Hook and bullet club
That’s it. I’ve had enough of summer. I know there’s two months to go but some of us reach our breaking point earlier than others.Bugs. Rain. Heat. Bugs. Sunburned and bug bit or soaking wet and itching from all the bug bites as the sandflies and mosquitoes feast as if there’s no tomorrow.This may be a good summer for some things. I know we’re still expecting a banner crop of blueberries, but the bugs are making this a summer to remember. Or for some, to forget.I reached around in the truck the other day to find some bug dope before going out to cut grass. My choices were Off! in a spray bottle or some enviro-friendly non-DEET stuff. I would have preferred the harshest, toughest DEET-filled substance on the planet, but according to a guy I know who served our country in Vietnam, the best bug dope ever made sure kept the bugs away but it burned human skin at the same time.Bugs are one part of the summer equation. Then you have to add in heat. Like that 94 degree day we had last week. Nice. I think when the temperature outside reaches the temperature inside your body, we should all just call it a day and head for cooler climates. Air conditioning or the farthest reaches of your basement, wherever it’s below 80 you are bound to be more fun to be around. So when the thermometer hovered around the mid-60s on Wednesday, I was the happiest guy on the block. “Put on another layer” was my motto to those who started complaining.And along with the heat disappearing, the bugs vanished as well. The Ely Little League Field has been serving as the home for 1.3 million sandflies this season but Wednesday evening, the flies didn’t even send out a scout. Must have been trying to put more layers on. I know the heat (and the bugs) are coming back and I’m okay with that. Because Wednesday was like a quick preview of the best season of the year: the fall.Other than the leaves changing color, the day felt fall-like. A nip in the air, gusting winds and no insects. This did lead to various stages of mind-wandering during the day. Like what kind of projects wait for us at the shack. Or if the brood of grouse I saw Sunday will be around in late September. How about some new spots for deer stands on the south side of the swamp? There’s some official declarations of when the fall season starts. Some say it’s when the football pads ap pear at the Ely high school field. Others point to Labor Day weekend or some other calendar-related event.My fall starts with the opening of the ruffed grouse season and continues each and every weekend until the firearms deer season. Then its time for winter - remember the layer rule, it comes in handy then.But in the meantime we have summer to deal with. Time best spent in the boat or canoe or on the beach or in the lake. Those are all good things but they’re really only a way to kill time until the best season arrives. I’m ready for fall, just as soon as we get July and August out of the way.
