all gnatural
It's that special time of year here in Illinois, when a certain foul species called the buffalo gnat emerges from wherever they come from in order to fulfill their destiny. For some of them, this destiny involves biting any exposed skin on any mammal they should encounter, which is often me. Others seem to be seeking Gnat Nirvana, which is evidently located somewhere within my mouth, nose or eye sockets, to judge from the enthusiasm with which the gnats attack these orifices. These aren't normal gnats, which can be really, really annoying but don't really cause any problems. No, these ones bite and it can cause a nasty allergic reaction (though, thankfully, I seem to not suffer from that). They also are not repelled by Deet at all. Consequently, the only way to deal with them is to wear a mosquito net, and then cover every inch of skin you have. This can be pretty uncomfortable on days like today when it's above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
For some reason, these damned things are out in record numbers this spring. Fortunately, they'll be gone in a couple weeks. Unfortunately, by then the mosquitos will be out. And then horseflies will make an appearance. Plus deerflies, which aren't as bad as horseflies, but when you get by them enough times it ceases to matter. There will also be blackflies, which also suck. And chiggers; I don't even know what "chigger" is, but they don't sound fun. The ticks, of course, are already out, but there will be many more of them in the coming weeks. And let's not forget that there will be a whole bunch of big spiders, which hardly ever actually do anything to people, but are still really scary. Yes, working outside is awesome.
For some reason, these damned things are out in record numbers this spring. Fortunately, they'll be gone in a couple weeks. Unfortunately, by then the mosquitos will be out. And then horseflies will make an appearance. Plus deerflies, which aren't as bad as horseflies, but when you get by them enough times it ceases to matter. There will also be blackflies, which also suck. And chiggers; I don't even know what "chigger" is, but they don't sound fun. The ticks, of course, are already out, but there will be many more of them in the coming weeks. And let's not forget that there will be a whole bunch of big spiders, which hardly ever actually do anything to people, but are still really scary. Yes, working outside is awesome.