Tuesday 27 June 2023

I’m Attractive

 … to mosquitoes. I just went outside in the smoke filled air thick with humidity. The rain stopped long enough for me to go out and take my first picking of spinach from my vegetable garden and even though I had earlier spritzed myself with bug repellent, I was swarmed and attacked. 

I have a constant supply of no- name benedryl ( the little pink ones). The itching and swelling I get from mosquitoes, black flies, and deer flies is unbelievable and unbearable. 

We had a good day of rain yesterday and again on and off today. Weeding will be a big part of my life in the next few days. 

My new hens are still very skittish. I think only one kind of chicken is laying so far but unfortunately the eggs have very brittle shells so many of them are unusable. New layers sometimes lay eggs with imperfect shells and I really hope this improves. They receive layer feed which has appropriate levels of calcium in it, so that shouldn’t be the problem. Also, the silly girls sit at the top of a ramp and lay their eggs, thus causing them to roll down the ramp and sometimes break. Ugghhh, can’t wait until they’ve figured out the laying boxes.

Anyway, I am most likely all done teaching for this school year. The final day is this Thursday with Friday being a PD day with teachers in school but no students. 

I’m looking forward to the next two months of gardening, preserving my harvest, reading ( check out my “ reading list” pages), and spending time at the pool. Oh, and collecting eggs, too!

39 comments:

  1. Mosquitos are the bane of existence! Grew up in Illinois, farming area. So we always were peppered with bites. Then there were the flies.

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  2. I love that you have new layers! I have a feeling I'll be having the same mosquito issue as you when I get to the lake this weekend. Ah well -- the price you pay for summer!

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  3. We have midgies...and some mosquitoes too, but not as bad as that!

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    1. I’m not sure what midges are. Maybe something like sand fleas or something we call “ no- see-ums”?

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  4. I'm attractive, too. To any biting insect. I can be in a group of people outside and no one else is getting bit but me. Most others don't know what it's like when you get bit and the area swells and ITCHES like crazy. So now you know we both are members of this exclusive club . . . that nobody else wants to belong to. P.S. Have the mosquitoes been as horribly bad and prolific in your area this year as they've been here? They are unbelievable! :o(

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    1. Hmmm, no I wouldn’t say they are worse, probably about the same but of course always bad when it’s misty/ humid out.

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  5. Our mosquitoes are the size of small dragon flies and with all the rain and humidity lately they are flying about usually at dusk and early morning. I found the May flies more problematic; they were out all day long.

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  6. Raising my hand on the mosquito front here and add in ticks. I seem to be a magnet for both.

    God bless.

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    1. Thankfully ticks aren’t a big issue where I live. I think I’d be quite concerned with ticks with the whole Lyme disease threat.

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  7. The wet weather recently is adding to the biting hoards of insects!

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  8. Goodness, still in school? I'm not the only one. We have school year-round. I would give anything to enjoy the summer in the garden. I hope your little birds get it figured out soon. We had laying hens growing up and I don't remember them having issues like that laying eggs.

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    1. They are very silly, these young hens. Yes, our school year starts the day after Labour Day in September and ends on the second last week day of June.

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  9. I swear by Deep Woods Off. What do you use?

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    1. I have found one at Shoppers Drug Mart- Life Brand- that has the good stuff in it, but it doesn’t have a heavy scent ( my nemesis).

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  10. In following with your heading... I'm unattractive... to mosquitoes anyway. They don't like me - which I guess is a lucky thing. But I do wonder why.
    Love hearing about your chickens. Hope they all start laying useable eggs soon!
    Would love to see pics!

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    1. Ohhhh lucky you! They don’t go after my husband either! Yes, I’ll do another chicken post soon. They’re pretty, but still rather nervous.

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  11. Dang those mozzies and biting things. They come out here in swarms after the recent heavy rain. Fortunately I'm like your husband. They prefer my husband lol

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  12. As well as layers pellets I have a hopper with grit and oyster shell so they can take extra when they want. New layers often have imperfect shells though as you say. I am sure they will soon get the hang of the nest boxes. It is so lovely when you start getting eggs again.

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    1. I've been thinking about oyster shell. Only three of the ten new ones are laying. When the others start, I will likely have a little feeder ready with oyster shell.

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  13. I hate the deep itch from bug bites. Enjoy your summer my daughter teaches she got out last week and I'd enjoying it.
    Cathy

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  14. Jenn sounds like a perfect summer manifesto. Wasn't the rain wonderful, my garden is so grateful & like you, once I've bathed in Off, I'll be out weeding. I am another one that is sweet meat to the flying insects & sometimes I think that the bug spray is just sauce to them! Your feather girls are lucky to have you as their care-er. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

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    1. I think I can hear the plants growing this morning!

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  15. You might try putting a fake egg in the nest box since chickens seem to like to lay eggs wherever there is already an egg. I ordered a couple of ceramic eggs on Amazon and they were so realistic that I had to mark them to know which ones they were (and they were unbreakable).

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    1. You have been reading my mind! I was just thinking I should get out the plastic Easter egg stash.

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  16. When my brother and I were very young, we shared the one bedroom - with each other and with the mozzies in summer :( I imagine we were bitten equally, but there were no bites showing on my skin and there were all over his. Very weird.

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    1. What is the secrect, I wonder? Is it blood type, haha?

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  17. I don't know why, but I'm one of the fortunate ones who rarely gets bitten by mosquitos. If there is anyone else around, they'll go for them and not me. Your situation does not sound pleasant.
    Chickens are, apparently, quite dumb. I hope the enhanced feed and time results in lots of unbroken eggs.

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  18. Bugs love me. I must taste delicious or something. I have noticed as I get older that it takes longer for bites to quit itching. I hope your hens get straightened out soon!

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  19. We have bats in this neighborhood that come out at dusk and they really help keep the mosquitoes down. I love watching them swoop and swirl through the air!

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  20. This post made me smile! Mosquitoes seem to love me, too. Any chance they get, they gobble me up! LOL

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  21. Enjoy your long break - September will be here before you know it so don't waste a single minute.

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  22. Did you know that if you point a hot hair dryer onto an itchy bite until you can't bear the heat anymore, it stops the itch for several hours? There is a scientific explanation online but I can't remember it at the moment! Trust me it works for British bug bites ...hope it might for yours too!

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  23. living in a roasting desert (highs of 45C) has its faults but the dryness means no mosquitoes

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