The Heavy Stuff

I have to laugh at this meme from Caddyshack. Frankly, the "heavy stuff" has been coming down for awhile. And it resumed right before we teed off for golf league last night.

Not raining when I left work in Stevens Point, but then it started sprinkling and was a steady light rain by the time I got to TriCity. Our league rule is that we play in the rain unless it lightnings. Well, this was our view from the cart, which Marigene and I never use -- but had to to keep ourselves (and my new clubs) somewhat dry.

We were all wishing for lightning.

By the end, everything from our headcovers to our socks and underwear was soaked! Pretty miserable. I don't even know what our score was and how we did. We were all in cold, wet survival mode. So don't let anyone fool you when they say ANY day on the golf course is better than work.

There are exceptions!

Today it continued to rain so Jim didn't get together with an old friend to hit the links somewhere between here and Green Bay. But there was a moment of sunshine for about 2 hours when I set out my wet golf glove, shoes, headcovers, and bag to dry. That somewhat did the trick.

After work, I hit the road and headed north. For the first hour it was raining so hard I could hardly see -- and was experiencing the joys of hydro-planing. Good times, Mother Nature. You're not making any fans.

She always responds with "Yeah, but how are your flowers looking, Robyn?"

Must she have the last word? For the record, my hail-damaged blooms have sprung back to life. But so have the many, many weeds I "thought" I eliminated a month ago. Never trust Round-Up, I guess.

Too bad there's not a "We love our jolly good weeds June" to follow "No mow May."

Hope you all stay dry and safe. And can escape the moisture-induced mosquito invasion!

The Thing That Bugs Me in June

Ping! Ping! Ping! You can just hear this guys and his buddies pinging against your screen door, can't you? Ew. I know. The worst thing about June.

After the mosquitoes, that is.

Oh wait, after the mosquitoes AND snakes! Of course.

Anyway, since I had a free night (hubby's golf league night), I was going to sit out on my swing and relax. Then I saw these guys. And remembered Freddie and Frankie and Fernando's friend had been hanging out in that exact spot last week as well. Not going to chance it just yet.

So I got a few things done around the house – including making part of Jim's birthday gift. Or anniversary. I haven't decided. One's Friday and one's Sunday so I suppose it doesn't matter. Two other things that were supposed to arrived today are "running behind." Glad I pay for Prime and its 2-day shipping when they can just change to 3, 4, not sure how many, days. 

Oh well. It'll work out. It's just one Birth & Ball and Chain Palooza around here this week! Late gifts won't take away from the fun.

But June bugs might.

Be careful out there!

And August Sneaks to a Close

August came to a gorgeous close.  This is my drive-by shooting – camera shooting – going over the Nepco Lake bridge on Highway 13 tonight. Just clicked. Didn't look. This is the best of 7. Ha.

Today felt fall-like. Mid-70s at best and low humidity – in my opinion. But the mosquitoes are out in full force – at least on my photo shoot tonight. Uff da. I wish they sucked fat instead of blood. Then I wouldn't mind so much!

The end of August also marks 544 days out of the office. Yes, that includes weekends and holidays but still, that's a lot of days!

For my future self to read, we had planned to go back to office after Labor Day weekend. Then COVID-19 introduced a sketchy Delta variant. So even though a good number of people are vaccinated (including our fam), many companies like mine are remaining cautious before throwing dozens or hundreds or thousands of co-workers together again.

So, sort of like we can never predict the exact colors of a sunset, we can't predict where this pandemic life will go next. 

Stay safe out there! Have a good September!

The Deet-tails on Them Skeeters

At some point you knew the mosquitoes had to come out. We honestly got by over half the summer without them. Now, they're out in full force.

I wouldn't have noticed them except for spending a few hours outdoors on a photo shoot. Thanks to the mom for carrying bug spray in her van. I always have mine in my golf bag in my vehicle. But since hubby needed my vehicle tonight, I was driving his big truck. No repellent in there but I felt like I ruled the world, barreling down the highway like a bad-ass, sitting on two pillows to see over the dash.

