The Nigh The Mosquitoes Swarmed...

 Before I went outside to play fetch and pick up puppy nuggets, I decided to put on a long-sleeve jacket and pants.

So glad I did.

I thought the mosquitos would be bad, but tonight they were extra bad, ferocious, just plain evil. 

I know, they're not evil, at least, they don't know they're evil. They're just bugs trying to survive, trying to suck the last drop of blood from whatever creature they can find, and because it's getting close to the time of year when they'll eliminated...not from exterminators or bug zappers, but from Mother Nature, once things freeze outside, that's the end of them, until they pop up to feast again next spring.

They were so bad, I wondered if I could capture the attack on video. I took out my phone and began filming. I warn you, the video is not pretty. You may want to put the kids to bed before watching. I only wish the poor quality of the video player here was better. 

It's the eternal struggle, man against beast, us against them. Thank goodness for winter. It's one of the advantages of living where we do.

Without doing any research, I understand mosquitos are important to the overall ecosystems that keep our planet alive. Just how important, I'm not exactly sure. It's human nature to put up with annoying things, as long as they're in someone else's yard. I'm guilty of that. Still...

I'll be glad when the snow flies.

It's the Little Buggers You Don't See...

Tonight I snapped a picture of our backyard from the safety of my kitchen. It looks serene, peaceful, almost quaint. But, there's a secret, a deep-dark secret lurking, unseen by the naked eye...

Mosquitos.

And, oh--are they bad right now.

Where we used to live, we didn't find ourselves outside too often. Our yard didn't lend itself to it. Of course, we used the yard for many things--it was a great place for our kids to grow up in. They had a mountain and a dead-end street. We loved that, but we didn't go outside much and just hang out.

We got a big dog. We moved. We put in a fence.

Now, we love spending time outside, except at certain times of the year. Namely, right now.

I noticed the mosquitos last year. I couldn't believe how many of the little monsters were flying around. We tried spraying, we bought a bug zapper, and it helped, but they always seemed to return. This spring and summer I decided to pay more attention to the mosquitos. I noticed something interesting. 

They're not bad all the time...just at certain times.

Even as late as last week, the mosquitos weren't too numerous. I could spend time with the the dog playing fetch. I didn't have to worry. There was a time a few months ago when I noticed a higher number of mosquitos, then they seemed to go away. They've come back this week big time.

I actually feel better about the backyard bug situation this year, because I know it's not a consistent problem. As long as I know that, I can deal with it. I'll just try and limit my outdoor fun during the weeks of terror and enjoy the time outside even more during the non-weeks.

Sounds like a plan.