Kicked my Butt ~

The antique sale at my house Friday and Saturday really kicked my butt.  I feel like a walking zombie.  I had so much left over from my outdoor show two weeks ago, but I kept pulling more and more from the basement to add to the sale.  First, though, I had to clean the garage (which is NEVER clean) to make room for tables.  Since I don't have a storage shed, I had to work around trash cans, lawnmower, edger, etc.  Hauled them in and out of the garage countless times.  But . . . I am totally blown away by my sales.  I set a pretty low goal so I wouldn't be disappointed, but surpassed it by several times.  I am absolutely thrilled.  Today has been spent boxing it all up (and I am not quite done!) to haul it to my friend's in a few weeks and do this all over again.  The more I get rid of, the less will go back to the basement 😁

Tis midge season near the shores of Lake Erie.  We get them 2-3 times a summer, but I never remember them this late or this bad.  They look like mosquitos, but don't bite.

For 4-5 nights at dusk, there have been dark clouds of them in the sky and the noise they make is eerie.  A low, droning, buzzing sound.  Here is one person's take on them . . .

"One drawback to living on the shores of Lake Erie is the annual swarming of midges (aka muffleheads or muckleheads).  Your house, car, bushes, well . . . EVERYTHING is covered with 1000's upon 1000's of these harmless, non biting insects.  This time of year they ascend into the sky just before sunset, forming thick, undulating clouds.  This orgy in the sky is the last chapter in their lifecycle before they lay eggs in the water and die."

If you walk by a shrub in your yard and get too close, thousands of them will swarm.  One must keep his/her mouth shut and do a lot of exhaling!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

And the Winner is ~

Thanks to all who entered my little 12 year give-away.  I had many people interested . . . and the winner is Coke.  Congrats.  You have three days to contact me 😉  In addition to the necklace and scissor fob, I am also sending a little kitty needle/pinkeep.

If you are interested in making your own little kitty, the free pattern can be found here.

Remember a few posts back I talked about the midges ~ aka muffleheads ~ that are prevalent near the shores of Lake Erie every year at this time?  This year they lasted much longer than usual.  Here is what it looks like when you run in to a swarm of them on a motorcycle.  My son said it looked like fog ahead.  I wonder if he is still picking them out of his teeth 😁.

If anyone is interested in one of the welcome heart necklaces, I do have some for sale.  Only one sold at yesterday's hook in (but one is better than none).  They are $27 each which includes first class shipping with tracking (but no insurance).  

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Muffleheads ~

One of the joys of living near Lake Erie (NOT!) is the emergence of midges, aka muffleheads.  Each spring, the small, plumed flies emerge to swarm on the shores of Lake Erie.  The annual hatching comes when the lake warms to a temperature comfortable for the flies to emerge from the pupal stage.  The flies aren't dangerous.  Midges do not bite and serve an important food source for fish, birds and other insects.  

To say they are horribly annoying is an understatement.  They are mainly in the greenery ~ shrubs, trees and plants.  When you walk by, they swarm you by the thousands.  If you happen to open your mouth, you are likely to ingest a few.  When airborne, the swarms are often so big they show up on weather radar.  They've been around for about a week, so hopefully they will be gone in a few days.

Please enjoy a little walk around my yard.

Love the variegated leaf on this geranium.

Phlox

Perennial geranium and poppies

So funny how the camera sees the color on the poppies.  The naked eye does not see any of the yellow/yellow orange.

The dogwood tree looking from above.  From the ground, you do not notice the flowers.

The irises are so pretty.

Siberian iris is one of my absolute favorites.

I hope you enjoyed the little walk.  There will be much more 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren