“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
We have yet to shake the dark and damp of the last few days. It almost feels as if we are living in a weather limbo. It doesn’t rain and the sun doesn’t shine. Today though feels a bit cooler than yesterday. The weather in the paper says maybe showers tonight and maybe showers tomorrow.
Last night’s movie was What’s Up Doc. My friends hadn’t seen it in years, and they laughed all the way through. It was a perfect choice for our weather moods, for the dark days we have been suffering through. The deck was still damp as we had no sun to dry it yesterday, but the table and chairs had been under the umbrella and were dry. There was no breeze and the air was heavy. We had bugs, a rarity on my deck, so we lit punks to keep away the bugs. We all had memories of those punk sticks from our childhoods when we’d spin one in the air and pretend it was a sparkler. I love the smell of punks. There is nothing else like it so my nose easily triggers punk memories from way back. We could even buy them at the white store. They were kept in a large glass jar. Last night we put a few sticks in the deck boxes, and they worked: no bugs.
Some volunteers used mosquito coils in Ghana to keep away bugs. The coils were spiral-shaped and were mounted on a small piece of thin metal so they were suspended in the air. Most of them were green. They too had a distinctive smell to repel mosquitos, and I know I’d recognize that smell if my nose ever got even the tiniest whiff. The coils burned for a long time so you had to be careful where you put them as they could cause fires. Some volunteers without screens used them inside. None of us gave any thought as to whether or not they were harmful. Come to find out the burning of one mosquito coil releases the same amount of particulate matter as burning 75-137 cigarettes. At least we didn’t get bitten!
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: bugs, dark and damp, mosquito coils, Peace Corps Ghana, punks, sparklers, weather limbo, What's Up Doc
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
August 24, 2015 at 2:37 pm
From what you’ve told me about some of your friends’ movie preferences, I’m surprised, but delighted, to hear they chose What’s Up Doc? I watched a bit of “Foul Play” on cable this morning — another comedy caper set in San Francisco. Fairly enjoyable, but doesn’t hold a carrot to WUD.
August 24, 2015 at 2:51 pm
im6,
They all really enjoyed What’s Up Doc. The other choice was The Haunting, the Julie Harris version, from 1963, but they all decided they could use some laughs and laugh they did.
I watched Foul Play the other day, not as funny but still a fun movie. Seems Like Old Times is another movie starring those two. The dinner scene with the governor is great fun.
My friends showed great taste!
August 24, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Of course your friends have good taste…they hang out with you!
And by the way, you do know that mosquitoes are referred to here in Jersey as the state bird, right?
Oh well…that’s the joke, anyway…have a great day! 🙂
Waving (to bat away the state bird),
Coleen
August 24, 2015 at 3:28 pm
Coleen,
How nice! Thank you!!
I didn’t know that about Jersey. Luckily you can see them to squash them.
Keep swatting and good luck on nailing those suckers.
Waving,
Kat
August 25, 2015 at 3:41 pm
🙂
August 24, 2015 at 3:21 pm
We’ve had a mostoly cloudy day here, warm, high humidity and thunder. I think it still might rain but it is a calm and quiet rain.
I’ve never heard of punks before but I have used those spirals, never liked that smell and always worried about something catching fire because of it so I’ve avoided them mostly. Worked really good though!
This year has been a fly year but we’ve had extremely few mosquitoes. I guess it just was too chilly most parts of our summer. Too bad that wasn’t the case for flies 🙂
I’m glad the movie night was a success even if I would have chosen the other film 🙂
I just saw that they are selling a Godzilla dvd collection, with most of the old Japanese movies 🙂 Pay day tomorrow so I’m thinking about buying it but I haven’t decided yet, the bill for the car repairs hasn’t arrived yet so I’ll decide after that 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
August 24, 2015 at 3:35 pm
Christer,
It is late afternoon now, and the weather is still the same, but it is tolerable now which is better than the last few days.
The punks are great because they work so well. According to Wikipedia, “They are made of bamboo and a brown coating of dried manure or compressed sawdust.” That doesn’t sound like it but the aroma is really nice.
The first Gozdilla is my favorite. I love that they made the movie then added Raymond Burr as if he were part of the movie.
Car repairs are so expensive and painful sometimes. I hope the bill isn’t too high.
Have a great evening!
August 25, 2015 at 12:38 am
Here in the valley of the sun, Phoenix Az, I don’t think a mosquito can even live. The temperature was a balmy 105 while I drove to the hotel at five this afternoon and the air is as dry as a bone. It’s a desert what do you expect in August.
Back home the city has been spraying to kill mosquitoes because of the West Nile virus.
August 25, 2015 at 11:48 am
Bob,
You’re right-mosquitos love standing water to thrive. I know during the dry season in Ghana we had no bugs at all. We even stopped taking our anti-malarial drugs.
I don’t want to live through any more dry seasons anywhere, including Phoenix.
They found it in Massachusetts in a couple of towns.