Attack of the Killer Mosquitoes

I have heard about the bugs back east, that they are supersized and super persistent, but I admit to skepticism and even condescension when it came to responding to easterners’ complaints. I have since learned that Manitoba employs a method called “fogging”: a practice in which the cities and outlying areas are sprayed with pesticides – for obvious reasons. Residents bring in toys, pets, and just about anything else that’s not nailed down during the application so harmful contact between the poison and humans is reduced. At first I thought the measures extreme but after a night in an enclosed space with dozens of mosquitoes (at least it felt like dozens and poor Gord got the worst of it) I have a new appreciation for what these folks live with. The thought is, “I would rather live a shorter more comfortable life, than a longer one tormented by bugs.” My heart bleeds for you, dear eastern Canadian kin.

While on the subject of bugs, let me tell you about the black flies. Be advised that these insidious little fellows can bore a hole in your flesh that bleeds for days and takes a week to heal. Our daily reading through the book of I Samuel talked about King Saul being tormented by an evil spirit and I am convinced it must have been an Ontarian mosquito or black fly. I’m thinking I might submit an idea to Alfred Hitchcock for the premise of a film.

Despite the bugs, the stretch between Kenora and Thunder Bay reminded us of Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast. I had a peek at a map of the Lake of the Woods behind the cashier at a re-fueling station yesterday and it seemed to me that there was more water than land. A myriad of islands, large and small, dot the lake and provide a collection of nooks and bays that I would love to have the means to explore. Of course, the sunshine and the soft green of spring growth make the area even prettier. Our BC eyes also love the more rolling terrain and we find ourselves continually scanning the horizon for something more than a knoll.

Kakabeka Falls runs over a 50 ft drop of layered shale and you can hear the roar for miles.

We are both finally feeling more relaxed as if we really are on holiday and still in such a state of joy over our son’s recent wedding and now the exciting news that we are going to be grandparents in the fall. Blessed and blessed and blessed!