The phone could be ringing more than it is. Might the telephonic quiet be partly due to tourists' attitudes toward bugs? This summer they've been complaining vociferously about the population explosion of our insect friends. Everywhere I go, when I go swimming at Garnet Lake, when I walk down the street in North Creek, at Cafe Sarah's, everyone is upset about the bugs. Is this why I'm always all alone on the trails this summer?
In the spring I was worried about how I'd handle the nasty little things, and actually I'm glad my first summer has been a bad bug summer because whatever comes next will be heaven sent in comparison. I made up my mind that bugs were not going to interfere with my enjoyment of the outdoors, and, with just a few exceptions, they haven't. I have, however, complained about bug dope. Right now I've got some deet-free stuff that is made from a base of olive oil and bee balm (those are not the active ingredients, of course). The stuff is so greasy, it's impossible to keep it from smearing my glasses. But it works. The stuff I had before that smelled so bad that my friends made jokes about it. But it worked!
Gardening on the deck has been a fun challenge. I've got a problem with my zucchini and squash plants--they're producing a profusion of male flowers and not much squash. Something wrong with the soil, I'm sure. The peppers have been great, and I hope to have many more before the season is over. Due to the cool nights here (down sometimes to the high 50s and low 60s), I bring the pepper pots in at night.
Sophie has been miserable in the heat. We put on the a.c., but she's still unhappy. She'd prefer to be gallivanting in the outdoors, but, with the exception of the very early morning, it's just too hot for her.
Starting a business has been an enormous challenge, I've found. I keep going, consulting experts and reading alot, but much of it is trial and error, and I'm still in the error phase. I freeze up with the technical stuff. I'm still trying to understand my credit card processing company's software. Complicated!!
In the good news arena, I think I'm going to be guiding the guests of a well-known inn in the area in the future--probably in the fall, and I'm looking forward to that.
In the spring I was worried about how I'd handle the nasty little things, and actually I'm glad my first summer has been a bad bug summer because whatever comes next will be heaven sent in comparison. I made up my mind that bugs were not going to interfere with my enjoyment of the outdoors, and, with just a few exceptions, they haven't. I have, however, complained about bug dope. Right now I've got some deet-free stuff that is made from a base of olive oil and bee balm (those are not the active ingredients, of course). The stuff is so greasy, it's impossible to keep it from smearing my glasses. But it works. The stuff I had before that smelled so bad that my friends made jokes about it. But it worked!
Gardening on the deck has been a fun challenge. I've got a problem with my zucchini and squash plants--they're producing a profusion of male flowers and not much squash. Something wrong with the soil, I'm sure. The peppers have been great, and I hope to have many more before the season is over. Due to the cool nights here (down sometimes to the high 50s and low 60s), I bring the pepper pots in at night.
Sophie has been miserable in the heat. We put on the a.c., but she's still unhappy. She'd prefer to be gallivanting in the outdoors, but, with the exception of the very early morning, it's just too hot for her.
Starting a business has been an enormous challenge, I've found. I keep going, consulting experts and reading alot, but much of it is trial and error, and I'm still in the error phase. I freeze up with the technical stuff. I'm still trying to understand my credit card processing company's software. Complicated!!
In the good news arena, I think I'm going to be guiding the guests of a well-known inn in the area in the future--probably in the fall, and I'm looking forward to that.
posted by Judith at 6:28 PM
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