Even with the blood-suckers out, we had a great shoot in the Rudolph area. Sort of.

It was awesome to have the mom and daughter have props all figured out. 

Including suitcases on the railroad tracks...

And laying in the middle of the road with her music and cello. That's correct. There's no traffic in Rudolph!

I'll have to trust the rest turned out. I am ready for ice cream and bed. And probably a de-DEET-ing shower. 

Dang skeeters!

Well That Stinks

Why must we move from one pest to another in Wisconsin? Mosquitoes (and snakes) this summer. Now the stink bugs!

That stinks.

The good news, according to my entomologist friends, is that like squash bugs and boxelder bugs, they are not known to breed indoors, cause interior damage, or harm humans. But... even though the one above was crawling on the outside of the living room window, stink bugs can be a real nuisance and cause alarm when they appear inside the house on draperies, blinds, lights, or even buzzing around one's head.

Remember how I broke my toe with my "knee jerk" reaction to a surprise Princess pile? Well I am surprised I haven't broken a finger or wrist shaking off a stinkin' surprise visitor landing on my arm or buzzing by my head. 

I'm not smooth enough to handle some of these seasonal guests!

But I guess I already survived murder hornets and locust plagues in 2020, I guess I can survive a few stink bugs stinkin' up the house. That's what all those pumpkin spike-scented candles are for, right? I know they drive hubbies away at times. Not that they're classified as pests.

Yet. We still have 3 more months to survive.

To the Bat Quarters!

Holy scary quarters, Batman! Have you seen the new 25-cent currency flying about the U.S. this spring? I'm not a fan. I'm so not a fan.

I blame the U.S. Mint for resurrecting my nightmares from childhood. Why a bat on a quarter?! Well, apparently it's one of five new quarter designs as part of its America the Beautiful Quarters Program this year. But like most trends, it's just reaching Wisconsin now.

And the bat image for the national park? I guess the National Park of American Samoa is the only park in the United States that is home to the Samoan fruit bat, which apparently is dying due to habitat loss and commercial hunting. Who would hunt them and why? So many questions.

Here's a popular question on Google though: Are the bats that are pictured on the reverse of a U.S. quarter issued in 2020 an indicator that COVID-19 is connected to a government plot?

Well, there was the bat in Wuhan and there is the virus and it is 2020. According to Snopes, though, no, it's not part of a conspiracy.

So why am I batty over this topic? Well I grew up in a house out in the country, where bats were plentiful and people who weren't me appreciated them for eating mosquitoes. Catching the skeeters is all well and good, but why do you need to come in the house afterward and torment the sleeping children?!

Seriously, summer was the worst. We'd hear bats in our bedroom at least every other week, it seemed. I distinctly recall we'd bury our heads under the blankets and scream for Dad and Mom to come save us. Sometimes it took awhile to awaken them in the next room, but one of them or both would open our door with a broom in hand, ready to start swinging. None of us played tennis, so the broom was the best weapon available.

Mom and Dad had a system, though. They'd manage to hit the bat – somehow without ever breaking a lamp or the ceiling light – and stun it. When it fell, they'd scoop it up on a dustpan then dump it in an empty coffee can to suffocate and die. There was no catch and release. Mosquitoes be damned.

Of course, we always knew how active the bats were by the pile of coffee can accumulating by the back steps all summer long. Needless to say, I have wicked flashbacks whenever I see a big red Folgers can. Not even kidding a bit. Must be why I like my Keurig and my little K-cups so much.

I'm not batty. You're batty!

A Good Date Spoiled

Mark Twain once said, "Golf is a good walk spoiled." The phrase stuck because, well, it can get ugly out there. Scenery beautiful, yes. My swing, not so much.

Still, a nice impromptu date night.

