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Blog Entry 19 of 71
River City Raconteur
rac·on·teur [rak-uhn-tur; Fr. ra-kawn-tœr]a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly. Origin: 1820–30; < F, equiv. to racont(er) to tell (OF r(e)- re- + aconter to tell, account ) + -eur -eur Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Blog Url:
http://wichitafalls.yourhub.com/~JimMiller
Entries:
10/13/2006 'Little boys love trucks'
11/18/2006 'The Tired Hand'
1/20/2007 'Downtown'
1/27/2007 'Downtown revisited'
2/1/2007 'What's in a name?'
2/12/2007 'So long, Harry!'
2/28/2007 'Spring, eh?'
3/21/2007 'Can anything good come out ...'
3/28/2007 'Of monarchs & scissor-tails'
3/29/2007 'Old dogs & a man named Parker'
4/10/2007 'Drive by movies'
4/12/2007 'Let it all hang out!'
4/20/2007 'Random thoughts for Earth Day'
4/24/2007 'Learning to go native'
5/10/2007 'New kids on the block'
5/16/2007 'I started out as a child'
5/17/2007 'An open invitation'
5/31/2007 'Let me say this about that...'
6/15/2007 'Repelling the Ghost Mosquitoes'
6/19/2007 'When meadowlarks ruled Call...'
6/22/2007 'Describe yourself in song'
6/23/2007 'My favorites are....'
6/30/2007 'The Greatest Choir Ever'
7/3/2007 'Some might call it LUCK'
7/19/2007 'From a secret, undisclosed ...'
7/23/2007 'More on The Pavilion'
8/1/2007 'What Mamma don't know'
8/21/2007 'River Bend gets a head'
9/25/2007 'God speed, Li'l Tex!'
9/29/2007 'Monarchs moving through Texas'
10/11/2007 'It wasn't me!'
10/26/2007 'Relying on the kindness of ...'
11/5/2007 '"Weed it and Reap"'
11/10/2007 ''Tired Hand' retires again'
11/10/2007 'Where are the colors of yes...'
11/19/2007 'It ain’t easy being green w...'
11/27/2007 'The economic value of wildlife'
12/5/2007 'Christmas was...'
12/6/2007 'A 'roo on the barbie?'
2/5/2008 'Just a tick on the Geologic...'
2/7/2008 'Toward a renewed Eden'
2/17/2008 'Is that spring in the air?'
2/21/2008 'Stone Lake sightings'
3/2/2008 'Lookin' for love'
3/16/2008 'Is that a coyote in your po...'
3/16/2008 'La Costa magnifica!'
3/23/2008 'March madness...'
4/1/2008 ''Little Green Apples''
4/12/2008 'Groceries' growing pains'
6/3/2008 '350 ways to heal our planet'
6/5/2008 '350: A "Red Line" in the sand'
6/29/2008 'Blame it on the bison'
7/5/2008 'Poking the bear'
7/13/2008 'Let's go forward'
7/26/2008 'You say you want a revolution'
7/29/2008 'These are the Dog Days'
8/22/2008 'Thank God it's Friday!'
8/22/2008 'Blog bug spreading!'
8/23/2008 'River Bend Rocks! kicks off...'
8/24/2008 'It's MyHub and I'm stickin'...'
8/27/2008 'The times, they are a-changin''
8/30/2008 'I laughed, at first'
11/25/2008 'Dear Mr. Clopton'
11/26/2008 'It's that time of the year,...'
11/26/2008 'Let's get it right, people!'
11/27/2008 'And the list goes on...'
11/29/2008 'Do you see what I see?'
11/30/2008 'A call to action'
12/11/2008 'A click or two can make a b...'
12/14/2008 'All over but the shouting'
12/23/2008 'Are we there yet?'
Repelling the Ghost Mosquitoes
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Contributed by:
Jim Miller
on 6/15/2007
Since our beloved local newspaper assures us we do not have a mosquito problem here going into summer, I can only assume we are being harassed by ghost mosquitoes. They look like the real deal, the males buzz near your ear (females are silent), the females' bite certainly feels real enough, sucking honest-to-goodness Texan blood. So they must be ghost mosquitoes or some other supernatural manifestation of our collective imaginations (Expect them and they will come!).
Thing is, though, their bites still sting and itch as if they were the hardcore bloodsuckers we all know and hate. What to do about 'em?
