How bad is it?

I’ve noticed lots of comments (complaints) on social media about how bad the mosquitos are this year. Local, and, I think, national, news has done a story on it. Somehow, I think I recall similar stories almost every spring turning into summer. It all puts me in mind of one of my outdoor adventures from years ago.

The Better Half had given me, as a birthday present, maybe combined with father’s day, a bow and arrow bear hunting trip to a camp in Saskatchewan or Manitoba. One afternoon, as I was sitting 15 or 20 feet up in an aspen tree, a bear came to the bait. I drew my bow and, in my excitement, ended up shooting a little high. The bear disappear immediately after the arrow passed over his(?) front shoulder. When the guide later came to collect me, he decided we should track the bear to be sure I hadn’t drawn blood or, if I had, to fill my tag. Off we went on a late afternoon in June through scrub brush in Canada.

While 15 or 20 feet in the air, exposed to what breeze there was, I hadn’t noticed any mosquitos. On the ground, tracking a bear, I was literally coated and crawling with them. For fear of spooking a possibly wounded bear, I did minimal swatting while we walked. After 45 minutes or an hour, with no sign of the bear or any blood, the guide accepted that I had indeed missed. We headed for his truck and I swatted freely.

this bear visited our front yard in June, 9 years ago

Photo by J. Harrington

Since that afternoon, Minnesota has produced mosquito swarms thick enough to annoy me, but not in sufficient numbers to impress me as much as the Canadian skeeters had. I’ll share another, more current, bear story tomorrow. Just remember, no matter how bad something is, it might well find a way to get worse. Find something that’s going ok (like not encountering a wounded bear) and be thankful for that.

Mosquitoes

By Katherine Hauth

Mosquitoes,

with needle-noses

sucking blood

from elbows, cheeks, and chin

why were you not

designed to thrive

on brine, on swine,

or likewise-spiny

porcupines?

                       SLAP!

SLAP!

                                          SLAP!

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