Mosquito-Along

During a break in today's deposition, someone told me about something very much worth searching for in one of my favorite hiking locations. The timing, I thought, couldn't be better -- coinciding with me desperately needing some exercise and with the start of the Trek-Along. He said it was on one of the many less-used trails off of the main circular trails I almost always use, but he said he wasn't sure if he could even find it again if he had to.  But the entire hill isn't really that big, and it's not a place in which one can seriously get lost, so I thought I'd have no trouble finding the special thing.  When I got home, I found a couple of beings very willing to accompany me, so I put on my hiking clothes and boots, packed a small pack with the Trekking sock I cast on last night and the camera, and off we went.

Oops.

We forgot bug spray.

Holy cow, it was muddy, mucky, humid and buggy up there. 

One of the "willing beings" to accompany me was, of course, Vincent. Let's think about this a little bit in math terms:

[Muddy and mucky] + [One Bichon Frise] = [One Big Mess] + [One Very Unhappy Little Dog]

We wandered a bit (for almost two hours). I had to break a branch off a walnut tree to use as a mosquito-swatter.  Poor Vincent - it was so bad that when we got back, he begged me to give him a bath. 

We never found the special thing, and The Sock never saw the light of day. (I was afraid it would be carried off by mosquitoes.) At one point, just for the sake of the blog, I entreated Abigail to stop and "let's take the sock out and put it on this lovely moss-covered boulder, together with Muddy Vincent, and photograph it."   

It was at that moment that two people, one of whom Abigail knew, came over the ridge with two ginormous dogs. 

(Where do other people and other dogs get off using my trails, anyway?  The noive. Gah!)

And we could not wait. The bugs were carrying us off. We grabbed Very Muddy Vincent and ran out of there, frantically swatting off the mosquitoes and blackflies all the way.

So, let's review, shall we?  I got:

Some exercise. (At least there's that.)

Lots of bug bites.

Hot and sweaty. 

No picture.

No knitting done.

No sighting of The Special Thing.

A Very Muddy and Unhappy Dog.

~~

Stay tuned.

Comments

[Carole]

And The Special Thing is????

[naomi]

Y'know, I really appreciate the reminder that there's a bright side to not being able to leave the city. Fewer mosquitoes.

[jenifleur]

I'll join your mosquito along. Not willingly. I feel at this point if you started one I would join compulsorily. (is that a word?) I've got a petition out to the state of Georgia to officially change the state bird to the mosquito. I've emptied the birdbath and I'm considering putting out a call to blogland to save all those little silicone thingummies that come in your shoe boxes and send them to me to help dry my acreage out a bit. I need more bats. I'll take 'em rabid if they still eat the skeeters.

Meat tenderizer. That's what they say 'roun these here parts for taking the itch out of mosquito bites. On the other hand there could be some local chainsaw massacre plot afoot.

[Manise]

The special thing must be trillium or ladyslippers!

[HPNY knits]

nature comes witha price. :-( they love me too, I know how you feel. better luck next trek!

[Emma.]

Mossies. Yuk ! [or,as Oliver would say,yuckkity !]
Nearly as yuk as tincture of dandelion root. :0)

[sandy]

All in all, not a BAD day, eh?
:)

[Kat]

Good times, good times. I'm off to search for a Special Thing that is rumored to be 'round these parts tomorrow. Hiking + rain = fewer bugs.

[Cathy]

Poor Vincent. Oh, and poor you too. Any West Nile hanging around?

[Dave Daniels]

Good thing the mosquitos didn't make off with Little Vinny! He'd have been a tasty little snack.

[Dave Daniels]

Oh, FINALLY! One of my farking comments appeared. You and this damned new security!!!!!

[--Deb]

Poor Vincent! And poor Norma! I hate, abhor, and detest mosquitoes . . . what a close call you had! I can't think of anything worse than being carried away by them . . .

Meanwhile, no hiking/walking for me. Too much rain. Too hot. Too muggy. Too wet. It's a mix and match thing, but jumble them together and you've got the last week. Add in thunder and more rain and you've got tomorrow's forecast, too. At least I did, technically start my sock. I've got the toe shaping done . . . nothing else, yet, but a toe!

[Chris]

At least the sock was spared!

[Cookie]

Look on the upside, Vincent has something to talk about in therapy next week. ;^)

[Lucia]

My condolences. I fear going out into the woods right now not only for the mosquitoes but lest I find mold growing on me when I get home. What do you want to bet we have a drought come August?

[MBT]

My daughter came home from the school nature walk this week with a tick, despite long sleeves, long pants, longs socks etc. - I didn't even think about the mosquitoes!

And as the owner of another very small, orten grimy white dog, how exacty did Vincent ask for a bath? Maybe he could teach Cinderella...

[MBT]

ooh typos, sorry, no coffee yet!

[Sylvia]

There is a version of Deep Woods Off that is 25% DEET. It's what I send with my husband on his trips to India (along with the anti-malaria pills).

If you give Vincent brewers' yeast tablets (ask the vet for dosage for such a tiny fellow), that should help keep the blighters away. You can (after discussing it with your GP) take B vitamins.

Or, you could fly out west where I saw ONE mosquito in five hours of walking yesterday afternoon/evening, and I turned a heel and got well into the gusset on some 13EEE's.

[Silvia]

Christ honey, that "very special thing" better be a huge freaking blender with margaritas aplenty. No way would this city slicker go wit cha...

[Paul]

The brewer's yeast tablets are a good idea. I have friends that add a little yeast to their cat's food, and it keeps fleas at bay, so it probably would do the same for mosquitos. Poor little guy...

[Debi]

Nice cliffhanger....so what's "the very special thing"?