Buggy weather & Noisy Neighbors

Soooo...I took the jerry-rigged throttle control cable out to the garage this morning and tested it. No go. It won't give me enough "throw" on the mechanism. I could try to peel off a little more of the sheathing and that might give me enough, but--and it's a big BUT--the machine still won't start. I believe it may be time to make that 60 mile round trip down to the service center and see what he can do to bring my DR field and brush mower back to life.

The black flies (part of the day shift of the Adirondack Air Force) were out in full force this morning. They seem to enjoy this early warm, humid weather we are having. While working on the brush hog outside the garage I was swarmed by several hundred of the hungry little buggers. Luckily, I was wearing a long sleeve shirt tucked into my pants and had my pant legs stuffed into my boots.That action plus a ball cap on top of a bandanna and a liberal spraying of Deep Woods Off kept them from finding a purchase on my skin. I escaped from supplying any blood for the egg layers.

Last night I had to give up reading in bed because the no-see-ums (part of the night shift) felt free to invade through the screens and, although very small, they feasted upon my arms and shoulders that were outside the sheet. They are tiny, not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence, but their bit stings something fierce. They don't leave much in the way of welts or swellings, however, and the itch form one of their bites is short lived. The mosquito, deer fly and black fly bites are a little more lingering reminder as to why this area was considered uninhabitable by so many for so long.

The warm weather continues and with luck that will reduce the black flies soon. They generally fade to near nothing after a week or so of 80 degree days. If I keep the grass cut the no-see-ums will also be reduced. They seem to like the higher grass.

I don't know how bad the mosquitoes are as I stayed inside during the crucial hour after sunset when they are at their worst. As for the deer flies, they were out in force as I cut the grass yesterday and even bit me through my bandanna and soaking wet shirt. They will fade a bit as the summer progresses and the dragonflies take their toll. In July and August I'll enjoy watching the hundreds of dragonflies dip and dart over the lawn picking off the stray black fly and deer fly for a mid-air meal.

Bats will often take the mosquitoes but there has been a mysterious disease in the hibernating bat populations at the major wintering caves in New York and that may have reduced their numbers dramatically. I've not seen any swallows or swifts yet but they will feast on the flying insects when they get here.

There's a small pool in front of the Bolt Hole that is home to several frogs (green, wood, peepers, etc.) and they may be making a dent in the insect population. The frogs were in full voice last evening until around 11 PM when they suddenly stopped their trills and chirps all at once. Things were then silent until around 4 AM when several coyotes started yipping and barking across the road. They woke me up and I became aware of the chill in the air. (The temperature had dropped to the mid 50s.) The coyotes' confab didn't last long but the birds started up about a half hour later in anticipation of the morning dawn and I struggled between trying to get back to sleep and identifying the feathered chorus.

Things are so damn peaceful in the country! HA!