• My first follow up short rant will be on oak mites.  These insidious little microscopic …..well, mites….fall from the trees landing on their new host for a short amount of time…sometimes they eat you alive leaving extremely itchy red spots…they are so small, a new lunch wagon victim can’t see them.  What’s more appalling they blow freely in a breeze and can enter your house through the screens which actually is suicide because they don’t survive if they can’t get to their oak leaf galls.  The takeaway here is the recommended shower and immediately washing clothes after being outside…do you know how many times the screen door in our house is opened and shut in a day?  I can’t afford the water bill.
• I have recently learned about cicada killers.  These wasp like killers apparently feed on cicadas.  They actually drag the cicada to a hole they dig and feast upon them,  I, personally, have no issue with this.  My issue is with the cicada…17 year cicada, my a$$.  One slipped in the door when I took Frannie out for a walk the other night. 15 minutes after returning, it started buzzing around the room and then disappeared.  thankfully, Truman (our biggin’ feline) came out from behind the couch growling with it between his lips with a 3 other feline posse. The subsequent bite through the shell sent shivers through my body.
• And then there are Japanese beetles.  I heard years ago that marigolds are natural insect repellent so I always have several pots of marigolds growing on the deck.  Approaching the marigolds with a watering can this morning, I counted 6 Japanese beetles showing no fear munching on the marigolds.

The good news?  Our mosquito population seems to be very low this year.  This concerns me.

Until next time….