Spring is here!
Happy weekend, readers.
The last day of May beckons.
I just slapped a mosquito here in the house, ending its short buzzing life.
They rise in clouds in the woods, singing their blood-sucking songs. Barry thinks I exaggerate about the clouds but, yes, mosquitoes abound. Several years back I would watch them bite without killing, attempting for a mind-over-matter Zen compassion. Nowadays, you ‘skeetos better watch out.
It’s too bad because we need to plant more seeds in the garden today. Heather, I should have ordered the bug spray you suggested. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Insect Repellent.
It’s a budding leafing world
Maybe that would help repel the wood ticks, too.
I walked in the woods two days ago, soaking a sneaker in a forest swamp. Had already tucked jogging pants into tall white socks–very attractive!–but eight wood ticks crawled upon the socks upon return to our woods home. Luckily, none latched on.
The cloud of mosquitoes hovered around my head, though, awaiting lunch.
Leaf art
Spring hath sprung! Leaves are leafin’ out all over…
The world gleams in shades of green.
Wildflowers abound.
Some days–like today–promise summer heat.
Other days–like next week–forecast much cooler.
Deer by the log pile
Icebergs still float on the bays and tomorrow is June! We locals can’t help exclaiming.
I am not going to continue that wild & inspirational plan to possibly post a photo-a-day. That crazy blogging idea lasted about a week. My relationship with the camera is very strange. The only time I love photography is when the energy for taking photos zings. Most of the time it feels much more lackadaisical.
The idea of posting daily photos still appeals; the actual doing it isn’t as inspirational.
I really like the way the deer turned back to peer at the human before waving his white tail and scampering away.
Any plans for your weekend? We had a lovely (although small) Book Club at Ruth’s house last night where we discussed The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Most of us liked the book–which is odd. We rarely agree on books. Today–garden planting and lawn mowing. Tonight, my buddy Susan and I are eating dinner together out on the town. Sunday? It’s anybody’s guess.
Lake Superior Spirit 
Ah, those pesky mosquitoes, now that’s one thing I don’t miss about the U.P. I recall some nights in the cabin, trying to sleep under the covers, and it was so hot! But we were blessed with one summer, can’t remember the year, there were NO bugs, flies or mosquitoes, it was WONDERFUL 🙂 Love your pictures of the deer by the wood pile. Have a great weekend!!
i am sleeping in the computer chair. I keep jumping and muttering to myself to get some more tea dummy. I have the windows wide and I am noting lemon light on still electric green spring-type grass and a sky of blue for which I have no name yet for a shade, it definitely isn’t gentle to the sleeping. I am hoping to visit my garden and that no one took it over, thinking I wasn’t coming back. I was waiting to find some pole-beans though none have become evident. I will just plant a bunch of the bush ones. Today’s plan involves Jack Reacher, emptying two pots, venturing to locate organic CHEAP soil, and doing a batch of GF flour mix, my canister jar in the fridge is empty. I think that early Saturdays are going to become mix and condiment creation days.
Wishing you a good weekend. It sounds so organized. I am in search of old photographs of not only the church but also the past members….piles of photos spread out all over. Last night was distracted by pulling all my dog’s photos and other such piles to give away…I thought might as well. I may not have the inspiration to do this again. This must be my hummity hummity time to try to sort my photos!
My daughter graduated from college on Thurs. but she’s back at work in Yosemite this weekend. My son who’s in college came for the event. Today I am driving him back (six hours round trip) but will visit with family between treks.
Today maybe I’ll attack the weeds that are loving my driveway. Maybe I’ll wash some windows inside the house. Maybe I’ll take a break and have tea with a neighbor. Maybe I’ll put my feet up and do nothing.
I’ve also noticed mosquitoes in the house. I have a screen that desperately needs help. There is nothing I HATE more than wood ticks. They are the creepy crawly that sends me screaming. Glad they didn’t latch on.
Prose or Photos, your blog posts always speak of life as it really is and I look forward to each one – and combinations of the two like this one.
Your story of coming home with TICKS scares me. Makes me yearn back fondly to the icebound winter. No, not quite. Just kidding. Isn’t spring glorious?
Love the post, as always. We are fighting ticks also, though they have slowed down a bit. Paulina and I wanted to get about 6 chickens this summer to help with that matter, but James put the halt on that plan with a very practical, “who is going to care for them when we are gone on vacation?” The mosquitos here are nearly big enough to carry us off this summer, hope the city sprays soon, or the wedding will be one big feeding fest. May you have a restful weekend. We are busy at yard and house work as always.
Looking forward to seeing you, Insect Warrior friend 🙂
Hi Kathy,
I love the picture of the deer by the log pile!! I never get tired of seeing your pictures.
The mosquitoes are out in force here too…thankfully I haven’t seen any wood ticks yet, but I’m sure they are out too. I’ve been spending more time enjoying the hummingbirds and chickadees ♥
Storms are rolling in later today and will stick around for a few days so the skeeters will be especially thick and ravenous! The joys of summer. lol
That is the ying/yang of summer. Sweet air/sucking ticks. Blue warm skies/mean nasty non-zen mosquitos.
But ying and yang are both necessary.
My weekend will be a ying/yang affair. My guys away, so I’m enjoying the quiet (the ying) without being too lonely (the yang) and allowing myself to have no plans.
Sounds (and looks) like nice weather. It’s that turnabout time of year again … me wishing I was there instead of here. Then it turns-about in winter again, when I’m glad to be here, and my northern friends wish they were here with me. Enjoy the nice weather. 🙂
Kathy — Because it’s dry here in Boise, Idaho, the mosquitoes are few and far between. Half of the windows on the home we’re leasing don’t have window screens, yet we leave them wide open day and night. Could we have done that in Crystal Lake, Illinois? Not without being eaten alive!
The photo you shared of the deer looking over its shoulder at you is terrific!
What a day in the U.P.! I had a loooong bike ride on the Ottawa and called it quits in the afternoon when it wad 95 degrees northeast of Kenton! Then went to Baraga, which was only 48 due to our icy Lake Superior air conditioner! Tomorrow I will relax inside amd neglect my garden on account of those damn biters and bloodsuckers! Hope you are well!
We have waves of mosquitos too. Very bad this year. I need to find something I can put on the dog’s nose…she is getting eaten when we go on adventures at the park!
Happy weekend Kathy and Barry. I am not missing those tiny (aggravating) creatures at all. They don’t seem to be much of a problem here. A quiet weekend, playing with herb pots and replanting an ailing bougainvillea.
I’m sure your cloud of mosquitos is no exaggeration, especially where you live! I sat in the hot tub last night and watched as my own little cloud hovered above my head. I think they really wanted to come down and get me but the hot steam must have been somewhat of a repellant to them. The idea of daily posting is daunting, I agree! I have a love affair with my camera in the beautiful weather but the thought of sending a shot into the blogosphere daily seems to overwhelm me.
This, as usual, is a working weekend for me. Today is a short day in town, though, so I’m hoping to come home and get the entire garden planted, to take advantage of rain predicted for tomorrow. Mosquitoes are horrendous here this year, too. On the up side, I think my eye-hand coordination is much improved from all the swatting! Thanks, Kathy!
I detest ticks and skeeters- probably ticks the most. i worry about tick borne diseases and some years the ticks are bad for the dogs so I nust keep the dogs here in the back yard on the gravel.
Anyhow, I’m glad that your spring has finally sprung. Winter must be a nightmare in the Upper P. I imagine that everyone is all smiles when spring arrives even if the mosquitoes are dreadful.
The deer looks so sweet!
This weekend I danced, as I do most weekends. I cleaned, I pulled weeds, I read in the bathtub, did laundry, and a BUNCH of ironing. Real exciting stuff…
Hmm. Those wood ticks worry me. In my neck of the woods, I only worry about bears. At least you can see them coming!
Yay for spring! Just be glad that your mosquitoes aren’t the size of hummingbirds like they are here in Texas (and that might only be a slight exaggeration 😉 )
As a little birdy told you, we enjoyed parental company over the weekend. Am just getting around to reading blogs that piled up while I was away from the computer.
Barry can think you’re being hyperbolic all he wants; I lived through those swarms this weekend. One minute it’s a skeeter or two, next minute you’re forced to run away from the cloud. I think perhaps they wouldn’t like the icebergs so much, but then that’s not much help since neither do we! That bugspray does a better job on ticks than mosquitoes. It repels the skeetos somewhat, but I haven’t had a single tick on me any time I’ve used it.
It’s taken me until now to get back online to read, so I will tell you that this particular weekend Norm and I plan to get together with family for a dinner out. It’s so hot in the darned kitchen this time of year in the Bayou State! I love the deer photo, and the country driveway hidden in all those trees. Your photos are lovely, as is your home. xxo
We saw clouds of mosquitoes in the salt marsh yesterday that were larger and more numerous than any I’ve ever seen in the past. We ended up turning back. Yeesh…
My forehead is full of blackfly bites. Thankfully no tick encounters yet. Do be careful.