We've had a lot of rain, thank the Lord. Go out and check around your property for old tires, unused flowerpots, forgotten cans and anything else that can hold pools of still, stagnant water. When you find them, dump them. If it's some vessel you no longer want, discard it properly (recycle where possible). Pools and puddles are where they breed.
If you have a garden pond or some other type of water feature in your yard, check with your favorite nurseryman. He or she has Bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis (Bti) to add to your pond that will wipe out mosquito larvae but will not harm other beneficial critters. Water in birdbaths needs to be changed at least once a week.
Several defenses against adult mosquitoes are available that do not contain toxic chemicals. One is garlic, a real bonus for those of us who love the stinky weed! Yes, eating garlic can keep mosquitoes from biting, although ingestion also has other anti-social, shall we say, side effects. Or you can spray some on your yard. Garlic Research Labs, Inc. out of California markets an all-natural spray called Mosquito Barrier which contains a super-strong garlic compound that the company claims mosquitoes will not come near. I haven't tried it, and all I really know about it I got from their web site http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/.
Many gardeners swear by marigolds to keep nasty biting bugs away. Others make similar claims for catnip, citronella, and lavender. Pure vanilla (not the artificial extract) is said to be good as a repellant, as is rubbing yourself down with a fabric softener sheet. Some folks claim a daily dose of vitamin B-1 (Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg.) keeps them from being bugged during mosquito season. Other topical applications that have been suggested are Vicks Vaporub with its odor only a mother could love and a 1-to-1 mixture of Avon's Skin-So-Soft bath oil and rubbing alcohol.
Of course, if you want to do like a real naturalist does while out and about in mosquito country, just carry a frog or two in your pocket.
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Showing 1-10 of 13 comments
Submitted By: Mark Clopton
posted on 6/19/2007 @ 7:18:15 AM
(Not Rated)
A squadron of ghost insects flies swarms about my head this very minute. Seems sorta like a bad design in a way. :)
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Submitted By: Jim Miller
posted on 6/18/2007 @ 7:53:38 PM
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Hey, Pamela, you did respond. I remember reading it. I didn't remove it. I can only assume those pesky skeeters ghosted it away! They really do hate negative press, ya know.
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Submitted By: Pamela Dixon
posted on 6/17/2007 @ 6:23:10 PM
(Not Rated)
hey, I thought I responed to this blog but can't find my comment, oh well, I have lots of mosquito bites from my morning walks when I don't wear sweat pants. Otherwise they just buzz around me and irrritate the devil out of me!!!!!
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Submitted By: Mark Clopton
posted on 6/16/2007 @ 1:32:29 PM
(Not Rated)
I saw one just the other day that was approximately the size of a B-29
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Submitted By: Mark Clopton
posted on 6/16/2007 @ 1:15:54 PM
(Not Rated)
Alert!! ghost mosquito swarm in my back yard
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Submitted By: Beverly McClure
posted on 6/15/2007 @ 8:10:13 PM
(Not Rated)
I've met some of those "ghosts."
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Submitted By: Mark Clopton
posted on 6/15/2007 @ 7:14:51 PM
(Not Rated)
Jim, aye. with all the rain, we DO have a mosquito problem, here, right now. Just go outside. Nature runs it's course, and to heck with any form of pie in the sky renumeration of things.
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Submitted By: Annie Miller
posted on 6/15/2007 @ 5:47:29 PM
(Not Rated)
Frogs, huh? I don't think that's a frog I keep hearing.
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Submitted By: Mark Clopton
posted on 6/15/2007 @ 3:52:57 PM
(Not Rated)
Surely they cannot USE a common, scientific term. Such a term even used by very religious organizations. Why should any such words be censored, when no other blog, or written publication does so? Do we live in some extreme pocket of present day Comstockery? Really? Do we?
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Submitted By: Mark Clopton
posted on 6/15/2007 @ 3:47:08 PM
(Not Rated)
Perhaps one is left with writing about butterflies, or our dogs, or stray cats, or our own cats, or today when the skies were clear. Perhaps it is ONLY such things which will pass the muster of a self-appointed CENSORSHIP, or arising out of local CENSORSHIP COMMITTEE? really? If you or anyone else on this PUBLIC BLOG wish to make the entries CONFORM to someone's Sunday School Class, then perhaps there is more thinking to do on the matter.
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Showing 1-10 of 13 comments
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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION
Jim Miller
Wichita Falls
, TX
Jim Miller has posted
71
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