Well almost bug free. I was over at the neighbors last night, sitting on his back porch swatting mosquito’s and gnats. "Bugs are bad this year!" :He states and swats one more. "Yup, gist can’t enjoy the yard after dark!": As I swat a big juicy mosquito. "Gawd I hate lugging out the can and spraying all the berry vines and grass and lawn to kill (Swat!) these bugs!": His sentence interrupted by a gnat.
Well you can tell when old George is around… but you can’t tell him much! Our evening chat was over and he thundered into the house muttering something about calamine lotion. I got into the old truck and headed home, it was just getting dusk and the dew was settling on the leaves. I smiled to myself. Old George would either spray the yard down tomorrow with some WWII grade "rid the world" Pest spray, or buy a industrial size bug fryer the kind with the blue colored lights and charged steel netting! I figure he will spend well over $100 just to sit in the back yard and watch the light show of bugs being arc welded to death. It’s good morbid entertainment and heck old George will buy all the beer you can drink, if you’ll just sit out in the yard with him and watch the Bug-Zapping show.
I pulled into the yard . I could see my High tech. search and destroy bug initiators hard at work. I have the latest in Stealth technology working here. Pinpoint accuracy the bugs are taken in mid-air. NO it is not birds, those lazy pinfeather charlatans roosted almost at the moment the sun went down. My little fighter pilots are bats! Just as the sun was dipping in the west these hungry little varmints took to the air! With radar cranked up and echo location ears on, the flying mammals began their mission.. "Kill the skitters!"
Of course I have my ground troops out and ready also. A fine infantry on foot, decked in camouflage green. Little green barrette amphibian landing teams.. the Frog patrol…
In the ponds the naval maneuvers are just getting started. Commander Gold fish and Admiral Koi have positioned themselves for an aquatic assault from down under.
The insects have readied themselves for a night time assault. The Wing Commanders of the stealth bomber group have relived the gaudy painted feather fly boys of the day wing.
It had taken a little bit of work and a lot of negotiations to get the Stealth Wing Commanders to join in the war. Housing was the first step to win them over. Their demand was not out of line. Simple housing for the flying group, their spouse’s and little ones. It had to be dry, out of the rain, quiet for day sleeping and it had to face South East (I thought "hmm. Religious"), 10 feet or more off the ground with no access for daytime attack. The Wing Commanders informed me that if I met these criteria, the housing did not have to be large, they liked it cramped. And one other thing, Water, it had to be with in 100 feet of the shelter.
I began construction, the shelter consisted of three 1 inch thick cedar boards the back was 12 inches wide the middle was 10 inches wide and the front was 8 inches wide old cedar rough saw boards. All nailed together with 1 inch spacers between them and an end cap to make it look nice. Since each board was 2 inches narrower than the next, the difference was split 1 inch on the top and 1 inch on the bottom. The roof was a rough saw 1x8 giving the structure the appearance of half a bird house with no floor or entrance hole drilled in it. Next I had to find a location for the structure. The Barn had to much activity to allow any one to sleep during the day. So I settled on a fir tree by the ponds, as an ideal location. I had trimmed the limbs up over 40 feet years ago, so by using the 20 foot ladder I was able to mount the BAT HABITAT on the sunny side of the tree. Basking in the morning sun light but shaded a bit from the blazing afternoon sun. Just what the Wing Commanders have asked for.
At first I think only the re-con team bunked there, and only during shore leave. The mates arrived a few weeks later, but things were too quiet. The Wing Commanders warned me about disturbing the newly weds. So I reluctantly and with great concern left them to themselves. Shore leave must have been to their liking, because this year I have hundreds of Stealth Bombers making raids on the insect population. The Stealth crew are almost as quiet as the naval division of Commander Gold and Admiral Koi.
But things are a bit noisy these nights as I sit, in the dark, by the pond with my cup of tea. The Amphibian Green Barrette Frog Patrol…sure know how to party. "BRRRRAAAAAAAAACCCCCK!"
Mark Paulsen Scenic Harbor Nursery
Scenic Harbor Nursery