Since we are golfing with our friends Scott and Sandy on Saturday and I've only golfed once since we did with them in April (yes, 2 months ago), I figured I better swing out some of the rusty spots. Hubby and I checked out a couple courses and they were busy with league nights and such. But we decided to give the Ridges a go.

It was slow going due to league, so we ended up zigzagging around the front 9 a bit. No par dances for me – though I should have had at least 3 of them! I blame the mosquitoes and black flies and gnats and whatever the heck else was biting me despite bug spray.

And lack of practice.

Jim's been out a few times. But thanks to rain every other day, not a ton of play for him either.

Probably best we don't take it too seriously anyway. Makes for a better date!

There Are Worse Things Than Mosquitoes

I should probably apologize for giving mosquitoes a bad rap the other night. Yes, they are annoying – as proven tonight when they were out in droves at our friends' house – but there are worse things.

We had a gathering tonight with some people I work with, including the host couple who both hubby and I worked with in Iola for a decade before our current stint together. It was warm and sunny and we had a great time visiting, playing yard games (a new one called Kubb), and eating, of course. Oh, and swatting skeeters.

When I got home, I realized I still need another 500 steps to get my 10,000 for the day. So I went outside to take a stroll... and turned into one of the Solid Gold Dancers...

Mosquitoes may be super pests but at least they aren't as gross and disgusting and creepy as June bugs. It's bad enough they look overstuffed wood ticks. But then they make noise when they ping against the screen door. And you can feel them when they dive bomb into you in the night.

EEEEEEWWWWW!

Needless to say, I got those final steps in record time. Plus, I performed my own June Bug version of the Jitter Bug. At least the mosquitoes knew to stay out of my way!

The Latest Buzz

In case you thought the first sign of summer was Memorial Day or people wearing flip flops or today's gorgeous temperatures. Nope. It's something far more annoying.

Mosquitoes!

We should have known that with all the snow, rain and flooding this spring that there'd be standing water everywhere – I mean I still see it in ditches – which is the ideal breeding ground for skeeters. Trust me. When you live on a creek that may or may not have water, you pay attention to when it does! It's always followed by a bumper crop of blood-suckers!

I guess I do know how to grow something, huh?

Other than not being able to stand outside for long this evening, it was a super nice day.

And no, I wasn't joking about summer-like temperatures! Too bad it won't stay like that all weekend. Chance of some rain here and there. And tonight there's a chance I might not even need to turn on my mattress pad.

Hey, we've got the A/C cranked (just days after running the furnace), so you never know.

June Bugs

I'm sitting in my office, hearing something ping against the window screen. Is it large mosquitoes? Or June bugs?

Now that it's June, it could be either.

And... gross.

Didn't get out for a lunchtime walk today so I still don't know how bad the skeeter population is in Stevens Point. Tonight, after dining out at the Ridges with our neighbors, Cindy and I took a quick walk. For the most part when we were moving, we kept the buzzing and biting at bay. But once we were done and we stopped, I was swarmed. They must like my perfume or hairspray.

Or the fact my blood is made up of ice cream? Hey, it's June Dairy Month. They might be smarter than we think.

So I opted to stay in tonight instead of sitting at a fire. That's sad to let the bugs win. But we've got a bit of a busy weekend coming up so I had to get a few things done. Not to mention starting to at least think about packing for my trip. Now that it's June, I can say "My European vacation is THIS month!!"

Skeeters and June bugs aside, I think it's going to be a great month. Don't you?

Hot Spots

Hard to believe we had snow on the ground just a month ago and today we crushed our high-temperature record. In Wisconsin Rapids, we had 98 degrees – and that was at 5 p.m. – which obliterated the 89-degree record from 1978.

That's just showing off, Mother Nature!

Based on our jam-packed schedule the past 48 hours, we could have done without the heat. But the mosquitoes were our worst enemies. And, frankly, rain would have been a whole lot worse. So we hopped around our various hot spots – resembling the plot of that '90s movie Four Weddings and a Funeral.

We actually had four graduation parties and a funeral.

