Sunday, May 30, 2010

Busy Times and Biting Bugs

Last Thursday afternoon/evening our visit to friends C & P and their little cabin they are building deep, deep in the woods was very nice, but slightly marred by some very ferocious no-see-ums that cut our evening short. These #$*%! biting insects are so small you can hardly see them when they land on your skin. If they land on light colored clothing, all you can see is what looks like the tiniest speck of soot. But when they bite, the sting can make you jump and on most people, they raise a welt that itches and is very uncomfortable. Makes you want to head for wide open spaces surrounded by a lot of concrete!

Enough of the whining. Sorry to say I didn't have much luck getting many good pictures Thursday . . . something about the dummy operating the camera forgetting to use the flash.


Here is the beautiful pregnant lady in her "kitchen" which is one corner of the cabin. She would especially like you to notice the attractive "paneling" behind her. Her hard-workin' hubby had just started putting up the horizontal tongue-and-groove paneling on the walls that day and wasn't quite 1/3 of the way up.


Chowing down on our picnic supper. Left to right: P, C, Chicken Mama and Little E.


Little E had had only a half hour nap all day so as soon as he ate, his switch clicked to "Off" and he was D-O-N-E. No amount of noise we adults made was going to keep him from sweet dreams.

I've spent the last couple of days pushing in the garden. Because of our early spring this year and downright hot weather, I'm a good three weeks ahead. Rather than waiting until mid-June to plant beans, squash, cucs, tomatoes and such, some are already in and growing, and the rest I'm determined to get in before this long weekend ends. Unfortunately, I'll be doused in bug spray most of the time while outside!

10 comments:

Katidids said...

Bugs & skeeters, cheap mouth wash in a spray bottle..spray the area your working and your self. Good for about an hour! Fresh smell and no poisons on your skin.

Anonymous said...

The cabin looks adorable :) and so is the little one sleeping on the floor lol.

Erin said...

Sorry about the bugs!! Do those things get through bug netting or will that work? Looks like fun, love the IKEA buffet/counter, I'm addicted to that place, I got the same one for my mom's kitchen last time I was up to MN! Glad you got things in and growing already, maybe you will get a longer season than usual. Katidids, cool tip, I will have to try that on our ghastly skeeters here in VA!

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Katie - Well, that's a new one I had never heard of! Mouth wash in a spray bottle. I'm definitely going to try it.

Hey, Stephanie - That shot of the baby sound asleep was a little weird, wasn't it? His "bed" on this trip was a Pack 'n Play (like a collapsible play pen) and I shot the pic looking straight down on him. They had a big mosquito netting that they could use to cover the whole Pack 'n Play so no biting bugs could get at him.

Hi, Erin - The no-see-ums will go right through window screening and most mosquito netting. The bug shirts we've got are supposedly no-see-um proof but I'm a little skeptical.

Ha! The IKEA buffet/counter was originally purchased and used as Little E's changing table in his room. But now it's the main piece in the cabin kitchen. (C assured me she scrubbed it off thoroughly!!)

I can hardly believe the jump-start I've gotten on the garden this year. Keep your fingers crossed for a loooonng season!

Teri said...

About your bugs - mom swears by those clip on thingies made by Off. They are supposed to last for up to 12 hours and you can turn them on and off. She and my dad swear by them and they've got tons of mosquitos in Houston where they're at.
Also - regarding your snapdragon bug poo - I've found an article that sounds like what you described. Take a look here:
http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/adams/2006/budworm.htm

Budworms - I had never heard of them before. BTW - the cabin is going to be adorable!!

I had n

Susan said...

Ouch! Nothing like nasty biting bugs to cause a stampede for indoors. We are in black fly season - they like to bite you behind your ears so you can walk around looking like vampire victims. Bleck. She certainly has a "glow". I have been working in the 80 plus degrees here, too. Too early for this weather, but I'm not complaining...

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Teri - Thank you so much for the link related to the worm poo (bud worm)! Haven't had a chance to check it out yet but I certainly will. This is great thing about blogging . . . so much info to share.

Hey, Susan - Yup, we have the black flies, too. It's always a little upsetting to come in from outside and notice little rivulets of blood running down your face and neck. (And just why is it that we have to have these nasty biting insects on earth??)

Chicken Mama said...

I recently learned WHY we actually DO need black flies: they are what pollinate wild blueberry bushes! No black flies, no blueberries. I wonder if it correlates, then, that a bad black fly year will be a GOOD blueberry year?!

Jody M said...

I wish I could sleep like that.

Glad you're ahead putting in the garden. I'm behind, so I guess between the two of us everything evens out.

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Chickie Mama - Hmmm, which would I prefer? Black flies, blueberries. Blueberries, black flies. Personally, it would be a hard call!

Hey, Jody - The way little kids can sleep is enviable. But then they haven't developed all the responsibilities and worries of us big people!