Summer Buggin'

Here it is… the season I wait all year for, summer! For many this means heading into the great outdoors with vehicles packed to the brim with sleeping bags, food and tents. For me, the great outdoors is best enjoyed knowing that I have a cozy bed (that isn’t inflated with air) with quality sheets in a shelter that is not made of cloth waiting for me. I like solid walls, windows made of glass, electricity and running water, all of these things are fantastic.

The idea of camping appeals to me; enjoying the sun while floating in a lake all day - then as the air cools and night approaches, cold beverages around a fire. Sounds great! The reality of it is there is no bathroom, no electricity, and there are bugs, lots of bugs. So camping is not great, camping sucks. During the day I can handle walking to a public washroom to use the facilities, but who wants to wake up in the night and walk anywhere… the other option, squatting. Ugh. I told you this camping thing is not great. And did I mention there are bugs? Lots of them!

Clearly the whole wilderness lover thing skipped a generation with me. My mom grew up in the 60’s and is nature’s best friend. She doesn’t even kill spiders, she rehomes them. I do not rehome spiders. I kill them with the biggest object available so that I do not get any disgusting part of an arachnid near me. I squish them dead, with no remorse. When my mom witnesses my vengeance upon a spider, she is horrified. And then tries to tell me spiders are my friends, they help keep the other bug populations down. Whatever, I am not falling for that malarkey. Clearly those little maniacs are out to get me.

It is not just a love a spiders that classifies my mother as a nature lover, she is the real deal. She and my step father live off grid, in a cabin; no running water, no hydro, in Northern Saskatchewan. It is a rustic cabin with solar power to operate the little electricity they need (to charge cell phones, computers, etc.), propane powered fridge and stove and wood stove for heat in the winter. There is a water tank in the loft, which they fill directly from the lake they live on, that they filter for drinking water, dishes, and brushing teeth. Have to use the loo? Then you have to head outside to the bathhouse to use the composting toilet. So for me this is kind of like camping, not so bad in the day, but nighttime, forget about it! Oh and guess what?! There are bugs… BIG bugs that take enjoyment in harassing and taking
chunks out of you.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do love nature. I love birds, ducks, bunnies, deer, and pretty much any furry mammal or feathered friend. But put anything with transparent wings or more than four legs in front of me, I am out! I would definitely be one of those people that would crash my vehicle because some creepy 8-legged creature descended upon me from the rear-view mirror. I would much rather sit in my Jeep with a hungry bear or even a snake than to have some gross tarantula coming at me. (A tarantula in my world is any insect bigger than a nickel.)

Of course now, with all the rain we have withstood we are sure to experience in an influx of the bug population too. Those creepy crawlies seem to flourish in the damp dreary weather. And whatever ones don’t enjoy the rain, try to take refuge in our homes. Mosquitos are flying rampant and the ants and spiders are hightailing into our personal indoor spaces, trying to evict us from our own quarters. Ugh! Bugs are the worst!

I can’t claim to be a totally heartless insect hater. I do try to help our faltering bee population. I have let the dandelions grow freely in the lawn, I have wild flower garden seeds planted, AND I have even saved a bee in distress by giving him water, which I delivered delicately from a leaf. (Thanks, Ruth; I learned that one from one of your Facebook posts!) See, I am not a complete merciless bug assassin. I do grant clemency to some of the more tragic creepy-crawly cases.

When all is said and done summer passes us by in the blink of an eye. Before we know it days will be getting shorter once again and my beloved sunny season will be coming to an end. I do try my best not to complain during the, what seems to be the very short, dog days of summer. I love the heat and it would be a rare day if you ever heard me grumble about that. I do, clearly, complain about some of things that come along with the warm weather… primarily bugs. But nothing beats the warm summer air and I only wish we could enjoy for more than a couple months out of the year, bugs or not.