This weekend was Assumption graduation. I was asked a few months ago to photograph it since the usual person was to be out of town. So my Saturday morning was picture taking. The afternoon was a trip up to Wausau for the funeral of my friend Becky's mom. Since today marks the 5-year anniversary of my dad's death, it brought back a lot of memories and tears.

After the service, it was back to Rapids for a graduation party. It was not quite 98 yesterday but still very hot! Got home by 10 p.m. but had hundreds of commencement photos to sort through so skipped blogging for sleep.

Today was church, then a car wash (decided to go out on a limb and put my snowbrush away, too), then a run/walk, and three graduation parties. The mercury sat at 80 degrees by the time church was over at 10 a.m. and just kept climbing!

Thankfully there shady places to sit. But not much of a breeze to cool anyone off. And the mosquitoes were definitely in full force by late afternoon.

Am tired of the smell of Deep Woods OFF. But feel blessed to spend time with many friends and, of course, enjoy some pretty good frosting! I mean yummy graduation cake (and cupcakes) with good frosting.

Hubby and I figured we'd just enjoy ourselves and not worry about how much we were consuming via food and beverage. We won't have another weekend quite like this one. And we've got all week to behave and mitigate the damage. Probably stay clear of the scale until Friday! The way the forecast looks, any fat should melt without even trying.

Thank God for friends, memories, bug repellent and A/C!

Let's Not Get Carried Away

Somehow we skipped spring and went straight from Snow Season to Skeeter Season. And I don't like it one bit.

Or one bite.

We should be so lucky to have just ONE bite! What we have here is what's known as a bumper crop of mosquitoes. Like we are trying to grow them on purpose? No. But they are here and they are hungry!

Since the baseball and softball teams played last night, we had a free night and I suggested to hubby that we squeeze in some golf. This weekend will be packed with graduation parties and more. So we went to Homestead Golf Course (aka Mosquito Acres) after baseball practice got done.

Skies were darkening and we were under a thunderstorm watch, but we teed off anyway. By the third hole we were not only getting eaten alive, but the thunderclouds produced some lightning – so we stopped in the clubhouse for a spell.

Went back out and no rain. And no breeze. And the skeeters were still there. I can't even count how many times we sprayed bug dope on. Just ineffective with these nasty buggers.

And it didn't help my golf game. Sure, I'm usually rough the first time out, but it was hard not to rush your shots when you have bugs dancing on your face. Gah! And yes, a few curse words flowed just to christen in the new golf season!

All in all, we still had a good time – but not to the point we got carried away.

With too much fun or by the super-powered skeeters!

Goodbye, July

I want to climb on the rooftop and soak up as much July as I can before it's over. Too bad I'm afraid of heights. And well, not a fan of mosquitoes either.

Every year I go through this thought pattern, wondering where the heck summer went. I didn't see College Boy enough. I didn't golf enough. I didn't kayak enough. And I waited so long to start working on my "beach body" that I might as well skip it and move onto hoodies and sweatpants.

OK. Let's not exaggerate. I can wear either year-round.

I guess that means I should try to squeeze in as much as I can in August! Ha. Obviously my short-term memory can't recall how crazy Saturday was with every minute accounted for.

We do have some fun coming up in August. I will not think of it as summer's almost over. Technically we have two more months. I must re-train my thinking.

I will sit with Snoopy on the roof of his dog house (that can't be too high) and be thankful for a nice warm evening, sunlight at 8:30 p.m. and goofy tan lines around my ankles.

I suppose I can put up with those pesky skeeters for another month, too. Better than pesky snowflakes any time!

So long, July.

Days are Getting Shorter

I could live in Denial a long time if it wasn't so hot and humid here. As much as I love summer, I don't love the fact that it means the days are shorter. It isn't so obvious until the sun goes down earlier than planned.

Why do we care? Well, those darn skeeters just lay in waiting for the sun to dip in the sky. Then, BAM! They are in your face! And hair and on arms and legs. Pretty much can avoid them by seeking shelter or spraying on a repellent (I prefer my essential oils).

