-year-old Milton Trent said, “and they got most of their food in the spring from Fruitland next door – my guess is that all of them do, but the trees are done blooming now, so they sure were glad for our sugar water!”
“Yes, this is called the dearth time, between spring and fall,” Capt. Ludlow said. “One of my Lee-of-the-mountain cousins keeps bees on the mountain, and at this time he sometimes feeds them because there is still some time before the goldenrod and late sunflowers and asters come in.”
“Yeah, but, the ants don't know anything about that,” nine-year-old George said. “I mean, they kept bringing things in – our blue sugar was probably the weirdest thing they have ever seen to them, but, the bug parts, and the seeds, and the pollen they were getting too, and the sugar droplets things we couldn't even recognize – I mean they are living good on the mountain, too!”
“Yeah, but those sugar droplets!” his seven-year-old sister Amanda said. “We saw where they got those from – ewwwwwwww!”
“Totally unfashionable,” her eight-year-old sister Edwina said. “An aphid's rear end? Really?”
“Sometimes I'm not sure what exactly God was thinking about,” Eleanor said as she shook her head, “but then, He's God and it makes sense to Him, and that's enough, because that one will never make sense to me.”
“Well, yes and no, though,” Velma said, “because you know when Goody our dog does no. 2, there are flies and worms and beetles and stuff – God doesn't waste anything.”
Five-year-old Lil' Robert sighed.
“I shoulda left them something to see if they or some other bugs would eat that, but hey – I think I'm still full enough!”
He took off running only to be snatched clear into midair by his grandfather, Capt. Ludlow.
“We would not want to deny the sewer bugs their meal, Robert,” he said gently.
“Oh yeah – I forgot about them!” Lil' Robert said.
“That kinda answers the question, though,” six-year-old Grayson said. “Everything is eating so everything is working together – what was that thing you said the other day, Grandma, about … uh … tiny something … .”
“Tiny relationships,” Mrs. Ludlow said. “I didn't know that you heard me then, Grayson.”
“I don't talk a lot, which means I get to hear a lot,” Grayson said. “So uh ...yeah … everything is eating and everything is working together in tiny relationships so the bugs have theirs and we have ours, and it's all good!”
“We learned a lot today!” Velma said. “It's amazing how much a cup of sugar can show us!”
“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said.
Later on, Mrs. Trent wrapped her husband Sgt. Trent up in a warm embrace.
“Thank you for standing up for our three tiny relationships growing even more, and helping the seven tiny relationships next door too,” she said, and kissed him.
“Did you want a new little tiny relationship?” the sergeant purred, and then laughed as Mrs. Trent jumped and took off running, laughing her head off.
“Don't misunderstand!” she cried as she sprinted around the house. “Men!”
“Begetters of tiny relationships, all over the world!” Sgt. Trent called to her.
That's a delightful story and filled with truth nuggets and love. Those are some wonderful grandparents ❤️. Blessings!
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I rolled a lot of good grandparents, aunts, and uncles -- mine and many others -- up in there! Thank you for the tips!
It has always amazed me how ants farm aphids. Several years ago, we had a swarm of bees in a tree in our yard, they did not stay.
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It is amazing to watch in person, as long as they are not killing a plant you need!
Unfortunately, the aphids have to go, a water hose works, but they come back so You have to keep spraying them.
If you can get some peppermint oil and a spray bottle with some water -- they don't like that at all -- a bit less water spent on spraying them
I have peppermint oil that I spray on the dogs. I will try it on my Rose of Sharon plants, the aphids love them.