Farewell to July

[altivo]

Some say the ferocious vampiric moskeedle,
Whose beak is as sharp as an old tailor's needle,
Is food for the swallow
And bats from the hollow,
But if I can swat her, I don't heed that wheedle.

[with editorial revision by hellmutt]

Just as I was leaving work at lunchtime (today being my half day off) the weather alarm radio went off with a severe storm warning for the county immediately to our west. (They had announced a severe storm watch somewhat earlier, to run through the evening hours.)

Knowing that the sheep were probably outdoors and the storm would reach us in an hour or so, I went straight home. When I got there, I pulled up the local weather radar on the web and sure enough, a nasty looking front seemed to be headed right for us. Out then to put the sheep inside and chain shut the north door of the big barn where heavy rain can blow in and wet the hay. In due time, a dire warning was issued, speaking of 80 mile an hour winds and possible hail. The front hit 30 minutes later, but with only 40 mile an hour gusts and a brief spatter of rain. I don't know whether to be irritated, disappointed, or pleased.

The temperature dropped nicely afterward, but the humidity climbed. Now it's positively steamy outside, and the mosquitoes are feasting on anyone or anything that dares venture out there. Still had to feed everyone and put them to bed for the night, leaving doors open because it's so oppressively humid. Hence the doggerel above. Or should I say "ponyrel?"

Comments

[ducktapeddonkey.livejournal.com]

Merf..

Two things I really dislike; Humidity and mosquitoes.

We've got them worse here than last year for sure. All out of the way places we like are so over grown this year too. Usually there's been at least a couple of big die-offs by this time.

Do you have West Nile down your way too?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes. West Nile came through here in a really big way about four years ago, with a lot of dead equines and a few dead humans, as well as many more of both species taken very sick.

Since then we've heard less about it, but it is still here. The county health department issues regular warnings about not letting mosquitoes bite you, which is absurd. Even if you stayed locked in the house 24/7 you'd get bitten a few times. Those of us who have to work can't avoid bites.

Worse, they continue to approve more urban sprawl, which means subdivision plats with "holding ponds" and "retention areas" that fill with water and breed mosquitoes in a wet spring such as we had this year. Stupid, but of course the money always wins out over common sense or common good.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

It is a bit dissapointing because you went to so much trouble preparing for it.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

But at least there are no broken branches or other damage to clean up.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

True but whats better is if you prepare the storm comes over and there's not any damage and only a bit to clean up :)

[soanos.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I hope the mosquitoes didn't get you too badly. I am not sure but I seem to remember rubbing olive oil on your skin can be used to keep the mosquitoes away.

*towel dries and starts grooming the damp pony*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

All sorts of things are supposed to work to repel mosquitoes. Few of them work very well, though. We always have various commercial products on hand that are supposed to do the job, but to be honest, they aren't real effective and they smell bad.

Horses are mosquito magnets, which isn't nice for them or for us.

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

After my homeless stint in Pensacola, I have to say I respect bats. I was a little nervous when I started sleeping at an underpass and was surrounded by them, but they kept the mosquitoes away, completely. For that, the bat goes on my top ten animals list ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Bats, for some reason, have a lot of phony superstition and hokey beliefs connected to them. For the most part, they are beneficial or at least benign.

The real vampire bat is a nasty critter, but only found in South America I believe. I'm not sure how the connection between vampires and bats first came up, because it seems to predate knowledge of the actual vampire bat. In other words, the real bat was named after Dracula rather than the other way around. ;p

Bats can carry rabies. There is presently a warning in our county about bats with rabies, and three or four actual sick bats have been caught and proven to be infected. However, our typical bats don't bite people unless they are cornered and handled against their will, so the warning essentially just applies to handling or interfering with bats, which should be avoided.

I love the silly belief that bats will get tangled in your hair. No idea where that nonsense comes from, but it's amazing how many people really do think it's true.

Stuperstitions

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Well, fortunatly I wasn't familiar with all those 'stuperstitions'- one of the benefits of growing up relatively unshcooled and undiscipled is conventional logic doesn't have a firm hold on your mind- I was just nervous about hundreds of bats flying within inches of my face all night. I figured they weren't blood drinkers, and realized my hair was too short to even be an issue there (I questioned that beleif sometime ago... one of the many things people tell you without doing any research or investigation at all themselves, much less any firsthand experience). After a couple of nights, I realized they were avoiding me and remembered their built-in sonar. They where flying in a very short radius catching bugs- and in regards to mosquitos- probably the ones attracted to my presence. The only insects I had any trouble with the whole month I was there were ants. No roaches, skeeters or parasites. For that, bats seem pretty cool to me now. People still suck, but bats are right up there with horses & snakes on my list now.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

In your hair? I've never heard that one. I'm immune, anyhow: I'm a flat-coated critter currently.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's a common belief, and I didn't think it was limited to the US. In fact, it can't be, because A.A. Milne refers to it in his book Once Upon a Time.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Now you mention it, I can vaguely remember hearing some silly girls somewhere (probably on tv) going "yuck, I'm always they'll get in my hair". I definitely didn't know it was a widespread thing. Why bats, why hair? What harm would that do to the human, even? Very interesting!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

What harm would that do to the human, even?

Bats are kinda messy. Guano was named for them. They also carry rabies and other diseases.

But I don't think any of that was behind the fear of the bat getting entangled in one's hair. It's rather founded in the human distaste or fear of touching or being touched anything small and wiggly. In other words, much like the traditional fear of women that mice would run up their skirts, hence the notion that they should/would jump up on a chair or table at the sight of a mouse.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

I am a maiden who is forty,
And a maiden I shall stay...

And yes. It was specifically the hair thing I was curious about. Apart from general panic caused by being stuck to anything that's terrified and flapping, and the hygiene concerns (possibly more modern?), it seems an odd thing to be afraid of. Certainly an odd thing on which to fixate.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Heh, how typically Dahl that poem is.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Growing up, and realising he'd written more than just his stuff for children, was... eye-opening for me. :) Still can't beat the Revolting Rhymes, though.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Or should I say "ponyrel?"
Yes, you should. ;) Leave the "doggerel" to the mongrels, oh noble poetic equine.

But seriously, I like the rhyme. Very cute. Reminds me of Ogden Nash or someone of the sort. Post more!

Also, I woke up a couple of mornings ago with red bites all over (yep, in the two days of oppressive heat per year we're assigned here in England) and my sides and toes itch.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

My mate seems prone to bites during the night. We think they are spider bites, and he gets quite a reaction to them at times. Generally I don't experience anything in spite of close proximity. It's odd.

Nash was much wittier than I am, really. The cynicism of the last line might be compared to Dorothy Parker, but she would have found a much more clever way to word it.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

I assumed it was skeeters, since my window's been wide open -- could be spiders, though.

The last line: is the "wheedle" referring to the whining sound of their flight?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's referring to the environmental scientist whining that mosquitoes have a valid place in the ecology and food chain, though the secondary reference to the whine of a mosquito in flight was certainly intended.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Aha. Perhaps, then, changing the first couple of words of the first line to "We're told" or "They say" would make that clearer?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

A good editorial suggestion. I'll implement it. :)

That's what happens when you write the first two lines without knowing where you are headed...