Tonight we got caught.

Went kayaking after work and got to see all stages of day light on our journey around the Big Island on the river...

BEFORE...

AFTER...

And in between!

We had a great time and managed to hit shore with all body parts intact. Some slightly nibbled away, but mostly intact.

Did see an eagle and a crane and I took pictures. I will look through those tomorrow. Gotta rest up so I can pack as much into these short days as possible.

I sort of already do that though, don't I?

Live. Laugh. Love. Repeat.

Hope for Farmers

After rain last night and this morning and again this afternoon, I couldn't believe the headlines. Wisconsin farmers are being asked to help North Dakota farmers struggling with the drought.

A drought?

Apparently, when we have chances of scattered thunderstorms, Mother Nature takes the "scattered" part to heart. Drought in the Dakotas and saturated earth in Wisconsin. A mixed blessing, depending who you talk to, too.

When I saw the end of a rainbow after this evening's shower, I grabbed my camera to see if I could do anything artsy by the nearby farm field. I really must have spied it too late.

You can see there probably was something resembling a double rainbow. Or maybe it just never fully developed tonight.

I was hoping by finding the angle that put the end of the rainbow on the farm, it would bring good luck. I was talking to ladies who run it and they hope so, too. They don't mind rain if it could spread out a little bit more. They mean days, not hours.

While we were talking, I just kept clicking away, capturing the culprits who wake us up at the crack of dawn.

Maybe earlier.

When this guy sarcastically muttered, "Oh goody. She's got a new camera," I decided it was time to moooove on. (You know I couldn't resist.)

That, plus the mosquitoes. If the rain has brought one thing, it's a bumper crop of skeeters. I sure hope the rainbows are a promise of good things to come for the farmers who have more important crops to contend with.

Practice Swings

Not 100 percent sure but today may have been the warmest day of the year so far. Officially low to mid-80s. Sunny. Slightly breezy. Just plain old summer!

Enjoying the weather today as we don't know when the weekend rains are going to hit – tomorrow or Sunday or both? It would be nice to know exactly as we are trying to make a tee time with our friends Scott and Sandy over in the Green Bay area. I think now we are hoping to miss the morning rain and golf early afternoon tomorrow.

That gave me one night to prep since I am the only one in the foursome who hasn't picked up a club yet this year.

When I got home from work, I dusted off the golf clubs (and golf sandals!) and brought them out of hiding in the basement. Was all set to go to the driving range at a place that has apparently been out of business a few years, according to hubby. Whoops. Tells you how often I actually practice.

So he took me to play 9 holes at The Ridges nearby.

I like taking pictures of the 7th hole there since I am the 7th R out of 8 R's in my family. Just by 9 minutes.

Golf was fun. I don't stress out about it anymore because I don't play enough to expect myself to be good. Just kept swinging away. Tried not to swing too hard because I don't want to reverse the positive direction the chiropractic visits have me going.

Still, hubby says my back swing and front swing and my everything swing is too stinkin' fast. So maybe with all these practice swings, I got that bad habit out of my system.

I know. Ha ha. Not going to happen.

I remember some wise words in Harvey Penick's Little Red Book of Golf. Something like, "When you feel you've slowed down your swing as slow as you can go, slow it down even more." So logical, right? If only I'd listen and apply it.

Oh there's tons of great advice out there. Mine for this weekend is apply bug spray and have fun.

Frankly, I can't afford to waste swings swatting mosquitoes.

Sounds of the Season (but which one?)

As I sit at my computer, I can hear the familiar sounds of summer... birds chirping, dogs barking and the lawn mower cutting grass, plowing over mole hills and chopping up errant sticks in the back yard.

Did I wake up to a new season?

For awhile there, I thought I did. On the way to work there was a teeny tiny annoying sound. It was the buzzing of a mosquito. I was probably halfway to work before I got 'em! I had to wonder if we bypassed spring and went directly from winter to summer.

