the mosquito wars

We fought the mosquitoes ... and the mosquitoes won.

We can't figure out how they're getting into the yurts ... Tiff & I will try to blueboard & insulate all the remaining cracks downstairs. I'm not sure that'll do it, but hopefully. Poor Rick is bummed right now - he just really doesn't want to have a house that has mosquitoes. I'm sure that by the next time I come back, there won't be.

During the day they're not so bad in the yurts - and yesterday was an amazing day that was actually hot (over 80 degrees) and clear and beautiful, and hardly any bugs outside. (Until I went out to watch Rick feed & water the dogs - I went out in flip flops and got some swarming action. We went to Chautauqua first, who sniffed my toes and looked at me with a very clear, "Seriously, flip flops? Dog yard? Not a wise choice, human."

But after two nights of little sleep due to the evil mosquitoes swarming me all night long, on the way back from Talkeetna we stopped at a little store and I picked up a mosquito net. It's the best $17 I ever spent. I don't care that it cost me at least double what it would someplace else - it was a little piece of paradise. The Holts didn't have any string so I almost blew off setting it up, but I filched their laundry line. Which is one of the wisest things I ever did - it was bad, bad, bad last night. So bad that Tiff climbed up into the loft to sleep with Rohnan in his mosquito net (he's way allergic to the bites).

Rick says I snored - I slept HARD and long. I woke up to see loads of them on the net ... on the OUTSIDE of the net.

Pics to follow ... can't get 'em to load up.

UPDATE: Post written days earlier than posted due to technical difficulties. My last night it appeared that Rick's aggressive attack of the doorways seemed to work and the mosquito swarms have abated. Here's to a mosquito-free yurt!