Dear Kid,

It will not stun you to learn that while Dad and Pi went on a 56 mile bike ride yesterday, I didn’t.

I spent some time outside…wait for it…weeding. Since I’m (very) tired of being the buffet for the bugs, I dosed myself in serious bug spray.

Turns out that DEET is sort of a flavor enhancer for mosquitoes when it hits my skin.

“Ah, zee chef has outdone heerself zis evening wiz a beautiful assortment of limbs, well-seasoned wiz chemicals zat—while rumored to offend our olfactory senses—make zee leetle nip and bite all zee more enticing.”

 Sigh.

We have weird mosquitoes.

The Puppy watched from the safety of “over there” where he alternated between napping in the sun and napping in the shade.

The birdfeeder is neutral territory. Everyone is tolerated. Mostly. DearKidLoveMom.comI read somewhere that one of the best ways to get rid of mosquitoes is to have a bird feeder. The theory is that when you attract birds to your backyard with birdseed, they will munch on some handy bugs while they’re in the neighborhood.

It’s entirely possible that our birds are vegan. Or that they’re lazy and have decided not to bother with the swooping and catching when the landing and eating is so much easier. It’s also possible that they are eating their fair share of bugs and the yard would be swarm-filled without them.

IMO they aren’t working hard enough. Unfortunately, I don’t know if that means I should add another bird feeder or take one down. Pretty sure I’ll settle for buying more hydrocortisone.

Love, Mom