Not that this sun worshipper would mind that.

I have concerns, though. Here hubby is mowing the thick grass – thanks to all that baseball-canceling rain – but I have yet to see a lilac bloom. Shouldn't we be seeing them by now? I refuse to start my summer without my favorite fragrance wafting through the house!

While I do read my share of books, I have not read a Farmer's Almanac or any horticulture articles explaining how or if the long, long, long, long winter may affect spring and summer growth. Since I have two black thumbs, I tend not to pay attention to that stuff.

But I want my lilacs!

For now, I will settle for that magnificent scent of fresh-cut grass! I love that smell of the season – especially when I didn't have to do anything to create it.

Perhaps the lazy days of summer have arrived after all!

Summer Hours

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer. Back when I was young, it made more sense because school was out by then. That's not the case these days. But here are few signs it's the holiday weekend...

Speed Traps: You know if it's a busy traveling weekend, the police will be out in full force. They started already this morning and I experienced my first bout of "Po-Po Paralysis" -- that moment when your body seizes up upon seeing cherries & berries in your rearview mirror and you glance at your speedometer, praying it's not you... Well this morning I saw the po-po parked on the side of the road and was careful with my speed but suddenly he was behind me, lights a-flashin'. I pulled over and, thank god, he went around me. Thank you, car ahead of me, for being the "bait" today. Phew.


Summer Hours: We began our "summer hours" at work today, which means we are dismissed from the asylum at 3 p.m. on Fridays. It's great for weekends when we have travel -- which happens a lot with the tournament team -- and it's great to get all kinds of errands done while it's still afternoon. Today hubby had off but I had to work since I had a deadline moved up to today that normally would be on Monday. It was a busy day and I just got out of there a little after 3. To really kick off summer, I stopped at King Cone in Amherst where they regretfully informed me they may never have Blueberry Waffle Cone again. It's a special limited edition flavor. I had to settle for some Mint Brownie flavor to cope...

Graduation Parties: We will have 2 graduation parties to go to this weekend. (Our nephew Colin will have his in a few weeks.) Tonight we got to help out some friends get theirs set up. Jim and Carter went over earlier to help put up the tent. I came later (after grocery shopping in a super crowded Wal-Mart) to help with decorating and whatever needed doing. We had a good time with it. And it gave me a glimpse of what we have in store in another 4 years. It made me want to cry. Or that could have been the onion we were chopping in the kitchen...

Skeeters: For as dry as it has been, I was thinking this would be one of those late springs when we didn't have many bugs or mosquitoes to contend with. Boy was I wrong. The skeeters came out in full force tonight. Dang. Apparently, they can read the calendar, too. Here comes summer!

Thy clubs be christened!

When it dawned on me today that I have had my new golf clubs for 5 months now and they had yet to be christened, I knew I had to do something soon or I was bound to get cranky about it.

Of course, when the day starts out with temps in the 30s, one doesn't think about golf first thing. But as I watched the mercury slowly make its ascent near 70, I knew today had to be the day.

We took advantage of the fact we have a "temporary" live-in babysitter, and headed for the golf course as soon as we got home. I promise not to bore you non-golfers with a hole-by-hole play-by-play, but...

When I teed off on the first hole, I had some concerns. The ball shanked off to the left. I thought, "Something is wrong with these new clubs!" After racking up a 7 on that hole, I pulled my head out of my ... bag ... and started concentrating. I parred the second hole. Whoo-hoo!

Just so all of my clubs felt appreciated, I ended up using every one at least once (except my 5 iron). Even the sand wedge got a workout. I found I am in love with my new hybrid club. I felt especially comfortable hitting that -- and driving with my 3 wood. I ended up pounding out a 54, which is great for me for the first outing of the season.

The only thing I didn't like was all the mosquitoes! Will definitely need to pack bug spray in the bag! They are out for blood already. This is definitely going to be a wicked year on the links. But I am willing to make that sacrifice, aren't you?